Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-21

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The Wealthy apple tree is like the
Jersey cow-bears very young and
needs good care and treatment.
When flour sells at over a dollar q
sack it will pay the farmer to raise his
own bread timber, provided his land is
suited to a wheat crop.
A wet spring followed by dry sum-
mer almost always brings fruitful
year. The damage wrought by dry
spring is hard to overcome.
Where one has a large clover field it
is almost imperative that some of it
must be cut before it is just right in
order to save the last of it in good
shape. There are only about three
days when the clover is just right to
cut, and that Is when three-fourths of
the blossoms have turned brown.
A young friend wishes to know why
dog always turns round before lying
down. 1t is hereditary trait derived
from his wolf ancestry, the wolf seek
ing resting place in the grass, having
to tramp it down to secure it. 1t is the
same hereditary instinct which makes
the dog sit and howl at the moon.
The birds and the milliners and the
fruit growers are coming to better
understanding Of things. The MILL
ners are going to quit using dead birds
for decorative purposes, and the birds,
allowed to live, will eat the insects
which destroy, SO much, of the fruit
crop. 1t is, a good thing all round,
1t has been white clover week. the
week this is written, an ocean of white
bloom in the pasture, delicate fra
GRANGE right from the garden of the
gods filing the air and droning mono
tone of bees as they foraged for clover
sweets and elaborated into geometric
squares the most delicious and delicate
product of the farm.
The man who is not horseman in a
| technical sense who wishes to raise a
colt or two on his farm will find it safer
| to confne his efforts to raising the
heavy draft breeds-beef horses we call
them-because they may be raised with
as little care and trouble as a steer
There Is always good market for
these horses at three OF four years Of
age at good prices and always will be.
The plant food in the soil is taken
| by the plant or tree by absorption, the
| tiny rootlets, which are the mouths Of
the plant, sucking their food from the
! soil; hence the necessity Of SO prepar-
ing the soil that the plant may readily
| obtain its food AS well expect baby
1 to thrive by feeding it crusts of bread
| and tough meats as to expect a plant
to do well with nothing but clods to
feed on.
A friend of ours owning large farm
| has taken the trouble to SO smooth
down the highways bordering his farm
| that he can run mower over the sides
| Of the roadway as easily as he can in
his adjoining meadow. The result is
| that he gets about three tons of fine
hay-blue grass and clover-about the
middle of June and does for his farm
| what nice lady does when she puts
on her collar and ribbons and a natty
white apron.
1t all depends upon the point Of view.
The man who has an orchard Of
young fruit trees and puts out poison
and sets traps to destroy the rabbits
which girdle and destroy his trees is
looked upon as pretty, mean man by
| the sports who are fond Of rabbit hunt
| ing, and these same sports are regard
ed as an unmitigated nuisance by the
! farmer when they raid his place. scare
his stock, tear down his fences and
shoot his pet squirrels and quail.
Given sufficient rain to secure the
proper termination of the seed in the
spring, it is entirely possible to raise
almost any sort of vegetable or root
crop by continuous cultivation Of the
| surface of the soil without another
drop Of rain, until the harvest is ready
| and the crop matured. We have seen
this done with cabbages, turnips, toma-
toes, potatoes and sweet corn by sur
\ face cultivation Of the crop every three
days during fifty day midsummer
drought, the crop seemingly never suf-
| fering for want of moisture.
There is natural affinity between
children and dirt. Every mother has
found this out. 1t is all right that it
should be So. We are made. of dirt to
start with: have to dig our living out
| of it while we live and return to the
bosom Of Sold Mother Earth when we