Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-09-08

The hog yard of this year should be
In some sort of crop next year. A
change Of yards every season will do
much to insure the health of the pigs.
Suppose when you plant a tree for
shade or ornament you plant either a
fruit or nut tree. You thus are dou.
bly, rewarded for your trouble and
work.
The agricultural department experts
estimate the loss by waste of the barn
yard manure at 100000 per annum.
We know Of one man who Is response
BILE for $50 of this loss.
When man pays his debts prompt
", is honest in his dealings and has a |
helping hand for his neighbor in trou-
BILE it makes little. difference whether
he attends camp meeting or not.
1t takes 10000 tons of binding twine
to tie up the great American crop of
cereals. Twenty years ago not a foot |
of Irvine was used for this purpose. 1t
is in this way that new inventions
create new industries.
When in sweet corn we have one of
the very choicest forage plants for the
use of the dairy COW, it is pity that |
more Of it is not raised for this pur-
pose. 1t will pay to feed from August,
as soon as it is well cared out, clear
through until spring.
There are two things which we would
have in house whether we had any |
company parlor or not-one well light.
ed cemented cellar, the other an attic |
storeroom in which to store the old |
family truck which is of no earthly
good and which we are all too stingy to
give away.
We are asked how many pairs of |
squads pair of tame pigeons will
raise in one year. 1t depends upon the
kind of pigeons kept, the temperature
and their food They have been known
to bring off ten broods in one year, but
where many birds are kept five would
be nearer the fact.
The heavy draft horse Is not a long
lFed one. Possibly if he was treated
just as he should be he might live as
long as the smaller horse, but he will
not stand grief. The hot sun, the trot-
ting him when he should only walk
and the frequent tendency to overload
him because he is big all tend to short
en- his days.
2 A friend asks why it is that the corn
in his field seems to be better alongside
q row of locust trees which border his
field than 1t is elsewhere. The locust
is legume and has the same fertiliz-
ing power where its roots extend that
clover has. This fact probably ex-
plains why our friends corn grows
bigger next the locust trees.
Passing by twenty farm homesteads
in western county not long since it
was source Of much pleasure to note
that nineteen of them had lawns which
were kept nicely trimmed with lawn
mower. Probably one man started this
method of identifying the farm home,
and the others, seeing the good work,
have followed bis example. Such things
are catching.
The distribution Of rainfall has been
very uneven in the northwest this sea-
son. While southern Minnesota, Iowa,
Kansas and Nebraska have been al
most deluged with an excess of water,
the crops Of North Dakota, Manitoba
and northern Minnesota have been
greatly injured by drought. Water is
like wealth--there is plenty of it, only
there is lack Of equity in the distribu-
ton of 1t.
The railway corporations having been
one of the most important agencies in
the destruction of our forests should
now take the lead in every effort made
to repair the losses. AS purely bust
ness proposition they can we'll afford to
set out large tracts, for instance, with
catalpa, in any part of the south coun-
try and thus insure them supply of
telegraph poles and tie timber forty
years hence.
1t is little singular that with the
poultry business being one Of the most
important of the state of Iowa no at
tention whatever is paid to old Biddy
at the state agricultural college. In fact,
the scientists there, we are informed,
buy their eggs and have to candle them
to see If they are fit to eat. There
should be poultry department at ev-
cry agricultural college and some sci
entific old rooster put at the head of it.
The state Of Kansas boasts of more
wheat kings than any other state.