davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
Enemies Of Fruit Trees.

For long time horticulturists and
fruit growers of the advanced type
have been urging the desirability OF
tilling orchards more thoroughly than
is usually the custom. says a Cornell
paper. Their advice was based upon
common experience and observation
but exact data have been wa7ting. Cor
nell Experiment Station. during the
last season. conducted an orchard sur
vey or critical study OF the western
counties of the state of New Yorl;
This survey examined every orchard
in three townships. comprising soma
three thousand acres of fruit land. and
in addition examined every orchard oi
Importance in the entire county-one
OF the largest in the state. The results
of this survey (Which are now being
worked ouD are exceedingly instruct
i've and valuable.
Among the chief enemies of til
orchard the greatest was found to bs
the apple tree. In other words. tht
trees were injuring each other in the
struggle for food and sustenance. The,
were planted too closely. An examI
nation of the yields of orchards plant
ed at different distances disclosed
the fact that the more tees to tn,
acre tie smaller the yield in ever,
case, and that the yield increased
gradually and proportionately. with tn,
distance at which the trees were set
The next enemy of Importance wa!
sod. The loss to the tract examiner
in 1902 by the influence of sod in or
chards amounted to over 200, 900 bush
els. Pastured orchards were bette,
than meadow orchards, but marked,
poorer than titled orchards. The cul
tivated orchard gave an average of 81
bushels more than soc orchard. ant
this record covered a period of three
years; it was not taken at haphazart
and should be considered fairly indi
cative.
THE next enemy OF Importance was
found to be poor drainage. Younf
trees very often do not s. the ef
fects of surplus moisture in the soil
but invariably old trees developed
various types of diseases. unquestion
ably directly chargeable to the unfa
vorable soil condition. Where stiff. i'm
penetrable euLsoil obtains, drainage
pays"
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
! ZzZNgN.I

Road Foundations.

Whenever the question of good
roads comes up. and that is pretty
often in Illinois, where bad roads are
the rule in many sections, the argu-
ments for or against usually hinge OF
the relative cost of the top dressing
which distinguishes the stone or
gravel road from the earth road. The
debaters rarely get below the surface
or show practical knowledge of the
first steps. from an engineers point
of view, in the making of good roads.
In the consideration of the top dress
ing. the foundation and most essen
tial feature of any road is lost sight
of. In many districts, where crushed
stone or even gravel are not avail
able, where land values are low. and
where the population is scattering, it
is not possible to persuade the inhab-
itants that they can afford the ex-
pense of macadam or other costly
roads. They are willing to admit the
advantages of such highways in en-
hancing the value of farms, facilitat-
ing the marketing of crops and pro-
noting the personal comfort of trav-
elers, but when all has been said,
they fall back upon the unanswerable
argument that they can no better af-
ford fine roads than fire houses and
tEat their situation does not Justify
the outlay. If these people understood
that the foundation of a good road.
which, by the way, is not ruinously
expensive, is the main thing not the
Top dressing. they could perhaps be
started in a rational movement for
road Improvement that could even
tually be carried to perfection. Most
of the money and time now expend-
ed upon country roads is spent in
tiIkering with their surfaces, with re-
suits so temporary that it is practi-
cally wasted. The great enemy of
roads is water. The chief factor in
their improvement, therefore. is drain
a.;e. In districts characterized by
light. gravelly or sandy soils, we hear
little complaint of roads, because the
soil itself affords natural drainage:
but in Illinois, where clay subsoils are
the rule, under drainage with tile is
usually necessary to the securing of
dry. firm. foundation. For this reas-
On the first item to be considered in
II good roads agitation should be the
amount and cost of the tile needed
to properly underdrain the road bed
the expense of laying same and of
grading and side ditching. With the
foundation properly laid the top
dressing of gravel may be postponed
If necessary. Underdrained roads
without gravel are better than grav-
eled roads without underdrainage
and undertakings is the best possi-
BILE preparation for gravel or stone
road.-Farmers' Review.
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
PANAMA is RICH NOW.
Profitable Investment Of Money he.
ceived From Canal

ffoIitdple investment OF money Vc-
eeived From Canal.
THE little republic Of Panama got
$40 100000 as its share of the Panama
canal deal by the United States with
the French holders of the old canal
property and rights. and it is wisely
investing much of that money in good
New York real estate" said NJ. l..
Grimwood OF New York at the ST
Francis hotel yesterday. From what
! was told few days ago more than
one-half OF the $1O.0O0.OOO has been
loaned out in mortgages at AZ per
oent on Manhattan choice realty and
improvements. About 81 .O0O.OO0 is hs
ing used by the officials of the little
republic for needed Improvements on
the isthmus.
Another s2.5OO.OOO is on deposit
with several New York trust compa-
nies, and per cent is being paid by
them for the money.
THE republic has no need for about
s.. 100000 Of the total sum, and 1t is
good management to place the money
as mentioned. Two commissioners
were sent from Panama to invest the
money and they got good advice in
placing it safely and at fair inter
est. One of the commissioners, Man
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
Hiuh Priced Corn

After an exhibit of corn at the Iowa
Agricultural College. the premium ears
were put up at auction. The ear of
corn that won first prize sold Cor s11;
100 ears that won $4,000 premium
sold for an aggregate of s1O2. One
breeder that had forty ears of corn
on exhibition bid them back at s35:
another man paid $13 for ten ears
while another ten ears sold for $l2
One collection OF twenty ears brought
S24. The third best single ear was
sold. to the man that exhibited it,
for $3.50. The grain will be used for
seed PURPOSES
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
Mclean County. illin'
eringips Up Land.

Recently. in an agricultural PAPER.
saw an article that intimatsd that
there was much land in the CDited
States. both In what we term the
Sputh and in what we call the North.
that a man had better let alone: that
u would cost more to bring 1t up to a
state OF productivity than 1t would be
worth. He expressed the opinion that
land that did not naturally grow sod
could not be depended on TO grow any
thing.
have travelled extensively In the
South and also in the southern part of
the uortheTR states. and l am certain
that IL Is question of the man rather
than the land. provided that he has
within reach a market in which he
can dispose OF his crops at a living
price. In this the South is at n disad-
vantage over many parts of the North.
Even where there are railroads the
railroad authorities do not feel like
putting themselves out to encourage
the small grower.
II is true that II the southern lands
are farmed as they have been farmed
for a century and as some of the
northern lands have been farmed for
n still longer period of time. they will
not offer great possibilities to men
taking them. But Is it necessary to
confine ourselves to the old methods? !?
have in mind some of the lands in
the South that have been taken in
charge by men that had leaning to-
ward scientific agriculture. Those
pieces of land have been made to bear
abundantly. The work was done by
cultivating in way to increase the
plant food in the soil.
The ways of bringing up land are SO
many that I will not try to discuss
them in this letter. Wha. can you
think of land on the side of mountains
that is put into corn and the land is
being washed at every rain? Is that
the way to bring up land? Is it not
apparent that such land should be
clothed with some kind of verdure
that will prevent the washing and that
this is the first thing to do in case of
that kind? Walter Stinson,
Greenup County, Kentucky.
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
Feeding Poultry and Pets.

In the feeding of poultry and net
stock a great many people make the
mistake of not trying to inform them
selves as to the best kind OF feed. ]
have known women to purchase fowls
of considerable value and so feed them
that the health of the birds was soon
undermined. This can be easily done
by feeding the things that have too
much fat in them. | have seen them
do the same with kittens. One lady
that had fine kitten only a few
weeks old began giving it meat-all 1t
would eat. The kitten bolted most of
the meat whole. Two or three hours
afterward the kitten was rolling down
stairs with fit and the mistress did
not dare to touch it. On the sugges-
tion of a friend she afterward gave 1t
only bones with almost no meat on
and the kitten had to do great deal
of gnawing to get little meat. Gravy
and bread was given her in lieu of
Jumps of meat.
l am satisfied that whether one
keeps domestic fowls, pigeons, rabbits
or cats. their feeding is worthy the
Study of the owner.
Matilda Smith.
Tippecanoe County. Indiana.
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
Harper County. Kansas.
hens and Gardena.

1t is common saying that hens and
gardens do not go together and that
it is of no use TO attempt to raise hens
and keep a garden at the same time
1t is true that in the spring time,
when the seeds are just sending up
their tender shoots, the hens are not
safe creatures to have in the garden.
But when the garden vegetables have
obtained their growth or good share
of it the fowls may be given the run
of the garden. If they touch any OF
the plants the pruning will often do
the plants good. but most of the efforts
of the fowls will be devoted to Kidding
the garden of bugs and worms
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
A Good Example,

The protection of the milk supplies
of cities naturally comes under the
control of the board of health, but
few of the men composing city boards
Of health take the trouble to inform
themselves of the real conditions sur
rounding the production of clean and
dirty milk. The example of one
Canadian city is worth following. The
city of Ottawa sent its milk inspector
to the Ontario agricultural schooi
at Guelph to take a course in
the production and care of milk. This
is certainly a step in the right direc.
ton. An inspector so informed is
worth more than half a dozen men
who do not know what are the best
ways of handling this important food
product.
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
Soil for Plum Trees,

1t has been believed that the soil
for plum trees should consist OF heavy
clay. This may be the case. but there
is such thing as getting soil too
heavy without knowing it. The writer
has in mind a number Of plum trees
that were set in heavy clay soil on
which grass had done well. The soil
was first manured heavily, and it was
thought that all things were favorable
for the growth of the plum trees. But
for some years now the trees have
shown inability to make head against
the hard conditions. 1t might be add
ed that the location is on a hillside,
and thus the drainage should be good.
Perhaps the matter of fertility is at
fault. In a hard soil the amount of
fertility should be greater than else
where because in such soil the roots
cannot ramify at will. In an orchard
that does not do well If on a clay soil
we would advise to pulverize the
ground in circle some feet from the
tree and work in good deal of barn.
yard manure.
The porosity of the soil should be
taken care of. If the soil be allowed to
the top, the air cannot get in, and the
roots will be unable to take food from
the soil. To prevent pudding do not
have the soil around the tree lower
than the rest of the ground, if the soil
be heavy. The water will settle in
such place and make a glazing over
the top of the soil, while If it is round
ed up the effect of the water is not
likely to be the same. If any glazing
is detected it should be broken up
with hoe or rake.
Soil for plum trees should be we'll
drained. even if it be on a hillside.
unless it is of such porous nature that
no attention of this kind will be need
ed. We have seen hillside soil SO i'm
pervious to water that hole on the
slope would hold water for many days.
1t is quite evident that when trees are
set in such soil the excavations for the
placing of the trees results in holes
that, though filled with soil, hold the
water around the trees for long time
and keep the roots from doing the
work Nature intended they should do.
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
AGRICULTURE
Tho Corn Crop,


never realized the Importance OF
the corn crop to the United States till
{ started to study up the statistics Of
corn growing. | was under the impress
sion that 1t was grown on but limit
ed area and that there we're many
states in which corn was not grown at
all except little sweet corn for the
family. My surprise was great to find
thaf corn is grown in every state in
the. Union.
There are over five million farms in
the. United States. and corn is grown
on 81 per cent of them. That leaves
only. 16 .peE-cent Of the farms without
corn. and many of those are fruit
farms. chicken farms. stock farms and
ranches. think a crop that is so ex
tensively grown is well worthy all the
attention that Is given it by the agri-
CULTURAL colleges and farmers insti'
tutes.
used to wonder why at the farm
ers. institutes the speakers did not
pay more attention to the growing OF
other crops. such as beans. turnips,
carrots. green peas and the like,
asked a professor why they did not
have more variety in their programs.
and he replied that the first work OF
the stations was to teach the farmers
how 70 grow corn, potatoes and the
few leading crops which are Of SO
much Importance
I realize the truth of that now.
Eapecially SO when | consider further
thai the five great states in this little
western country produce half of the
corn grown In the United States. II
any people ever studied corn we
should study II, and | propose to do
my share.
After all. begin to SEE that we can
get rich selling corn and still keep up
the fertility of our farms. IL we go at
the matter right. The starch in the
kerneL Of the corn is only the carbon
caught by the leaves from the air. We
are thus selling only air SO far as the
starchy matter is concerned. and ;hat
ii. large part of the whole crop. for
IL also comprises most of the fiber in
the stalk. 1t may be difio ult to keep
up. the fertility OF our land in raising
wheat. but not in raising corn. and II
we don't learn how to both raise corn
aud improve our land it seems to me
We are stupid.
Z am more OF ar enthusiast in corn
growing than ever. but realize that
We have got to cut loose from some Of
the out-of-date methods we have been
following. Here Is for more study on
the problem of corn raising.
Horace Freeman.
Mclean County. illinois.
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
OLD DUTCH VILLAGE
SIMPLE LIFE IN THE LAND OF
THE WINDMILL.
Dykes and Ducks in Profusion-Fond-
ness for Scrubbins Is One os the
Marked Characteristics Of the Port
ly Housewives.
Especial Correspondence.)

NDPS~A SoAA
This Is one. of the Dutchiest oi
Dutch villages, is not upon the map at
all, and when asking railroad authori
ties for its exact location, was even
denied an existence.
But one may trust the word OF ar
lists. who find these hidden corners,
and report of them to kindred color
lists; SO. when this word came. We ven
tured boldly forth to find it also. 1t
was not upon railroad. of course,
but reached by devious ways and turn
ings.
1t is fifteen miles from Rotterdam.
whose dim, outlines one can see across
the perfect level which only Holland
has. Its nearest neighbor is Dord'
recht, that place beloved by Hopkin-
son Smith next to Venice.
Hither came. one summer, seven
teen women artists and students, and
one forlorn man painter; all were
domiciled with one big "Vrouw." un-
der her two roofs, that of her house
proper, and also of the barn, the
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
SaMdust In Manure.

Will sawdust injure manure? am
spreading 1t on alfalfa three years old.
w. H. Carter. Josephine Co.. Ore.
No. The amount of manure, how.
ever, should be greater than that OF
sawdust. Since 1t is slow to decay. IT
affords. after discharging its absorbed
fertility, an excellent mulch for deer
rooted grass crops. Much in expert.
ence goes to show that excessive
quantities applied. especially to clay
soils. will produce an undesirable acid
ity.
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
Sprouts on Pear Trees.

Sprouts on pear trees are generally
cut on. One grower says that they
should not be cut off, but should be al
lowed to grow. He declares that some
OF his trees treated in this way bore
better crops than those that had the
sprouts cut on severely. We are doubt
full of the wisdom of letting the
sprouts grow. Nearly all experience
seems to show that pear trees as well
as others should be kept pruned to
prevent running to wood. Is a sprou,
any more sacred than any other kind
of a woody growth? We would like tc
have the opinion of some of our read
ers on this point.
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01

streets. "Clumpers.' they are called.
and visit to the old clumpermaker's
shop, finds him scooping them out Of
soft, white wood and fashioning them
to fit any popularity of shape which
Dutch foot may possess.
The proverbial cleanliness of these
people receives momentary shock
upon seeing clumper drawn quickly
off. used as a drinkingcup, from river
or canal, and instantly replaced upon
its foot AS all the village washing
is done in the river. one questions
also its possible taste; though GER
tain "lack of taste" might be expected
in the thirsty one.
When one wishes to be awakened
at some very early morning hour. one
engages the night before the Taper"
or "Morgen wekker"-an owlish old
man whose business it is to come and
tap upon a window. however high.
with long pole. receiving for 1t
fraction OF a gulden tossed out. He
was generally successful in waking
every occupant of the house. and
those of the barns besides.
Scrubbing Habit General.
Dutch cows are generally spotted
black and white and frequently wear
blankets while in the meadows. The
result of the scrubbing propensity of
a Dutch housewife must be seen to be
appreciated. This habit is a mania
ard stops short of nothing which can
stand soap and water 1t is said that
- ,ot Iao, ,iy,o 10
the fact of so much water being near.
and being easy to get, they cannot
resist using it. And so even the win
dows of their barns are brilliant. and
the cobbles in the streets shine with
a soapy luster.
Who can describe a Dutch kitchen?
Its old brass is FURNISHED like gold.
Its pewter is quaint. its Delft is rare.
and the old tiled chimney places,
where the apple-chceke children,
with their little towheads. gather in
picturesque groups, are seen in every
home.
Ore sees also in these interiors of
the humble Holland folk. all the odd
originals of the great Dutch masters.
Instead OF painting winged angels,
monks. madonnas. nuns and popes,
they transfigured upon canvas the
joys of welded life. the mother. the
baby in the cradle, merry making,
lovely meadows. sunsets and splendors
of light and shade"
Rembrandt. Franz Halls. Gerird
Dow. Jan steen and Israel keep alive
their glorious traditions and home
charms"
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
The Herd Boar

The man that expects to succeed
with swine must be careful in his se-
lection of the herd boar. II he selects
an animal of little vitality the progeny
Will always lack stamina or are likely
to lack it. This will be the cause of
great financial losses. Disease finds
it easier to establish itself among
such animals than TO get a foothold
among animals of great vigor. Ma.
lures plan is to kill off the weakest
and If man tries TO run against nature
in this regard he will find 1t diff.
cult task. 1t is far better to fall in
with the natural plan and select for
heading the herd vigorous animal
When hogs ran wild the boars did
their own selecting by fighting for
existence and leadership. Thus the
strongest prevailed, and the weak
ones were kept from reproducing their
kind. But man has come in and the
males of the lower orders can no long.
er measure strength for leadership.
Whether the right animal is selected
for the leader depends on man. MANY
man makes the mistake of putting
at the head of his swine an animal
that in state of nature would have
been driven off by the more vigorous
males.
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
Not a Skeptic.

"They say" remarked the type
writer boarder. that geese often trav-
ell 5000 miles in migrating"
81 guess that's right" rejoined the
old bachelor at the pedal extremity
of the mahogany. "A friend of mine
Travelled fully that distance on lis
wedding trip"
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01
Preparing the Orchard Area.

In preparing a piece of soil for the
setting of orchard trees of any kind
we would advise to plow the whole
area to the depth the trees are to be
set. This makes the whole surface uni
form and the soil uniforI to the depth
the tree roots are to be placed. Such
a preparation will not encourage the
forming of pools of water about the
roots of the trees.
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01

ping and gyrating dizzily. Many hay
sails of brilliant red. or green. or yei
low, and there are little dwellini
houses beneath them, with quaint
matched roofs.
There are 100000 of them in Meth
erland, and they saw wood. grin
grain, pump water. load and unloa
boats, and hoist and lower burdens.
II is interesting to know that the:
came originally from the Orient, aftc
the great Crusades.
The level fields are divided b.
"sloats." or bitches of water
too wide to jump across; ant
so concealed are they from
ordinary sight by grass or grain
that each and every one OF us, walk
ing through these lovely meadows, and
gazing afar. with rapt artistic vision
took a tumble into them-a sudden
wetting and change of view con
corning some of Hollands attractions
Every newcomer was thus initiated.
When the afternoon bell called a
summons-fcr a brief rest and re-
freshment-into the Vrouw's shady
old garden, troop of her fat ducks
always recognized the call and came
waddling around in stately procession
to share the crumbs of honey cake.
Dogs Instead of Horses.
Very small dogs are trained to draw
carts containing milk. vegetables. tin
ware, and even meat; and all seem
to feel a personal responsibility for
the safety of their loads. growing
maliciously if any one approaches dur
ing a momentary absence of venders.
They are patient little brutes. and
much too willing to draw very heavy
loads.
One hears continuously the "clang
! o, the wooden shoes" over the cobbled
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01

The country road needs to b4 beauti.
fed with trees as well as the village
street.
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01

A New York burglar tried hard to
reform. but with only partial success.
He is now practicing law.
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01

upper part CT which was partitioned
on into very clean and comfortable
sleeping rooms.
girth of waist, like-I was going to
say-a big California tree. She
mourned the recent loss of seventy
five pounds of flesh, but still survived
with the fragile avoirdupois of 200.
With short, voluminous skirts. a
snowy cap. with ample cape. which
framed her Edam cheeslike face. and
wearing clumpers of wood. she was a
true type of Hollands rustic DANES.
There were no springs to our beds.
We sank into oceans of feathers. only
to strike bed rock" beneath. Some
of us were put into hunks in the sides
of the walls; laid away upon shelves.
as it were.
Ladder-Like staireases.
We came downstairs backward.
tion. The doorbell served also as a
dinner and tea bell. Canals and
"sloats" surrounded us, and a river
flowed before our door. bearing boats
which might have sailed almost over
our roofs. so low were We beneath its
level. 1t was fortunately held tightly
In its bed, by powerful dyke.
In every direction windmills made
weird silhouettes against the sky.
They we're big and little. and fantastic
in shape, with their huge sails flap
The Lamar register., 1905-03-01

1t will pay poultrymen to work for
breed Of turkeys that can be raised
in confinement.