Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-02-20

The application Of lime to the soil
should not be regarded as method
Of fertiliaing. The benefit derived from
lime Is In correcting the acidity Of tie
soil and the making Of the plant food
which 1t contains more available.
We decidedly favor the placing Of a
tax ON all dogs in order to create q
fund to pay damages done by them.
This applies especially to all sections
of the country where sheep are kept.
The dog should be made to pay bis
way.
It is rather singular fact that bees
seldom or never lay up store Of honey
In warm countries. 1t is only In the
cold countries, where their food supply
is entirely cut off during the winter,
that their instinct teaches them to store
supply Of honey IN the summer for
winter use.
We have never come across stock
man who built silo and filled it who
was not enthusiastic over the results
obtained. We regard the advent of the
silo on all corn belt farms as the COM
Ing great Improvement Recent exper-
iments prove conclusiyely that ensilage
can be most advantageously used in
the feeding Of beef cattle, and, so far
as the dairy is concerned, it is simply
Indispensable.
The bushel box package for apples Is
coming more and more into favor. It
costs little II any more than do the
barrels; 1t insures a lower freight rate,
as the car space is moro economically
used. Then the box of apples is very
much better adapted for the use Of the
average family than Is the barrel.
Nearly all the choice apples Of the Pa
cific coast and Of Colorado are now
packed and shipped in boxes.
The average quarter section farm
should be equipped with team Of
three horses, weighing not less than
1000 pounds each, and this team should
do all the blowing, seeding, dragging,
hauling - in fact, furnish the motive
power for all the farm machinery and
preferably they should be three well
bred draft mares to raise good colt
apiece each year, In addition to fur
nishing the power needed for the farm.
The mole is one Of the most dimcult
of the burrowing rodents to contend
with. Its work is done almost alto
gether ut night. Occasionally one can
be detected making Its burrow dur
ing the day in the very early morn
ing, when 1t is, an easy matter to catch
1t by showing a spade down behind it
and then digging it out. The best way
we know Of Is to use tho mole trap,
which can be obtained at any hardware
store.
A German farmer living IN q western
state makes practice Of blowing his
land for corn crop twice during, the
fall previous to planting, once just as
soon as the grain crop is removed and
again just before the winter sets In
He claims that this treatment Of the
soil insures him an increased yield Of
corn of ten or fifteen bushels per acre.
If this be true-and we have no reason
to doubt tit il plan worth consid-
ering.
The tendency to grow types Of corn
altogether too large Is very noticeable
all through the northern limit Of the
corn belt. It is very dlMeult for men
to get rid Of the idea that tho largest
ear Of corn is the best one North Of
latitude AZ degrees no variety Of corn
should be planted which requires more
than 1O5 days to mature. Il man
must raise the big corn, he should 60
to the big corn country In Missouri and
Kansas, for it is entirely out Of place
in any other part of the corn belt.
It is rather surprising fact that a
! very large part Of all the corn exhibit
ed at the corn contests through the
corn belt this winter in competition
for premiums Is deficient in germinat-
ing power and simply will not grow
when planted. This results from the
effort to exhibit the largest ears, usu-
ally the product Of type of corn which
is unsuited to the localities. We have
come to the opinion that no matter how
large and fine sample of corn may be
when entered for premium it should
be disqualified IL it lacks in germinat-
ing power.
The western states should all unite
and put an end to the spring shooting
Of wild fowl. AS it is now in many
states the birds are subjected to mer.
CHESS slaughter not only in their breed
ing haunts in the north during the fall
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