Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-01-09


barrel of apples was so held.
Speaking Of labor saving devices, it
seems to us that that most laborious
old job of bucking wood has had quite
lift We took solid comfort the other
day in seeing the engine and circular
saw dispose Of our wood pile of dozen
cords, lots Of it tough, gnarly chunks
which We're bucksaw proof. Seeing
), spch, work is calculated to make a fell
low glad he lives today and not in the
time Of George Washington.
We rode by five acre grove Of Scotch
pines located out on the prairie few
mornings ago just as it was getting
light. 1t was the roosting place Of all
the crows of that section, and they fair
ly swarmed out Of the pines as we
went by. If we owned the grove, which
is a valuable one, these birds would get
out of it and stay out, for If allowed to
roost there in such vast numbers their
droppings will ultimately kill the trees.
capped from it's Enclosure in Iowa and
went foraging around the. country.
Somebody saw it and, of course, tried
to kill it, but Only severely wounded it.
Later four men found the poor animal
lying almost dead and mercifully put 1t
out of its misery. AS soon as their act
was known they We're all arrested for
killing deer out of season and were all
fined. In this case at least the law be-
came roaring farce in the effort to
maintain Its dignity.
It takes woman to do things. Here
rs O Minnesota woman enthused on
growing apples in that state who this
year as result Of most patient work
exhibited at the meeting Of the State
Horticultural society 160 entirely new
varieties of apples, all the product Of
seed taken from single Melinda apple
tree and planted twelve years ago.
These new apples were of all sorts,
large and small, red, yellow and green,
but it would be strange indeed If one
or more did not prove of immense value
to the state at large.
Most Of us like birds and specially
li!.n % have them nest around QUIZ
Hon Much may be done to encour-
age chem to 90 this. For the wrens
put IN small boxes or tin cans under
the caves OF the house or other build
ings, for the martins small four or
six room house on pole in the yard
. or on top of the shed, two inch hole
bored into any old tree will invite the
woodpeckers, tie evergreens will surely
be taken BY the mourning doves. but
remember these nesting places will be
rurely first pre-empted by the spar
rows, and they must be driven or killed
off il you would invite other birds.
Our common birds may be found ir
much greater numbers among the gar
dcns and orchards Of our towns thar
they are in the native timber tracts
We have tract of heavy timber in the
country, and it is rare to ind many
birds in it at any time Of the year
A few scarlet Hangers, some vireos, {
wood thrush once in awhile, some pee
wees, crows and hawks are about all
while among the residence portion o
the town may be found oriole, robins
wreng. blue jays, catbirds, cedar birds
grosbeaks. mourning dc-es and III
woodpeckers in great abundance, an.
this, 100. right i'll the bone Of thei
worst snemy, tire domestic cat I'll
reason may he found in the create
abundance of food, more fruit NOR
insect life, in town than country.