The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-07-23
REV. GEO. B., SHOEMAKER.
Writes Letter in His Usually Breezy
Style from His Home at Shell
Rock, Iowa
GOOD yeAR FOR WESTERN FARMER.
SHELL Rock, Ia,
July Is, '0S.

A postal card received
yesterday from my brother viii,
written in the old home town, and
having on it view of the beauti-
fuI valley In which the old h1me
town rests, was greatly enjoyed
by myself and family. 1t made
me want to start at once for a
long visit in the dear old place.
Since that cannot be, a letter was
the next best thing to act as a
safety valve, and, perhaps, ex-
cess of feeling might, in that way,
be eased for the present.
| was greatly interested in the
letters of my friend Hughes.
There are no very large trees IN
this part of Iowa, and | cannot
write of what there is not. Per.
haps | ought to explain an ex.
preston | used in a former let
ter about our Iowa trees. l spoke
of Natural Trees" BY that l
meant trees that grew along the
streams and other places In their
own sweet will, just as nature had
deposited the seed. Much of the
timber In this prairie country
is planted by the farmer around
his house and Enthusiastically on
the north and west sides. as a
protection from the winter
storms. These groves are plant.
ed in straight rows so that in
their early life they may be cul
tlvated to stimulate rapid devel-
opment. We speak of groves of
this kind as cultivated timber.
In the days when the young
men of McConnellsburg, before
they went "a courtlng," careful.
lY parted their hair on the back
of the head, com bing the hair to.
ward the ears on each side, my
friend Hughes, prior to his night
ly visit, asked me If his hair was
parted behind, looked and said,
Eyes, there is seam right down
the back of your head" Imme-
dlately he named me "Seamy-
boy" and l carried that name
around for years, all because of
the vanity of a young man. Too
bad, wasn't it? Well. I've for
given him long ago.
The visit had from my broth
er IN June, was great pleasure
to myself and family. How we
did talk about the old town and
the people of those early days.
| suppose he told you about his
visit to Iowa, but TN wager he
did not tell all about it. Sunday
morning. splendid day-he
went over to the bridge to enjoy
the beautiful view. His camera
in his pocket, he was tempted,
and yielded. to take snap shot,
While using both hands to shoot,
the wind kindly relieved him of
his hat and started it on journ-
ey down the Shell Rock, into the
Cedar, then to the Iowa, aud via.
the Mississippi to the Gulf. My
bald-headed brother came home
to me subdued and bareheaded.
Well, we had TO have something
exciting in our quiet village. In
my thirty years of residence IN
Iowa, | have never been placed IN
prettier town or among more
pleasant people.
My bees are doing well. There
Is an abundance of white clover,
and we have had enough dry
weather to make their harvest
good and they are storing large
quantities of splendid honey. We
are enjoying some of their honey
each day now, and are "sweeten-
ing up" With their natural per.
verseness, they swarmed on Sun
day, but ] hived 'em just the
same. have three colonies, and
expect them to make from fifty
TO seventy five pounds of honey
each. | only got one sting this
summer, and that was by Mr.
Garner's bees.
Tne outlook for crops this year
Is excellent. Hay is mostly har--
vested, and is unusually heavy.
Oats and rye are being gathered,
and are splendid. Corn is dong
nnely, and, with the ordinary