Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-07

Where it is possible t. avoid 1t vegs-
table and flower gardens should not be
watered when the sun is shining bright
ly. Early morning or evening is the
proper time for doing this work.
The incubator is like most other la
Dor saving machines In that it needs
the careful supervision of human
mind to give good results. This Is a
fact some people have learned to their
sorrow.
While there is occasionally person
who makes money from the cultivation
of ginseng there are dozens Of others
who get nothing but some very val
liable experience for their trouble and
learn that, though less fancy In price,
potatoes are more sure of returns.
Many a man who goes north and
west in search Of better and cheaper
land may be likened to the man who
Travelled round the world to find a four
leaf clover. His quest was fruitless,
but upon returning home he foundehis
own front yard Astounding with the OBJ
ject of his search.
We always feel sorry for the man
who can eat bad butter and never
know it, for we are sure 1t Is because
he has never tasted anything better.
Few articles of food are more appe-
thing than good butter, and few con-
coctions smell as bad and taste as
filthy as butter that is not good.
While at the depot recently we saw
lady alight from the Pullman and go
to the baggage car, where the man in
charge handed her basket. This she
opened and took therefrom a very
dirty white dog, which she proceeded
to kiss with great ardor. Such won.
en- would never have been the mothers
Of the heroes Of Bunker Hill.
We have 1t on good authority that to-
mato plants set In hills Of squash and
cucumber vines will very effectually
ward off the striped beetle which works
great damage when they are in the
early stages Of their growth. 1t ia
claimed that the odor of the tomato
plant is offensive to the beetles and
that. they will not remain near where
1t grows.
In most places where 1t has been es-
tablished the consolidation Of the rural
schools and the erection Of one large
central school building. to which all
the scholars are brought, has proved
very satisfactory. True, it does away
with the little red schoolhouse to which
so much sentiment clings and which
has been the starting place for many
Of our greatest men, but at the same
time it offers increased advantages in
the way of education, which outweigh
what minor objections are urged
against 1t.
Soft naples, Lombardy poplars and
willows are but poor excuses for shade
trees. We were in a town not long
ago which, when it was founded some
forty years ago, was devoid of shade
in any form. In setting about to rem
edy the difficulty the settlers planNd
hundreds Of soft naples. These trees
grew rapidly and soon furnished shade,
but the trees have never proved Salts
factory, and today the people Of this
little city are busy cutting out the soft
naples to make room for elms, hard
naples and other trees of a more
hardy and ornamental variety. This
has been the experience of many
towns.
Many Minnesota and Dakota farm
er is just waking up to the fact that
much larger return is to be had from
his farming operations along the line
of corn and stock raising and the rum
ming Of dairy than from the quite
prevalent system Of wheat raising.
The former not only makes him more
independent, but very effectually pre-
vents depletion of the fertility of the
soil, and If his land has already SUI
fered In this particular it tends to re-
store it. We know of number of
farmers who have moved from the
dairy sections of other states to the
localities mentioned who at once began
to preach and put into practice the
better agricultural way-have gone
into the dairy and stock raising bust
ness, furnishing an example that is be-
ing very generally and probably i'm
itated.
While in conversation with the pro-
prietor of grocery store not long
since he pointed to sugar barrel
standing IN the rear of the store and
spoke as follows: "That sugar barrel
contains 800 pounds of dairy butter,
.-,1rli xahx 1>oid q - l.