Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-01-24

SoAAS
| season on the farm is to work out a
complete plan Of farm operations for
the coming season. Some men never
know what they are going to do with
their farms until spring comes.
Many of the bank failures of the
west are attributable to the feeding Of
cattle for beef, more, it is said, than to
any other n cause. but we have vet
to hear of a single failure either Of the
dairyman himself or the bank which
lent him money where the COY took
the place Of the steer. Dairying is
about the safest business, take it all
around, which any farmer can take up.
The price of butter fuctuates less from
year to year than almost any other
farm commodity.
The grower of corn can well afford
to put in ome of the spare hours Of
the winter carefully sorting and select
ing his seed corn. If he will put in a
days work on each half bushel Of
seed he will be making more money
than in any days work done during
the whole year. A two-thirds stand Of
corn means a two-thirds crop. Seed
weak in vitality produces either barren
stalks or nubbins. The man who will
cheerfully pay $3.50 for a bull can well
afford to.apply the same principle with
reference to his seed corn.
The first duty Of the farmer is to pro-
vide food, clothing and shelter for his
family. his next duty to properly feed
and protect his stock and his third to
care for and keep fertile the soil which
he works. Most men will do the first,
only a few are remiss in regard to the
second. but there is a raft of sinners
concerning the third. Men go on year
after year blowing the same old fields,
sowing the same old crops and grow
ing the same old weeds, seemingly un-
fact that their land is wearing out.
Forty bushels of wheat to the acre have
been grown in England upon a soil
which has been cultivated by man for
a thousand years, but it was not ac-
complished after the way Of the grain
growers land piracy of these modern
times. Rotation, fertilizing with clover
and manure, seasons of rest in pasture
and weed destruction must be adopted
as a farm policy If the fertility Of the
soil of even these fertile prairies Of the
northwest is to be maintained.
We meet every day an old man six
ty-fye or more years old. He Is a com
mon laborer, and from his begrimed
appearance we Judge that he is a shov.
eler Of coal. His face and hands are
a study. his gray hair and beard show.
ing in marked contrast with his grimy
appearance, while his hands, calloused
separated from him, hardly be recog-
nized as those Of a human being. As
we see this old fellow we have become
curious to know how and why it Is
that he, so stopped, SO inf1rm. so aged
SO every way seemingly worthy Of ar
easier lot in life, must needs so tot
at his time Of life in order to just live
for it cannot be that any other motive
could possibly prompt him to such 9
life. Why is he so poor? Who knows
Has he been denied a chance at the
splendid opportunities Of this country
Is he poorly endowed mentally and in
tellectually? Has he been less wise
than bird or animal, not knowing how
to live? Has some u~npreventable mis-
fortune overtaken him-fre loss OF
siekness-or is he just poor in his ole
age because he liked whisky, cards ant
a devil of a good time when he wa
young and strong? Anyhow his life /:
n Of the all too common, pitiful trag
edies Of life, be the cause what it may
A new form Of competition has aris
en- all through the creamery sections o
the west-the centralized butter fac
tory of the cities, drawing its suppl.
Of separated cream from a wide radiu|
of territory by rail shipments. In man.
localities the competition Of these fac
tories is driving the old co-operativ,
local creamery to the wall, if not sc
curing all its patrons, at least enough
to prevent the local creamery from dc
ing business. OF course to secure thi
patronage the town concern at frs
; pays more than the local creamery car
and lots Of farmers are foolish enougl
!, to bite at the bait and deliberatel;
place themselves in the power of wha
q be easily one Of the most tyrar
meal Of trusts and combines. Skuldue
gerry is mighty easy in the matter Q
cream tests, and the farmer will soor
er or later find it is no fun to try t
settle a deal of that sort with tn
other fellow located 200 miles fror
8 him. He will not be able to go to th
n creamery and have a row with the but
8 termaker over his tests, as he ha
been doing. When the farmer has &c
s rid Of his local school. his local cream
e cry. his local paper, he might as we
Y. get rid Of his local church and pa
6 tribute to a city parson. When thi
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