Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-02-06

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coeyRlaur. 1905. sy
u. $. 717iGc. ROCKFORD. "a
CORRESPONDENCE SOLICITED.
If you note the work Of the pocket
gopher in your orchard, no time should
be lost i'll eXterminating him. He is a
terror to the roots of apple trees.
= Mans Judgment on fat cattle is not
yet perfect, for the prize animals are
nearly always beaten by some less at
tractive beast when the block test is
applied.
If you meet man with but one arm
and he is under sixty years of age. he
is more likely to have had round
with corn shredder than to have had
the missing arm hacked off by an army
surgeon.
+ A market which will absorb and take
care Of $4,000 head of beef cattle, 500
calves, 10000 hogs, 10000 sheep and
800 horses in one day is no small af-
fair, and that is what the stockyards
at Chicago did on Jan. II, 1904.
A well settled old county OH the Dor
ders Of the upper Mississippi river paid
out last year the large sum of $3.50
for bounties on wild animals. Inves-
tigation showed that the money went
mostly for woodchucks and rattle
snakes.
In the south, particularly in the terri
tory lying east of the Mississippi river,
the camp meeting is one of the great
troubles to the employers Of colored la
Ibor. The work on the farm is never so
urgent that it will prevent the colored
brother from leaving it and taking in
the camp meeting.
We are fortunately passing from that
agricultural stage when the man who
left his pillow out in the field all winter
makes straight for the public highway
in rs spring to scour the rust off it.
learned that if he will use a
nth of axle grease and put his
cover in the fall he need not
4 uyorly in tho cnripo
cultivation Of the surface
will almost entirely prevent
cts from drought. We have
crops of cabbage, rutabagas.
atues and potatoes raised on land
oh never was wet down an inch aft
the stuff was ups until it was har-
;sted by just stirring the soil around
growing plants every three or four
rs during the growing season.
! Any bright. observing man may be
weather prophet on small scale-that
is, become able to forecast the weather
for short time ahead, long enough
ahead to be Of considerable service to
him in his farm operations. To do this
he should have a good thermometer
and barometer and learn how to use
them. He should study the clouds, the
ldirection of the winds, watch the sig
nal service reports and quit pinning
Ills faith to snide almanac.
What is known as the Smithfield ham
IS one Of the most high priced and ex--
elusive meat products of this country.
1T is produced in small territory in
the goober districts of the east and
south from hogs which range the
woods in early life and are fattened on
peanuts, thus giving rich and gamy
flavor to the smoked meats entirely
wanting in the corn fed hog. The de-
nnand for these hams is so great from
the nabobs that they have to be ordered
twoyears ahead.
The writer addressed farm institute
a few years ago where 200 farmers
were present, and on asking the ques-
ltion as to how many of those present
took alive, up to date agricultural pa.
per less than ten hands were raised. 1t
Us different now. Only the very poor
est and most shiftless are now without
this valuable aid to their farm work.
While it Is true that these papers con-
Ain much that is too high up and alb
truse for the average man, they all
lave something of value for him.
! An acre Of average field corn will
give 25,o00 pounds of ensilage, or
enough Of the best of food for the dali
~ COW for half daily ration for 600
days. How is it possible to use land
ito otherwise get SO much from it?
This question is worth the study Of
every man who wants more acres or
the one who would increase the num-
Der of his stock on his present acres or
the man who would get the most out
of his dairy or COWS. The silo is COM
ing to stand for farm progress and
farm sense.
There is no farm in the west where