Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1903-04-01

.~~N~S
The American people would prefer
cheaper nails and oil and fewer libra
ries and colleges. This may be heresy,
but it is the truth.
The growing of the corn crop bids
fair to be revolutioniZed in the near fu
ture if all the good things promised by
the corn experts are realized.
Norway makes a -four out of fish and
Sweden a -four out of milk. When
these get on the market, it will be easy
to make a dish of fish gravy.
There are two kinds Of bad roads
mud roads and sand roads. The mud
road is bad only in wet weather; the
sand road is bad all the time.
The new Swedish process of convert
ing the casein of skimmilk into -four
gives a value to skimmilk Of 81 per
pound where it can be so used.
The butcher bird is a regular pirate.
While he kills good many mice and
bugs. he kills too many of our small
birds to give him an honorable place in
the bird family.
At a recent sale in Nebraska Of Jer.
sey red hogs thirty-one head brought
an average of $1OS.25 apiece. Three
out of the lot sold for $40, 1915 and
$166 respectively.
1t is about thirty years since the first
silo was built in this country. Thirty
years more will see it as common a
part of the farm equipment as the barn
or the corncrib.
We find it handy to have the covering
Of the strawberry beds when removed
placed near by so that it may be used
if necessary to protect the plants in
case of late frost.
Spring winds and spring sunshine are
great tonics for all the north country
folk who have a four months winter.
Those who live in perpetual. summer
and sunshine know nothing about it,
We believe that the best way to
manage the dairy business on the aver
age farm is TO keep enough cows to
keep one man busy caring for them;
then hire him for that special work.
The poorest grade steers are always
found in the dairy sections, the milk
business being always at war with the
beef interests. This might be rene
died to some extent if better class of
sires were used.
One of those statistical genuises con-
nected with the agricultural depart
ment at Washington has figured out
that the value of the manure product
of the country is S2,071 100000. Fig
ures are great things.
The prairie dog in western Kansas
and Nebraska instead of following the
Indian and the buffalo is increasing in
numbers and is one of the biggest
nuisances connected with farming in
that section of the. country.
Three years ago keg Of nails. hun
dred pounds of pork. cord of wood
and a ton of soft coal each brought
about the same price. about 81. Today
the nails are worth $275 and the wood
S., the pork 81 and the coal So.
The lawn should have a top dressing
Of we'll rotted stable manure each
spring, as the continuous moving tends
to enfeeble the grass roots: but mind
that this manure has been well rotted.
otherwise lot Of foul seed will be
scattered over the lawn.
One of the results of the late coal
strike has been to turn capital toward
the manufacture of the Ignite Goals OF
Dakota and Montana. which when me-
chanically treated make a fuel equal
III Ndlue 10 HdTu coal. Dy ueAl WlHltl
this prepared fuel will be on the mar
ket.
Canals. even If the railways do carry
nearly all the freight, still pay to main
tain just for their value as freight rate
regulators. The transport service
which can do the work for the lowest
price will always fix the rate for such
service whether it gets the business or
not.
The tame grasses = clover. timothy
and blue grass-will never become &C.
climated and do well in the short grass
or range country. These grasses must
have an average rainfall of not less
than thirty inches. The bronze grass
up to this time Is the only one which
seems suited to that country.
We are experimenting with severa!
new varieties of potato this year 1t
seems to us that none of those'in COM
mon use today is as fine in quality as
some of the old sorts - Peachblow,
Neshannock, Pink Eyes and others