Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-12-05

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The apple crop all over the country
Is very short this year, and men who
are fortunate enough to have even a
third of full crop of fruit are in luck
The corn root worm is each wear be-
coming more of menace to the corn
crop of the west. Persistent cropping
year after year with corn is the Cause
Rotation Of crops is the only remedy.
A region as fair and productive and
as large as the United States lies wait
ing settlement and occupation in east
ern Siberia by the miserable half starv-
ed Russian peasantry Of western Rus
STA. The man wise enough to bring
this about will accomplish the greatest
work Of the new century.
A friend Of ours tells US that be this
season secured over five tons of clover
and timothy hay to the acre on piece
of good prairie soil. There were two
cuttings, one in July and the other in
September, and the third crop was the
best of feed in late October. August
rains and a rich soil did 1t.
If one will interview the claim
agents Of the railway companies he
will find that there is far more blood
ed stock In the country than he dream
ed Of. 1t is rare that any critter with
pedigree less than yard long ever
gets mixed up with freight locomo-
tive. Assessors might get valuable
points from railway claim agents.
! The crop season Of 1905 is over, and
there are for nearly every farmer lot
Of experiences which it will pay him
we'll to consider. Some lessons have
been learned which are we'll worth re-
Numbering. One which suggests itself
as Of more than ordinary Importance
is that the year has shown that good
crop of corn cannot be expected from
a 60 per cent stand of corn and that
corn with wet feet in June and July
will not produce more than half crop.
! We are asked about the necessity
and value Of windbreaks for the or
chard where the orchard is planted in
an open country. We regard the wind
break for this purpose as almost indis-
pensable, but 1t should be put in the
right place, which is on the south and
west side Of the orchard and not be
less than six rods from the nearest or
chard trees. The apple tree can never
hold its own in competition with for
est trees in the matter of light, air,
moisture and sunshine. The windbreak
does much to protect the orchard from
the fierce summer winds which often
almost strip the trees Of their fruit.
A farmer who sold a nice fat heifer
to a butcher agreed to take in part pay
a quarter Of the beef. When he got
the bill for the beef he did some
scratching Of the head and some think
ing and wondered what sort Of an all
round fool he was anyhow to give that
butcher about one-half of that nice beef
critter just for the killing. he went
home and told his neighbors about the
deal. and the upshot is that coopera-
tive beef furnishing society has been
organized. A beef is killed each week
and equitably divided up, each member
furnishing the beef in turn, and the
butchers wagon is seen no more in
that community. The middleman some
times cuts his own throat.
One is sometimes bothered to decide
just when is the best time to dispose of
farm produce With all perishable
products there is but one way, and that
to let them go as soon as they are ready
for the market, but with those things
which one can hold without serious
waste and loss it is different. In the
case of fat stock of any kind they are
almost always fed at loss after they
are finished, SO far as gain is concern
ed, and the market must advance to
warrant holding and feeding them.
With grain the matters of interest,
shrinkage and waste by vermin must
not be lost sight of, three things which
often offset any increased price OBJ
tanned as result of holding. II q
product which can be held is selling
below the cost Of production we would
always hold 1t; If the price it will COM
mand will give fair profit we would
sell.
1t is always in order to emphasize
the need Of crop rotation. This should
be the second commandment of tho az
ricultural decalogue. the first being
clover. There is hardly farm any,
where, no matter how located or What
sort Of crops it may be best adapted to,
which may not be placed under pme
system Of crop rotation with the beat
est benefit not only to the soil, hi to
the financial benefit of the man who