Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-12-19

The close pasturing Of the meadow in
the late fall and spring is almost al
Ways fatal to the next years hay crop.
Still lots of men do this and then won
der why they have so light crop Of
hay.
The government report on the corn
crop of 1905 is out and makes a grand
total Of 2,707, 993,54O bushels, with In
diana leading in average yield per acre
-40.7 bushels. It is one of the largest
corn crops ever produced in the coun-
try.
The Campbell system Of dry farm.
Ing" which is being most successfully
applied to the dry lands of western
Nebraska and Kansas, is making lands
heretofore rated as almost worthless
Tor agricultural purposes worth $25 per
acre just for the growing of winter
wheat.
A variety Of alfalfa specially adapt
ed to dry lands ID being developed in
the west and If success, as it bids
fair to be, will be Of immense advan-
tage to that section. It matters but
little what other conditions may be. II
alfalfa can be grown successfully, right
there Is sure to be rich country.
A good many years ago, when the
country was new, we always made a
practice of burning of piece Of wild
prairie during June in order to get
nice lot OF young grass Of the second
growth for the late summer feed. With
the tame grasses the same result is OBJ
tanned by the moving for hay In July.
Beer kegs and cream cans represent
two distinct types Of agricultural civ
1lization all through the west, and the
desirabilfty of any town for residence
location can be accurately determined
by ascertaining whether there are more
cans OF cream shipped out from the de-
pot than there are kegs Of beer shipped
In.
One Of the new and interesting facts
of the year is that Europe takes 6OOO,-
600 bushels Of macaroni wheat grown
In this country, the first wheat Of this
sort which has ever been exported from
the United States. Another good thing
about this is that this wheat was raised
upon land in this country which was
not counted At for cultivation i've
years ago
The changed conditions which make
the farmer wholly dependent upon the
local butcher for his supply Of meat is
all wrong. No man can afford to sell
animals at Wholesale prices and buy
his meat at retail prices. Every man
should make his own salt and smoked
meats and by cooperation with two
or three neighbour supply himself with
all the winters fresh meat.
Don't get the notion because you 1.-Two
out in the country that 1t is out Of
your line to be an intelligent voter.
The country needs the votes Of it's
best citizens, and the lack Of them
gives rise to most of the political rot
tenness which curses the present age.
Your forefathers saved the country BY
leaving the plow in the fields and car
rying the musket to war. You can do
a like service by leaving your pillow or
corn husking and casting your vote for
clean men and clean political methods.
The cornfeld has good many pests.
though probably not any so destructive
as the blights or rust which often
devastates the oat and wheat fields.
There are, to start with, the gopher, the
crow and the cutworm, which three
will often work to greatly injure the
stand of the corn. Then there are the
wire worm and the root worm, the
crow again as the corn begins to hard
en- and the bad work of the field mice
after corn is shocked. The blackbird
pest has, however, mostly disappeared,
Then there is tic work of rats and mice
in the cribs. the fact being that some
thing or other is after part Of the
corn crop nearly all.the time.
The question Of vigor in seed corn is
a matter t. whici1 little attention has
been paid, while as matter Of fact it
is Of just as much Importance as is the
same quality IN the breeding Of our do
nestle animals. There is lots OF seed
corn which will terminate, but which
is so lacking in strength and vigor that
It can never under any circumstances
make a healthy and productive stalk
Of corn. Such seed produces those
stalks which never mature an ear Of
corn and which are as matter of fact
the worst weeds in the cornfeld, for
ther roh tho mora uifrorol1s stallss of