Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-08-23

Men are good deal like caDbages-
when they get the big head they burst
and become worthless.
Corrosion of farm tools and erosion
Of farm soils are two things which
have to be eternally watched.
A horse never takes up a meaner
trick than that Of pulling on the halter.
We would trade horse with this habit
for balky one any time.
A pleasing innovation for the resi-
dents of the north country this season
has been twenty-five cent baskets Of
fine Elberta peaches from Texas dur
Ing July.
That redheaded, two pound young
rooster will bring 80 cents in June and
will only bring as much come Christ
mas when he weighs six pounds. What
is the use of keeping him?
We have friend who has horror of
hot box or squeaking journal, and
only one thing he hates worse, and
that Is to climb his windmill tower and
oil up when the mill gets in this fix.
There were 100000 cases of eggs in
cold storage in this country July g..
Noting this fact, one can readily un-
derstand how greatly cold storage
tends to equalize both the supply and
the price Of eggs.
When man finds himself with q
farm upon which the crops fail in an
ordinarily wet season, it will pay him
well to sell one-half of his land and
use the proceeds to thoroughly under
drain the other half. Three lost crops
will drain the land.
In the year 1889 217 bushels of chem
ically dried corn was produced on an
acre Of land in South Carolina. This
crop won a prize of $500 from the
State Agricultural society and $500
from the company which furnished the
commercial fertilizer used in it's pro-
duction.
Macaroni wheat is growing greatly
in favor all through the semiarid sec
ton of the country. While the m.llers
are opposed to handling it, as it does
not grind well with modern milling
machinery, 1t still makes the finest of
bread, hardly distinguishable from the
best made from patent flour.
We have been propping up some fruit
trees lately to prevent the breaking Of
the branches with the load of fruit
which the trees are carrying. While
in common with others we'Go this, it is
still all wrong, for the fruit should
have been thinned to such a load as
the trees could carry without support.
What can be done with the pond
hole that cannot be drained? If we
had 1t on our farm we would work at It
with scraper in dry time and make
good banks around It; then we would
plant trees all around 1t, preferably
willows, and have right pretty little
spot instead of an unsightly and worth
less swamp.
It would be double blessing II the
dood waters Of the Missouri river
could DO captured and stored for irri-
cation purposes. 1t would make the
desert worth 500 per acre and save
millions of dollars loss each year to
the jewellers Of the river low lands
from Fort Benton to st. Louis. Some
day this work will be done.
II you have patch Of that measly
squirrel tail grass in your meadow or
pasture it will pay to get after it and
prevent Its further spread. The Sc.
cret Of Its determination is to prevent
its going to seed. Now early and again
later IL it shoves up second crop of
heads. 1t is costly pest in the mead.
ow, for its presence lowers the value OF
all hay which has it in.
There is any amount of land in the
south-in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas
Oklahoma and the Indian Territory
which intelligently devoted to the cul.
ture Of vegetables. for the northern
markets and fruits will net the owner
800 per acre clean profit year in and
year out while the man on the good
corn belt farm thinks he is doing well
| II he gets one-tenth as much.
We may be wrong, but we do not
see how man could fail to make good
money and whole lot Of it by getting
q piece of good land in Oklahoma and
making business of raising early
potatoes for the northern market He
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