davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01
TREE PLANTING.

The question Of tree planting is al
ways an important one each year all
through the prairie regions of the west
and, for that matter, in much Of the
east as well, for the whole country has
millions Of acres which could better be
devoted to tree culture than to any 9th
er purpose. In many cases timber
grove may be obtained without plant
ing by simply caring for lot on which
trees are already started. Some of the
finest groves of thrifty timber to be
found in the west were simply brush
lands forty years ago. But, assuming
that one must plant trees in order to
secure a grove. what shall he plant?
For the country north of latitude AZ the
white ash, the Scotch and white pine,
the larch, the black walnut and the soft
maple are among the most desirable
kinds, while south Of that latitude the
chestnut and the catalpa will be very
desirable additions to the list. Soft ma
pie is a very fast growing and useful
wood, will bear crowding and is good
tree to plant with other slower growing
kinds, as 1t can be removed later as
such trees need the room. The cotton
wood will not bear crowding and only
does well on rich and moist soils. The
willow should not be ignored entirely,
as no other tree will take its place on
wet ground. One job Of tree planting
which is fearfully neglected is that Of
furnishing the grounds of the country
schoolhouse with shade and beauty. A
country schoolhouse set down on
prairie with not tree in sight is blot
on the landscape and poor testimonial
to the public spirit Of the patrons of the
school. There should be trees around
every farm home-shade trees for the
yard and a timber belt, preferably Of
evergreens, for the entire homestead.
Any man with farm Of 160 acres can
well afford to have ten acres Of his
farm in trees. Trees add much to the
beauty Of the landscape and the value
of the farm where they are prop
erly set along the highways. They
should not be in the shape Of willow
or Usage orange hedge untrimmed, but
be trees planted 100 feet apart and
trimmed up so as not to serve as block
aders of the highways in winter. Then
there should be fruit trees furnishing
every farmer all the fruit he needs,
while the creek bottoms, the bare hill
sides too steep to cultivate and the wet
places should each be set to growing
trees. Any man can add $1,000 to the
selling value of his farm by the proper
and iudiciOus nlanting of trees
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01
bat Fowling In England.

Bat fowling used to be a merry and
innocent pastime for boys, perhaps one
of it's greatest attractions being that
it was carried out during the night.
There was all the preliminary excite
ment about getting the net ready and
preparing the torch, for the torch, mark
you, is a most important part Of the
outfit How patiently have we In the
old days unraveled heavy farm rope,
which, dipped in barrel full of tar, will
blaze like an electric light! OF course
one had to know the country thor
oughly to go bat fowling in those lone
ly places in the dead dark Of Decem-
Der night The blaze of the torch only
seemed to make the darkness visible.
1t lay like a great thick wall around
one, and the birds when beaten out Of
the hedges came fiuttering in the most
unsteady manner toward the light
London Country Life.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01
The Permanent Novel.

'The novel that has inherent and
permanent value that will secure for 1t
place in literature" said a well
known author few days ago, rarely
exceeds an edition Of ten or fifteen
thousand copies, and more often the
limit is 5000, while the one that Is
ephemeral, but catches the public fan
cy, may have sale Of fifty or hun
dred thousand. Books of the latter class
put money into the pockets Of both au-
thor and publisher, but 1t does not
come from the most discriminating
readers. OF the class In question the
field is limited, and, while they estab-
lish the reputation and permanent val
ne of the really literary production,
they are not included In the clientele OF
the author who is willing to sacrifice
quality and style to increase his reve-
nues from royalties. The novel that at
tains wide but brief popularity does
not appeal to the literary class"
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01
THE PERMANENT PASTURE.

All through the west the permanent
pasture becomes almost of necessity a
blue grass pasture, this grass gradually
and surely driving out all other types
of grass and monopolizing the pasture.
While it Is q most valuable pasture
grass, coming early and staying late,
it still is often very disappointing dur
ing July and August, when the hot, dry
weather comes. We have found that
the best way to use such pasture Is
TO feed half of it at once, leaving one
half to grow while the other half is be-
ing fed off. Overstocking the pasture
is common mistake and is more
responsible for bare, weedy and un-
productive pastures than any other one
thing. Where such pastures have become
weedy, with poor growth and stand
of blue grass, they may be greatly help
ed by good disking early in the spring,
thorough narrowing and the sowing
Of some clover seed, while 1t should
never be forgotten that there is no place
where the manure Of the farm will
bring larger returns than when spread
upon the pasture.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01
COURAGE
THAT WON
......By Frank H. Sweet
Copyright, 1901, by Frank II. StDeet

Judge Pauls went down the Office
steps briskly, his face, which a few
moments before had been creased into
q frown, now beaming with the salts
faction of duty well done. He had for
hidden the new doctor, who had no
prospects and no faculty for money
making, to visit his house any more.
From what he knew of Edith and what
he had seen in the young doctors eyes
he felt that he need apprehend no
further trouble, and the affair had not
gone far enough for either Of the young
people to suffer any heartache.
DR.. Phil was standing in front Of an
open window in his office, his hands
thrust deep into his pockets, gazing out
at the Judge as he crossed the street
and passed on through the field oppo-
site toward the river, probably to see
If the swollen torrent was doing any
damage to his lands. Then, with the
same strong, self contained look which
the Judge had seen and, against his
will, admired, the young doctor turned
back into his office.
There was no dependency in his
clear gray eyes, no weakening Of his
square chin. He had fought his way
from almost absolute ignorance at
twelve in the depths Of a coal mine
through various situations to one school
after another, through college and med
ical school and hospital practice, until
now he was here in an office Of his
own waiting for the first patient.
There was large back region Of
farm and mountain people here and
once he could gain their confidence 1t
would offer him such field as he low
ed, life of hard, continuous work,
with much of it in long journeyings
under the open sky. The horror Of his
early boyhood in the black depths Of
the mine could never leave him; to be
in the open air was to be in Gods own
world. The matter Of recompense in
money never troubled him.
AS he turned from the window a man
came hurrying across a field from the
direction of the river. Reaching the
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

HARDY TO PROCEED.
opposite fence, he vaulted over with
out seeking the gate and ran straight
to DR.. Pills office.
"Hello, doctor!'' he called sharply.
"YOu got telephone?"
"Yes."
"Well, you call down to DR.. Peters
at the Ferry road an tell him to hurry
to Dan Sims house, on tother side the
river-tell him Lonesome valley. Dan
jest hollered across to me an said his
wife'd cut herself with an ak, bad,
an they was holdin' back the bleedin'
wells they could. The bridge Is down
to the Ferry road"
But it's nearly twenty miles to the
hours to reach her."
Cant help that. No man could get
across the river this side the bridge, an
DR.. Peters 10 the nearest. You'd have
to go forty miles"
DR.. Phil was hurrledly gathering up
some things from his table.
There's the branch that runs into
the river from the mountains" he call
ed over his shoulder. after this
freshet 1t must be a torrent, as daa-
gerous as the river itself. DR.. Peters
could never cross it. He is too old"
The mans countenance fell. That's
So" he admitted. I'D forgot all about
the branch. l s'pose it's jest tearin'
now. Well, I'll holler back to Dan an
tell him a doctor'll be over jest as
soon's the water goes down a little
an that they must do the best they
can"
you'll do nothing of the sort. Hur-
ry round to the stable behind the Of
fee and bring my horse. You'll find
the bride hanging on peg. Never
hind saddle; that will be too much
weight
But Why
Hurry. tell your Numbered Dr.
Phil. 1.-THE woman may be bleeding
to death. I'll be ready by the time
you are back"
When the man appeared DR.. Phil
was at the corner of the office, and he
threw himself instantly upon the
horses back.
"You can't co. the man tried to
say, but DR.. Phil did not hear him. He
was tearing across the street, and
when they came to the fence the horse
took 1t at bound. A few minutes
later they were at the river.
Several men were working In the
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01
Cat Island Cats.

On Sable island, Off the coast OF Nova
Scotia, cats were introduced about 1880
and rapidly exterminated the rabbits,
which had been in possession for at
least half century. In one Of the har-
bors Of Kerguelen Land, a barren and
desolate bit Of antarctic terra firma to
the southeast Of the Cape Of Good
Hope, cats escaped from ships have
made themselves at home on little
islet known as Cat island, which has
long been used as wintering place
for sealers. Here they live in holes in
the ground. preying upon sea birds and
their young, and are said to have de-
veloped such extraordinary ferocity
that it is almost impossible to tame
them even when captured young.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01
ONION CULTURE.

We have had several inquiries rela-
tive to the growing Of an onion crop
how to prepare the soil, how much seed
to SOW, the probable yield per acre and
price. For some years past we have
grown one acre Of onions each year on
the farm. The average yield has been
about 600 bushels per acre aud the
average price received about 40 cents
per bushel, while the average cost to
produce the crop has been about $75.
We aim to select piece Of land which
has had thorough cultivation and been
kept free from weeds the previous
year, as this greatly simplifies the work
Of keeping the onion crop clean. The
soil should be rich enough to produce
at least seventy bushels of corn to the
acre. The field is plOwed in the fall,
then disked and narrowed fine in the
spring, all trash being removed with
a hand rake If necessary. The seed at
the rate of about three pounds per
acre should be sowed just as early as
possible in the spring with hand seed
er in rows about fourteen inches apart.
The weeder should be run over the field
the knife cultivator which comes with
the seeding attachment-just as soon
as the onions show above ground, and
this should be repeated from time to
time while the crop is growing, doing
it at least once week IL 1T Is dry
time in order to conserve the moisture.
If the field is clean one hand wedding
will be sufficient, but this must be
thoroughly and carefully done when
the onions are about six inches high.
When the crop is ripe it should be
pulled and thrown into windows and
be allowed to lie there for matter Of
two weeks, when the onions may be
topped and sacked. We have found
the best variety to be the Red Globe.
Even at the price named they are a
profitable crop to grow, and it often
happens that they will bring more
money, and, on the other hand, they
may be entirely unstable, but this
does not often happen. One should
raise enough to make q car load If he
raises any at all, as with car load a
foreign market can be sought.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01
WHY SHE COULDN'T FIND IT.
Inquiry Into Early History of Ger.
many Developed q Puzzle.

Inquiry Into Early History Of GeR.
many Developed a Puzzle.
In the state department, where
fair knowledge Of history is the one
requisite above others, information
concerning the earlier history Of Ger
many was desired. The employee upon
whom this task Of finding this devOlved
is young woman who passed the civil
service examination with an AL grade.
She went to the boOkshelves and looked
In that section where the historical
data Of this country are kept.
That's funny" she murmured after
rummaging through the volume. Here
is Germany, but these books don't 60
back far enough"
After another desultory searchthrough
the volumes she came and stood beside
an elder woman whose early education,
though by no means as comprehensive
as that Of today, consisted In learning
what she did learn well.
"Do you know where the rest Of Ger
many isY the girl asked.
"Its all there" was the answer.
"But it can't be, because 1t doesn't
70 back as far as I want" The elder
woman looked at the slip Of paper In
the girls hand on which date prior
to the time Of Frederick the Great was
written.
There was no Germany as early as
that" she said promptly.
"Then how can I find itY the girl
helplessly asked.
Look under Prussia, Of course" the
elder woman answered.
"Ohv said the girl. - Washington
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01
lONDON'S OLD CLOTHES.
The Way They Change Owners
Adown the Social Scale.

Adown the Social Scale.
In those parts Of London in which
the penny is the standard Of value
there is a traffic in secondhand materi-
ais of sort that is unheard Of in any
city of America.
For example, dress costing 1OO
guineas and worn by woman OF fash
ion on one Of the days Of the Ascot
meeting will be seen perhaps twice
thereafter, once at garden party
and again at some function remote
from town, after which it becomes the
perquisite of the lady's maid, from
whom it is bought by an oily woman
who maintains what Is called "ladies'
wardrobe in BriXton or Bayswater.
To the dingy parlOr in which this oily
hammered woman transacts her busi-
ness come the wives of struggling at
torneys, medical men and city clerks,
intent on bargains, and to one of these
the Ascot dress, Positively worn by
Lady G. in the royal inclosure," as the
oily woman informs her in an awed
whisper, is knocked down at the low
price of 10 guineas.
It's new owner wears it until it is too
shabby to be worn again, after which
it is sold to second rate wardrobe
and becomes the property Of green
grocers wife, who takes it to pieces,
retrims it and wears it out Of the shop
until it is once more shabby. Then 1t
is sold to third rate wardrobe, where
it catches the eye of some coster lady
and is sold for 3 Enthusiastically
Evening Post.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01
When to Anchor.

A minister has given this well de-
fined exposition Of the text, "And hav-
ing done all, to stand" On some body
Of water near his home there was one
day race between two boats. The
captain of one saw that he was get
ting behind, but he also saw that at
the particular point where they were
the current was stronger than the
wind and that the head boat, though
apparently progressing, was really
drifting backward. Quickly taking in
the situation, this captain Of the rear
boat cast anchor and won the race.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01
Two ExceDtfons.

"They say that all the world loves
lover" said the rejected sutton as he
ate his dinner from the mantelpiece,
"but there are generally two exceptions
to the rule. the girl you want to be
your wife and the man you want to be
your er-ln-law."-Princeton Tiger.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

With the wire fence as cheap as it Is
today, there is really no excuse for
using any other material for the pur-
pose of inclosing the farm and dividing
the fields. And, it matters not whether
it is sheep, hog, horse or cattle fence
which is required, the wire, either
woven or barbed, is still the cheapest
and best fencing material. The old rail
fence, the board fence and the Usage
orange hedge have all been made back
numbers by the wire fence.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

Wherever the plan of dragging the
dirt highway after rain has been fol
lowed the past season the most salts
factory results have been obtained. The
tile draining of the dirt road and the
smoothing and dragging it after a rain
are the two most practical things re-
Gently developed toward insuring i'm
proved highways at little cost.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

1t is the money man does not spend,
the food he does not eat and the enc
mics he does not have that make him
rich, healthy and popular.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

Nearly every live thing except the
family cat and dog is fond Of well
prepared corn silage-cows, young
stock, the fattening steers, the sheep,
the hogs, the chickens. A food which
is so generally palatable to all kinds
Of stock should be provided for them.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

Where a tree has ample room to
grow and develop its root system will
be found to correspond in area occu-
pied to the size and spread Of its top.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

Some men are finding that it pays
to top dress the corn after it is planted
and up, which can be readily done with
manure spreader. There are nearly
always spots in every field which are
greatly benefited by this treatment.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

Things are not just right at Washing
ton, for, while 100000 goes to the
development of agriculture, 5000, OOO,-
600 is wanted for more battleships.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

Our friend found the same rule work
ed with his flock of sheep as applies to
all of this crossing business. He
thought he could get better type of
sheep by crossing the Shropshire and
Cotswold and at the end of three years
found himself with just very ordi-
nary flock of scrub sheep.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

No cereal is so cosmopolitan as the
wheat plant. 1t does well in Texas
and at Medicine Hat, in Mexico and
Manitoba; it has no limitations Of
longitude, but few as to soils and sea-
sons, and is more Indifferent to the limi-
tations Of a varying rainfall than any
other cereal. 1t only demands virgin
soil, hundred days Of growing wealth
er and enough rain to keep its feet wet.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

The principal item of export from
the Philippine Islands is hemp, the
value OF the hemp exported last year
being S21, 1914 800. Tobacco and copra
come next, valued at about 100000
each
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

The farther north any variety Of
corn is grown the more fiinty will it
become until we reach the latitude
where none but the purely flint types
can be grown.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

Two lots Of range cattle were market
ed this winter in Chicago, each lot of
the same age. One lot brought 1925
per hundredweight and the other $4.75.
The stock had the same range in Dako-
ia, and the difference in price is wholly
explained by the fact that one owner
gave his cattle no feed or care during
the winter and the other cared for and
fed his stock during the period when
the SHOWS covered the native grasses
This case shows that it pays a man to
be humane.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

Submit to what IL unavoidable. BAN
ish the impossible from the mind and
look around for some new object Of in
terest I'm Mfe.-Goetbe.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

We have always followed the plan,
where there was marked choice in the
doing of different parts of given piece
of work, of doing the hardest and worst
part first, applying this as principle
to all the work Of life. We have al
ways found that it paid, though Of
course the natural tendency is to do
the easy things first. The hard and the
disagreeable things done and out Of
the way, it is always a pleasure to fin
ish up the work. Then the longer the
hard things are put off the harder
they seem to do.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

Zero weather is all right during the
winter season, but 20 to 80 below zero
settles the fate of a world of tender
things. 1t fixes peaches, all the Euro
pean and Japanese plums, most of our
best raspberries Of not covered), black
berries and all the choice eastern va
rieties of apples, the fruit list Of the
great northwest being limited by this
excess of cold to a very small number
of varieties of all fruits. 1t compels
heavy bills for fuel and protection both
for man and beast. People who live
where the mercury never gets below
zero have much to be thankful for.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

A reader complains that he cannot
use forty cent corn to produce twenty
cent butter. Guess he is right when
he feeds it to his cows in the ear.
Corn is a mighty poor ration for the
milk COW. 1t may be used to good ad-
vantage fed as silage and well cured
corn fodder is all right, but ear corn
should be sold and bran, oats and clover
hay bought with the proceeds to feed
the COW. More dairymen fall down on
this corn proposition than any other
one thing, they reasoning that if a
COW has all the corn she can use she
ought to give lots of milk when she
can no more do it than could the He
brews make bricks without straw in
the olden time. To learn how to feed
a COW is one Of the very first essentials
in successful dairying.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-01

Three years ago a reader Of these
notes. a mechanic living in western
city, wrote inquiring where he had
better go to get cheap farm. He said
that he had a wife and six children
and had managed to save up about
$1,000, but thought that If he could get
a piece of good cheap land he could
greatly better his chances. He was a
Scandinavian, and, as is always the
case with people of this nationality, not
only he himself, but his good wife and
the children, were Industrious workers.
We recommended him to go and take
look at the cheap lands of southern
Missouri. We had forgotten all about
the matter until few days since, when
we received letter from him from his
home in Missouri expressing his thanks
for being directed TO that locality. He
said he now had good farm Of $50
other half under cultivation, was great
ly pleased with the country and was
doing fine He said that they had all
worked very hard, but had much to
show for it-fine crops, lots Of fruit and
a marked increase in the value Of his
land. He sent samples Of the corn
grown by him the past season, which
was very fine indeed. Other men, being
alike willing to work, can doubtless do
just as well as has done our friend.