Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-27

WeQLner.
The more attractive the immediate
vicinity Of the back door is made by
throwing table scraps and dish water
the more friendly will the chickens,
cats and stray dogs become. The In
yitation is too attractive to resist.
Some people claim that parsley can
not be grown successfully in the house
during the winter, as it becomes in
Tested with insects. However, the
leaves carefully washed and dried can
be kept and are good to use In fiavoring
soups.
AS result Of orders lately is5ued by
James Wilson, secretary Of agriculture,
no canned meets which do not fully
conform to the inspection label can be
accepted by the railroads for interstate
commerce. 1t begins to look very much
as If Uncle Sam meant business when
he enacted the recent pure food law.
Like some other institutions of long
standing, the popularity Of the county
fair has reached it's zenith and now is
somewhat diminishing. People still
attend the fair, but more to have day
off and general good time with their
friends than for what they may learn
and see. The novelty has passed, and
with 1t some of the spirit of rivalry and
enthusiasm
What can exceed the comfort, cheer
and hospitality of the farm homestead
when the cool days come on with the
bright blossoms in the windows, the
soft glow Of the evening lamp, the
cheerful sparkle and roar Of the fire,
the tempting fragrance Of the supper
and, above all, the gay frolic of the
children? And the incest part of it all
is the fact that there is no sham about
it. 1t is all real and honestly afforded.
We know an orchardist who has been
greatly troubled with grasshoppers
this year who is going to raise hun
dred turkeys next season chiefly with
the idea in view OF having them range
over his orchard and keep this pest In
check. A number Of newly set trees
in the writer's orchard are dead this
fall as result Of having the leaves
entirely stripped from them by grass
hoppers, while the damage done by
them to ripe apples has been consid-
cradle.
There are portions Of the corn belt
where the chief topic of conversation
the past season touching this crop has
been the rayages Of the corn root
worm. A resident Of such locality
told us recently that in one field which
he examined early in September SO per
cent Of the stalks inspected were af-
fected by the worm, while in another
it was found in ALL although there was
no outward evidence of the presence
Of the worm in every case The only
remedy for this pest seems to be sys-
tematic crop rotation.
A leading eastern horticulturist is re-
ported as saying that as long as the
orchard continues In thrifty condition
and raises profitable crops 1t is not In
need Of fertilizers. but when the trees
show signs Of impoverishment then
something should be done. We do not
know of the standing Of this authority
in his home state, but 1t strikes one
that the time to fertillze the orchard Is
before 1t begins to show signs of u lack
Of fertilizing In other words, 1t Is bet
Ter to keep the orchard from getting
sick than it is to restore 1t to normal
condition after 1t is run down.
There Is no one Of the faculties In
children that should be more closely
watched by parents than that of the
eyesight. 1t is all too often the case
that defects which develop in the grow
ing child, accompanied by severe head
aches, are not given proper attention,
and as q result conditions which might
have been removed by providing prop
er glasses become permanent, entail
Ing an expense and proving handicap
from which one Is never free If the
child in the home complains Of eye and
headache, there is something the mat
ter, and the cause should be removed
as soon as possible.
We once heard of real decent young
man-educated, too-who went to work
upon farm during the hot. sticky sea-
son. Naturally he was very tired and
dirty after working all day in the field.
He had been 1,sed In daus naet a flor