Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-03-06

Hayana's sugar crop may be some
what delayed. If not lessened, owing
to the scarcity Of rains at the right
tina
We always like to see boy and
dog together, for they seem such good
playfellows, and there are many good
and few bad lessons that the former
can learn from the latter.
The most conclusive and welcome
evidence of the advent Of spring is to
see meadow lark perch himself on a
telephone pole or wire and give his
welcome and musical spring roundelay.
II our young readers will cut up a
few strips of red or yellow cloth and
scatter them on the lawn along in May
they may have the pleasure of seeing
the orioles make off with them and
weave the cloth into their nests.
No farmer can afford to keep 4 kick
ing COW in his dairy herd. If he has
such and she shows no indications Of
reform he had best convert her into a
winter beef supply or ship her to the
canning department Of some packing
plant to be turned into boncless
chicken
While riding upon the train in vari-
GUS parts of the middle west the
thought has often come to us of the i'm
nense amount Of practically waste
land comprised III the right Of way Of
the various railway lines, in which suf-
ficient acreage if tuned to productive
ness would furnish food for vast
multitude Of the worlds destitute ones.
If we had timothy meadow which
,, we wished to plant to corn the coming
season and feared the ravages Of the
cutworm. as there would be good rea-
son to do, we would not pillow it until
the goth of May, would keep the disk
and harrow at work on it up to the
26th and then plant. While this may
seem little late for planting, we had
far rather take the chances thus than
to plow and plant earlier.
AS the native inhabitants Of the
warm countries seem to be lacking in
| the provident instinct and for the most
part live in the present, so is it also
with some insects and animals. The
| honeybee, for instance, makes no
honey in the warm climates, the stor-
ing up instinct seeming to be entirely
wanting. This is due Of course to the
fact that this industrious insect is en-
abled to find some sort Of bloom upon
which to work the year around.
Are you waiting with Impotence the
| time when the first green buds appear
and the little green tendrils Of the vine
creep out in search Of something to
climb on? Are you planning how the
back yard can be made not only neat,
but pleasant and 1nviting2 Have you
planned to use the first nice days be-
fore the rush comes on to have the
boxes. barrels and other unsightly
truck carted off, the broken boards in
1 the walk repaired and the window box
! of seeds for the flower garden started
In these notes from time to time we
have referred to the great improvement
which it is possible to make In the dirt
roads Of the country by treating them
i with the drag after every rain, the new
system Of road maintenance which Is
by its good work sweeping all over the
country like wildfire. Hundreds OF
thousands Of miles Of what have here.
tofore been poor dirt roads w10 b pu,
| under this treatment thas season and
the bad road be converted 1T most
| trifing expense into perfect highway
| as hard and smooth as any boulevard.
We would favor the imposition, Of 8
i good round tax on all kinds Of fire
arms in this country The time has
i gone by when men had to shoot wild
life in order to live or when they have
to go armed to protect their lives and
property. A twenty dollar tax on guns
! uAu p1oIOlS WOulu dI OACS plCNSAI OAC
half of all the intentional and acciden
tai homicides, which are Of such FIRE
4 quent occurrence. There are some
things which can be reached by taxa
ton which cannot be touched by legis
lation. Tax the guns out Of existence
and legalize fist fights for the settle
ment of personal difficulties.
i 1t will not be long before the coming
of the birds. Be friend instead Of al
enemy. Welcome their arrival with 10,
rather than with tolerance and indiffer
ence. We cannot appreciate their full
value to US, Us we do not know wha
their absence means. They are as faith
full as the spring. Besides the mer
nloa SIRE 0f having Them around tho,