Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-11

The wise cook Will bake the crust fol
her lemon and custard pies before she
sHakes the pie; then the bottom crust
won't look and taste like half cooked
macarpni.
The robin builds a good, large, sub
stantial nest and could seemingly care
for six or eight young birds, but we
have never found robins nest with
over four eggs in it and usually only
three
Some women are so set in their way
that they will not allow modern con-
Veniences which would ease their
household labors to be brought into the
house, preferring to do their work in
the hard old way.
twill cost about 81 to give the home
farm a name Of its own and have a
batch.of note heads and envelopes print
ed with the name of the farm and its
owner on them. 1t is question If 81
can be spent to better advantage. -.
Eve took up some white cedar posts
recently which had been set only six
years and found them decayed to the
point Of worthlessness. A willow post
will last four years and be grown for 3
cents, while the cedar post costs IA
cents.
The farm separator is not only an
economic blessing, but If the old motto,
Cleanliness is next to godliness," is
truo 1t performs theological mission
as we'll. The dirt which will be taken
from the milk is dirt which you 90 not
know is there.
Where a farmer Of standing and in
4 fuance is wheedled by some swindler
Or fakir for consideration to furnish
the prestige of his name to rope his
neighbors into scheme the sooner he
moves from that community the better.
for his neighbors Will never forgive
and never forget.
Not one country schoolhouse in ten is
kept up as it should be. While IL may
be ell right inside, the exterior sur
roundings are enough to make child
hate to go to school, when If the direct
or and the patrons would get up little
enthusiasm and patriotism it might be
made pretty and inviting place.
Recognizing the fact that locality
and soil have much to do with the ex-
) cellence of any given variety Of straw
berry, we say that with us the Candy
gives US the best favored berries the
latest berries and the largest ones, but
not the largest yield. From our point
of view 1t seems like sin to sell Gan
dy berries SO long as man can stand
1t to sit up nights and eat them.
The men who held over the onion
crop or bought stocks last fall for the
expected better spring prices have been
most grievously disappointed this year.
There was during April perfect glut
of this esculent on the market, and the
prices were such as to bring tears to
tine eyes of the owners. In fact, hun
dreds of thousands of bushels were
dumped to get rid of them. A man
takes chances in holding this crop over.
4 During the snowy ind wintry week
the last of April we passed on our way
TO work every morning the nests Of
two robins and wondered why these
birds did not have sense enough to put
off their counting and family cares I'M
It'll later in the season when there
would have been more pleasure and
fun in the business. These birds re-
minded US very much Of these young
fools of our own race who get married
on what they. think is love and $2.75.
+ Quite little is being written about
the agricultural possibilities of Alaska.
Ut is said that wheat, barley, rye and
many kinds of garden stuff are being
very successfully raised well up toward
the arctic circle and that there are i'm
mense summer ranges Of good grass
land for stock. Still, we hardly look to
see settlers making race for that sec
ton to take up homesteads lust vet.
Nine months winter is too much even
II the summer days are twenty hours
long.
I The difference between just common
things and the best things is well illus
trated in this item from Florida. The
strawberry growers of the common
fruit during April were getting $3.50
per crate FOR their berries. One grow
er Of the Klondike berry, very supe-
iior variety, could not I'LL the demand
for the product OF his twenty acre
patch at Sl1-25 per crate. There is al
ways sure to be enough Of the cheap