Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-12-26

The good neighbor is the unseIfish
one, and to get good neighbor a man
needs to be bit unselfish himself.
Tho rule should be never to grow the
sano crop on the same land for, two
years in succession. Simply following
out this crude rule would do much to
conserve the fertility Of the soil.
This year the Kherzon oats, imported
from Russia to Nebraska few wears
ago, have given an increased yield Of
fifteen bushels per acre over other
varieties where they have been planted
In the west.
Very satisfactory gas plants are now
being installed in many Of the small
towns OF the country, the gas being
produced from byproduct Of the oil
refineries known as gas oil. The cost
OF such plants Is not heavy, while the
gas SO produced furnishes an illumi-
nant Of the best quality.
There Is lots of farming done with
out any definite plan or purpose as
guide. Men SOW or plant this crop or
that crop governed by some temporary
condition or within. and the result is
that by SO doing they are utterly pre-
vented from carrying out any desirable
system of rotation of crops.
IT we had nice farm with good
buildings and pleasant home we
would not sell the privilege to some
fakir. or agent Of painting his adver-
usement on the barn or disfiguring the
pasture lot with billboard proclaim
ing the merit Of some brand Of cigar
or patent medicine. This is cheap
business. The whole country is mar
red with this sort of advertising, and
nowhere is it more out of place than
on our nice farms.
One Of the great wastes in the west
ern farms Is the waste and loss of ai-
most all the valuable fertilizer made in
the feed yards where cattle and hogs
are fattened for market. The common
way is to select dry side hill for the
yard, In order that such yard may be
kept clean and dry, with the result that
all the manure Is washed out and In
solution goes into the creek. Where
this Is done there is waste Of fertility
which soon tells on the farm.
Two-thirds Of the food consumed by
flock Of sheep on a farm would be
utterly wasted did the sheep not use
1t. Sheep prefer most of our common
weeds to our best grasses and as weed
exterminators are worth all they cost
on any farm. One can easily tell a
sheep farm by the almost entire alb
sence of weed growth. Then the distri-
button Of fertilizer by the sheep counts
much in It's favor, all lands over which
sheep are allowed to run not only be-
ing free from weeds, but enriched as
WELL
The lard hog Is the natural product
Of the corn growing section Of the
country, It is not easy to produce any
other kind of a hog, even the SO called
bacon breeds, no matter whether they
are brought from Canada or from the
south, inevitably assuming the lard
hog type In a few generations when
brought into the corn belt. The bacon
hog is the product of less fattening
food-the mast OF the timber lands of
the south and tho barley and peas
which constitute the pork making ma
terial of Canada.
We read Of man who shot five peli-
cans the other day merely for the sake
Of the notoriety which would accrue to
him therefrom. He represents a class
OF vandals which are rapidly clearing
the country Of every wild bird and ami
NAL. Don't be one Of this kind, boys,
but if there are many wild birds and
animals on the farm Of whose dam
aging character you have no proof, let
them live in peace and seek rather to
cultivate their confidence and make
them your friends than to make your
self their executioner.
The deposits Of Ignite coal in North
Dakota and Montana bid fair to con-
stitute one Of the great natural re-
sources Of those states. This territory
is far removed from a fuel supply.
There seems to be an unlimited guam
tity Of this corn, and, while 1t requires
special treatment, there lis not any
doubt but 1t will be made available for
all fuel purposes. The most promising
method Of handling it bids fair to be In
the form of briquettes, in which form
1t does not slack and is available for
use in ordinary furnaces.