Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-09-29
THE BOY AND HIS FATHER.

While as people we share becom-
ing interest in the vast material val
ues annually produced on the myriad
farms of the country in the shape of
bumper crops Of grain and thorough
bred stock, there Is not one Of all these
things that possesses the real value or
concerns the future welfare of the COM
munity, stateor nation as does the clean,
honest, Industrious and reliable boy Of
eighteen years. The price Of all other
farm products fuctuates-is up or down
to correspond with the varying de-
mand-but for the boy Of the kind
mentioned there is an ever increasing
call to do the worlds work In view
of this situation 1t is worth while to
give to the boy that painstaking care
and interest that will enable him to
supply the country's demand for men.
While it would be difficult to measure
the impress Of the mothers influence.
we would say a word here concerning
the boy and his father for the cases
are all too numerous where beyond the
age Of ten the lad is prone to follow
the example of his father rather than
to abide by the precept Of his mother.
1t is natural, but matter both Of con-
graduation and regret, that the boy
looks up to the father as he does.
While there are exceptions to the rule,
it is not reasonable to expect that the
boy is going to realize any higher type
Of manhood than the father exempli-
fes, and he is shortsighted and unrea-
sonable who condemns In the boy what
he allows in himself. Boy nature does
not overlook the insincerity of such an
attitude. The early establishing Of
bond Of inteEest and comradeship not
only conduces to the highest satisfac-
ton on the part of the parent, but Is
favorable to the development of that
affection and regard on the part of the
son which never leave him, but which
tend to develop in him fllal graft
tude that will make the fathers declin-
ing years CHEEKY and golden as they
come and so. Raise pure bred stock,
the best possible to get, but don't over
look the boy. In a fundamental and
last analysis everything else raised on
the farm, however good or useful, Is
mere trash compared with him. A fine
type of manhood-this is primary. And
every farm home in the land should
furnish its quota to supply never sat.
isfied demand.
RENOVATING STRAWBERRY BED.
The strawberry bed at the end Of the
frst seasons cropping often furnishes
a perplexing problem in part because
the plants may be too thick and be-
cause weeds may have crept III. In
such cases we have found it advanta'
geous to take sharp scythe and cut
both plants and weeds close to the
ground and then plow and ruttle out all
but about six inch strip Of the roots
In the middle of the strawberry row,
It the land Is not rich and strong well
rotted manure may be spread over the
whole bed and raked in. The bed will
look very sick following such treat,
ment, but in short time the roots left
undisturbed will throw out new shoots
and runners, and by the time frost
comes you will have practically new
bed. While this plan may be followed
to advantage with some beds at the
end of second years cropping, we
have usually plowed up the bed after
the second years cropping and planted
to turnips about the LIST of August.
We remember realizing some $13 one
fall from a patch Of turnips that were
sowed on strawberry bed one by
eight rods in size and plowed up about
Aug. /. Potatoes were $1.25 in Octo'
Der Of that year, and the turnips
brought 40 cents per bushel