The Democratic advocate., 1908-09-18

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The strength of fence like that Of
q chain is determined by its weakest
point.
The estimate in which one is held by
the members OF his own family and
the dumb animals of which he has the
care constitutes a truer rating of a
mans worth and character than the
lines Of poetry that may be carved on
his tombstone.
A heavy windstorm will often reveal
weaknesses in the corn plant that are
not manifest in fair weather Perhaps
the injury is done by the corn root
louise. the corn root worm or the stalk
borer, which works higher up, but If
any of these pests have been getting in
their work it will come to light at such
times
One Iowa county has paid out the
sum of $5,234.5O within a little less
than two years in the shape of pocket
gopher bounties. Eight cents goes to
the trapper, while the officer taking the
affidavit receives 2 cents. The returns
indicate that in this county 1886
gophers were trapped in 1907, while
this year $1,000 lost their claws.
AS soon as the tops of the pota:'
vines are ripe and dry it is just as We.
to dig the potatoes at once and pr
them into dry, cool place as to leave
them in the ground through the Sep
tember rains, with the likelihood that
some of them will rot. 1t is good
thing from the standpoint of the pota-
toes and likewise enables one to clean
the weeds from the field before they
shed all their seed.
: A report issued by the bureau of sta
tistics Of the department Of agriculture
under date Of July 81 last gives the
average condition of cotton on July 25
as SO per cent of normal as COM
pared with IS per cent ON July 25. 1907.
and S1.4 per cent, the average for ten
years. The report shows that this year
Texas will produce 30 per cent Of the
country's cotton, Georgia Is per cent,
Alabama II per cent and Mississippi
10 per cent.
Automobile owners in two central
Iowa towns have formed clubs and
voluntarily taxed themselves $40 each.
which is put into road fund. Imme-
diately after every rain man is hired
at 40 cents an hour to go over the coun-
try roads with King road drag. which
puts them in tiptop shape in short
time. 1t Is said that farm lands lying
adjacent to the treated roads have
risen materially in value and that as u
result Of this farmers in nearby locali-
ties are anx ious to have the same treat
ment extended to the roads in their
neighborhood. The plan is practica-
BILE one and is worthy Of extension.
The rather stringent way in which
the pure food officials Of several states
are enforcing the pure food laws rela-
tive to the sale of stale and added
eggs would seem to call for some
changes in the care Of poultry on the
farm which will result in the hens do
ing more Of their busy work in the
henhouse and less in the haymow
and straw stacks on the place
Perhaps little can be done to bring
about a reformation, but a fixing upI
Of the henhouse where needed and the
arranging Of plenty of clean and at
tractive nests will go far toward caus-
ing the hens to lay in their own quar-
ters. If the poultry house is fixed up
IS we'll as may be in the particular
there will still be need of
looking in inviting places over the
'arm for eggs, but a smaller number
will be found there.
The president of western gasoline
.raction engine manufacturing compa-
~ who is considered an authority in |
lis line over the country has recently |
the feasibility of using gaso-
Inc traction motors Of high power us
substitute for the expensive electric
motors and equipment at present liz
Use on interurban trolley systems. III
many sections Of the country where
rolley system would be welcomed by
'olks along the right of way in town
Ind country the territory adjacent is
10 sparsely settled as to make fmprac-
ical as well as improbable the con-
'truction Of an electric interurban line.
The suggestion made would seem to
,ffer definite way out of the diff
:ulty and will be seriously considered
~ promoters of interurban lines in
many sections.
ALWAYS Was Boosted.