Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-05-02

Banana culture is being undertaken
in Mexico. On one plantation 547
punches were produced to the acre,
which brought the grower 81 cents per
bunch in the field, or $114.95 per acre
While we would be glad to kill every
one of the pesky English sparrows
during the summer, we can't help
wanting to feed the little rascals when
they perch on the window sill during
bitter cold day in winter.
The first hundred pounds Of meat
put on a hog with grass, clover or al
falfa and Stops is cheaply made meat
and costs far less than the next hun
dred pounds which is made largely
with corn. The right thing to do is to
make the first $50 pounds with these
cheap foods.
Life for the heavy draft horses In our
cities is hard one. The enormous
loads and unyielding pavements soon
wear them out, notwithstanding the
good care taken of them. Unless the
auto dray supersedes the horse the de-
mand for the 1,600 pound horse will
never grow less.
A friend claims that II perfect
stand Of corn is secured and larger
yield is obtained it will result In more
rapidly e1hausting the fertility Of the
soil. This point is not well taken, for
wherever the stand Of corn is poor
there will be found the big weeds,
which rob the land Of fertility to,
much greater extent than does the
corn crop.
The big ear of corn is not by any
means the best ear any more than the
biggest man Is the best man. Until
within short time the large ear was
accepted as the standard Of excellence
in corn regardless Of the size Of the
cob or the percentage relation Of grain
to cob. This has now changed, and the
standard is based upon dozen other
things besides size
Some corn growers express the fear
that should the yield of corn be increas-
ed as result of the employment Of bet
ter methods of culture the price would
be lowered and the raising of corn be
made improbable. Well, let us raise
the same number Of bushels we do now
on two-thirds Of the present acreage
and have lot of good land for the use
Of other crops. There's nothing wrong
about that, we take 1t.
A very common sight these days Is
to witness the amorous scrap between
two male robins out on the lawn, and
they usually fight for keeps. II one
will look closely, there may be found a
demure little hen robin sitting on the
fence or in tree near by, and she al
ways nies of with the victor In the
bout and never yet was known to take
up with the one which got whipped,
in which respect she is very like de-
mure females of other species.
A reader who has small piece Of
land attached to his town residence
I
that will furnish him the best food for
his chickens both summer and winter,
wanting some crop which he can NOW
off two or three times during the sum-
mer SO as to keep the weeds down. We
know Of nothing which would give him
better satisfaction than alfalfa. This
would have to be cut three or four
times during the growing season and
makes most admirable food for chick
ems both winter and summer.
When we hear people complaining
about their awfully muddy roads we
have no pity to extend to them. The
mud is unpleasant, we know, but mud
in general way stands for money, the
worst roads usually being associated
with our richest and most fertile soil.
Mud also means moisture. There are
good roads always In the desert and
on all the poor, gravelly, impoverished
soils Of the east, but when we come to
tie soils which will produce eighty
bushels Of corn to the acre mud is in.
evitable.
It is always interesting to note how
the wastes Of great city are utilized.
The street sweepings 80 to the market
gardeners as fertilizer; the dead ami
mails are tried and rendered and hides,
bones, fat, hair and hoofs allotted to
manufacturers, while the precipitate
goes into fertilizer; the paper scraps
are gathered and find their way back
to the paper mills; the broken boxes
form the poor mans kindling wood;
scrap iron and tin cans go to the foun-
dry, old carpets to the rugmaker, and
old clothes go down the grade step by
step till they land in the ragpicker's
basket; the untasted portion Of the
Slips sirloin steak at the tony restau-
rant is by no means fed to the hogs,
but appears later IN savory meat pie.
hash or soup where square meal can
be had for is cents. But little Is really
wasted. = =, II