Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-07

The oldest living thing is not tree
nor an animal, but joke, old chestnuts
Of Pharaoh's time still being served up
as after dinner novelties at twentieth
century banquet boards.
Notwithstanding we are wont to
claim that the United States is a very
prosperous country, there is still a good
deal Of poverty and always will be. The
causes Of this poverty are mostly whis-
ky, laziness, unthrift, gambling, with
only very small part directly trace
able to unavoidable misfortune. Alec
hol levies the biggest and heaviest tax
on the American people Of any existing
agency.
When man has good health and a
good appetite he has nine-tenths of all
that money will buy in this world, and
SO such degree of necessity as compels
the hard physical work which is the
sure begetter Of these two blessings is
nothing to be lamented. There are mil
lions and millions Of dollars in this
country waiting for any man who will
devise some way to obtain these two
things without work 1t Is altogether
best that 1t should be this way; other
wise the poor man would have no adj
vantage at all over the rich one.
We know Of some farm homes where
the domestic water supply is located
from fifteen to twenty-five rods from
the house. This is nuisance 365 days
in the year, one which the owner of the
house should at once take up and get
rid Of 1t may be done by sinking
new well near the house or by putting
in force pump and piping and making
the windmill do the water carrying.
That woman has hard lot where she
has to depend upon the men or boys
bringing her the water needed that dis
lance or Juggling it herself. We would
sell good horse if necessary to change
this order of things and think the horse
well sold too
When winter comes, too much can
hardly be said in favor of the evergreen
as an adjunct of the farm homestead.
1t affords when properly planted an
impenetrable wall of protection from
the fierce and bitter prairie winds and
the drifting snow; it affords shelter
to many Of the birds which try to pass
the winter in the north country and
when the ground is covered with snow
is the most attractive feature Of any
country landscape. No man can do
better thing for his farm home than to
plant out next spring three or four
rows Of evergreens around the north
and west sides Of his premises. Plant
white pine or Scotch pine, and If va
riety is wanted put in some red and
white cedar and spruce. Plant at least
twelve feet apart each way to give the
trees chance to make good wide and
thick base. Take care of them, and in
fifteen years you won't care whether it
storms or not.
We are again asked to give some
practical information about the grow
ing Of alfalfa. The states east Of the
Missouri river have been very busy in
vestigating this plant for the past two
years, and some important things have
been found out. This is settled-that
alfalfa will not grow and do well
where the soil is barren Of the bac-
terial life essential to its growth and
development; another, that where this
bacterial life is present, whether sup
piled naturally or by system of in
oculation Of the soil, therein nearly
all states and on nearly all soil, save
hardpan subsoils and flats where the
water will stand, it will grow and do
well. These are two very important
discoveries, and the knowledge Of them
forms the base Of intelligent and sue
cessful experimentation in the future
Given good corn soil, well drained,
Z sowing Of twenty pounds Of alfalfa
seed in the month of August without
any nurse crop, the incubation of the
seed when sown by the bacterial cul-
ture, which may be obtained from the
agricultural department at Washing
ton, or by the distribution of 'inoculat-
ed earth from some field where alfalfa
grows well, the securing of IN alfalfa
hog pasture is an easily possible thing
for any farmer within the corn belt OF
the United States. It is the most val
liable plant which can be grown upon
any farm and is worth making every
effort to secure.
If one could take six distinct and diff
ferent breeds of fowls-for instance,
White Brahma, Leghorn, Houdan,
Langshan. Plymouth Rock and Wyan-
dotte-and let the breeds mix, hit and
go miss, for six years, what sort of
breed Of fowls would one have at the
end of that period? Well. for one thing
the law Of reversion would be very