Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-01-20

home with him at least one new idea
and new pride and enthusiasm In his
profession.
1t will be found that the best quality
of fruit will be produced on young
trees, this largely because such trees
are never overloaded. 1t teaches q les
son as to the value of judicious thin
ming of fruit.
When farmer comes to town and
gets 81 for turkey, SIS for common
fat hog, % cents for his cream or but
ter and % cents for his eggs, he should
not kick if he has to pay Sc for soft
coal to keep himself warm.
Skunks do not hibernate in winter, as
do coons, but are ready at almost any
time to make raid on the farmers
poultry yard. 1t Is curious fact that
these animals increase as the country
becomes more thickly settled.
| If the man in Iowa, Minnesota or
Wisconsin was required to give his Or
chard the same thorough cultivation,
fertilization and care as to thinning the
fruit as does the orange or prune raiser
Of the Pacific coast, he would think
that fruit raising was no joke, but did
he. SO care for his orchard he would be
aStonished at the result
A man owning 700 acres of fine farm
land told us the other day that owing
to the difficulty in securing farm help
he was being compelled to reduce the
size of his farm, as he found it impos-
| sible, with the high priced and uncer-
tain help available, to make the opera
| ton of so large farm profitable. We
told him we did not feel sorry for him.
If there is any wild live thing, fur
or feathers, left anywhere in the coun-
try where we live when spring comes
1t will be because it stayed under
ground when the horde of pothunters
were making their incessant' raids.
The desire to kill for the sake Of kill
ing is more brutally developed under
our modern civilization than when man
had to kill in order to live.
The plat upon which it is proposed to
grow crop of onions should be thor
oughly prepared the previous year.
There is nothing better for this crop
than piece of new woodland put in
perfect condition. The next best thing
is well rotted piece of pasture land.
In any event no weeds should be al
lowed to go to seed the previous year.
The most salable variety for the west
ern markets seems to be the Red Globe.
| And now it is Missouri judge who
has decided that the egg money belongs
| to the farmers wife and fined farmer
in that state good round sum for sell
| ing the eggs from the farm and APP
propriating the proceeds. Only few
pretty mean men ever attempt this
| The rest let their wives have this
source of income, most of them because
they want to and the rest because they
have to. Let every woman assert her
rights in this matter
The evolution of electrical science has
given value to every waterfall, no mat
ter how far removed from municipal or
| manufacturing centers; the magic cur
rent from hidden cataract and noun
tain glen where generated moves noise
lessly out and on to any place where
| man can use it. Nothing more wizard
like or which savors more of the tales
of the arabian Nights" or the miracles
wrought out by the genii of legend and
| fable has ever been accomplished by
| men.
| The Russian minister of agriculture
has appropriated the sum of $4,000 for
| the purpose of developing the creamery
business along the line of. the new ST.
| berian railroad. The money is to be
| expended in giving instruction in the
| dairy business to the farmer and for
| the conducting of dairy schools in
which to train butter makers Siberia
| Is likely to become an extensive butter
producing country, as the natural con-
dtions are exceedingly favorable for
the business.
The one mule farm is very common
thing in the southern states, a little
patch of land operated by colored
man, an old mule and batch of pick
aninnies. A bale or two of cotton are
raised to sell, while small cornfield.
some razorbacks wild In the woods, the
wild game of the forest and the fish in
the river contribute to give the family
a living. There is nothing just like this
in the north, but few men attempting
to work piece of land unless team
of horses can be employed.
Property rights in any wild products
are hard to enforce. Wild fruits, bee
trees, the butternuts and walnuts, the
wild game, both in fur and feathers, no
matter If well inclosed and protected
by the owner, are still looked upon as
| public plumber by the masses and will
be seized and appropriated if possible.
The people need instructing that this
wild life and the natural products are
1 each and all as mrch nrofaotad NV tho