Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1903-09-02

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1t should be said to the further credit
of alfalfa that it makes a very fine
quality Of honey, and where it is grown
in any quantity there is almost con-
tinuity of bee food from early in the
summer until late in the fall.
Southern pine forests have one
scourge to face which the north never
had, and that is the turpentine maker
the methods used to secure the sap Of
the pines for this purpose being waste
full and destructive in the largest de-
gree.
An i'll bred scrub of a two-year-old
steer in Missouri worth maybe $50 has
got two wealthy farmers by the ears
and the costs in the suits up to this
time amount to $4,000 and lots more in
sight. 1t is very easy for two old farm.
ers to be two old fools in case like
this.
Argentina is the only country which
raises any amount of corn outside OF
The United States, and this year the
crop has been good, but help is SC
scarce for the husking of the crop that
in many sections the cattle have beer
turned into the fields to get what they
could
eli, iii nd
good deal of vermin-slugs, grubs
and the like-they still should be killed
on sight if one wishes to successfully
raise poultry. We know a man who
said these brutes were among the farm
ers' best friends until one of them Wis
tied his yard of prize winning poultry
one night. Since then he has changed
his tune.
The current price of cotton is double
that of the year 1899. 1t was raised a,
a loss then and at an immense prof,
now. The half bale per acre, which il
Just an ordinary crop, is now worth
$50, the good crop of a bale to the acre
$50. The negro lfelp which produces
1t costs not over so cents per day. We
have no crop in the north which quite
equals this for profit.
The state of Iowa owns over 5000
Poland-C China hogs which are raised
and kept at the several state institu.
tions-asylums, hospitals and peniten.
tiaries. More pork and lard are thus
produced than the 5000 inmates car
consume. 1t is probable that if there
was less whisky used and less pork
eaten there would not be so many peo
pie in these institutions to raise hogs.
In the long run it is best to plant
bear good crops of fruit even if the
fruit is not of the highest quality. So
many of the choicest varieties are Ell
fher too tender or are shy bearers. The
Ben Davis Is one of the very poorest
apples known, but because 1t bears
good crops Of poor fruit 1t has become
the greatest money maker among all
the apple list.
The feeding of 10O,O0O.OOO hungry
people in this country Is going to be
one of the biggest problems Of the com
ing years. The population increases az
the land wears out Irrigation will dc
something. Improved methods Of agri
culture and smaller farms will do more
TO offset the impaired fertility Of the
older sections. The coming years will
see the soil treated better and its per.
aistent robbery in a measure stopped.
II is the year Of jubilee In the state
of South Dakota this year. Situated
on the dividing line between the
droughts which have burned up the
crops to the northwest of her and the
floods which have deluged the country
to the southeast of her she has had
just the right proportion of sunshine
and rainfall which have given the state
the greatest burden of crops she has
ever produced. Lucky South Dakota!
The four months during which the
great bulk of the vast agricultural
wealth Of the country Is produced are
nearly over. This is all original wealth
created by mans labor and skill from
the earth; nobody robbed or cheated
no watered stock. In no other field of
mans effort is so much original wealth
created in so brief time-the sowing
and planting In May, the cultivation In
June, the full harvest in July and Au-
gust
The wise men tell us that the trust
and combine idea in business Is an in
evitable outgrowth Of the progressive
age in which we live. Granted that
these combinations are In the line of
economic production and that the con-
summer is thereby in sense benefited
we still are old fogyish enough to wish
that every last trust In the country