Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-05-29

ana soaking 1t FOR two or three hours In
a formalin solution.
If colony Of grackles or crow black.
birds propose to locate in the ever
green's around your home, as they are
very apt to do, they should be discour-
aged at bnce, as they are extremely
dirty and noisy neighbors.
The proper training of horse. often
represents from one-third to one-haif
of It's value; hence 1t Is a, piece Of bad
management to take pains with the
breeding Of colt and put it on the
market In an unfinished and crude con-
dition.
The cabbage growers on Muscatine
island, in the Mississippi river, are set
ting out this year to quite an extent
plants shipped from points farther
south. which, it is thought, will pro.
duce earlier heads than plants from
their own hotbeds.
We desire information as to the sue
cess or failure of the new method of
feeding off the corn crop with stock,
which was quite generally tried last
fall by farmers In some localities some
using steers and hogs and many others
sheep. If 1t is good thing others
should know about 1t.
II you have one or two old black
pussies and four or five Maltese toms
running around your dooryard you
may not expect any pleasure or COM
fort from the birds that may nest
around your home, for while the cats
may not get the old birds they will
surely get every fedgeling as soon as 1t
leaves the nest.
By common consent 1t seems to be
agreed that three kernels Of corn to
the hill fetch the best results. This is
not always the case. If the soil Is very
rich and retentive Of moisture four
stalks to the hill Will give a larger re-
turn than three, while If the soil liz
worn and the water supply insufficient
one stalk to the hill Will beat either
three or four.
Every grower Of clover in the north
central states realizes how very diff
cult it is to secure The first crop Of
clover hay in good condition, the catchy
weather of July quite frequently
spelling the entire crop. The thought
OCCURS to us that the crop maturing at
this season might proftably be cut and
at once converted into ensilage. This
would eliminate all of the risk incident
to the curing Of the crop.
Taking the country over the Holstein
COW Is making dairy record which
should commend her strongly to dairy
men. She Is great eater and uses her
food in milk and not fat production.
When cross is made with a beef
breed Shorthorn or Angus-and Hol-
stein cow, feeder Of no small value Is
obtained. The quantity of milk given
Is the chief recommendation Of the
Holstein as dairy cow.
It is useless to spray plum trees for
the purpose Of heading off the curculio,
because the damage Is inflicted as the
result Of sting and not bite, as in
the case of many other fruits. The
most successful method Of controlling
this pest is to spread sheet under the
tree early In the morning when the
| ,re al 1,a c{vo <,F u
jar the tree with two or three sharp
blows, which will shake the beetles to
the ground, when they can be gathered
up and burned.
The wren is the most useful bird Of
the entire list when It comes to the de-
struction Of garden worms and insects.
There is no pleasanter or more CHEEKY
music around the home than tl1at
which this little bird furnishes. The
sparrow seems to pre-empt most of the
natural resting places Of the wren, but
this difficulty may be overcome by TAX
ing good sized tin can or cigar box
and cutting hole in it the size Of a
half dollar and lacking it up under the
caves Of the house, shed or barn.
From the practical standpoint this
small expenditure Of time and effort
will be found to bring large returns
There is no state in the Union whose
agricultural interests are SO well
looked after and promoted as In Kan
sas, that state having in Secretary Co
burn Of the agricultural society an en-
thusiast Of the first order. The chief
value and, merit of his work lie in the
practical insight that he possesses
touching the agricultural needs of his
state and the admirable manner In
which he presents the results of his ex-
perimental work. There never can be
anything the matter with Kansas SO
long as Secretary Coburn is at the
helm. He has now in press a new
treatise on alfalfa which will be OF
inestimable value to those portions Of
the country in which the culture Of thia
most valuable legume ID possibIa.