davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09
AMERICAS SUPERIOR HORSES

America to-day is producing cross
bred draft horses superior to those
bred in England, France and Scotland
as direct result of the growing de-
mand OF farmers throughout the great
agricultural sections Of the country for
a higher type of unitarian horses.
The scientific breeding of draft
horses has gone forward by leaps and
bounds within the past few years.
Farmers have found out that it was
the highest degree Of practical econ
omy to breed their cross-bred mares
with the best stations obtainable.
In the International Live Stock Ex-
position of 1900, 1901 and 1903 the first
prizes for geldings went to animals
from Canada, England and Scotland.
In 1904 the gelding classes were
about evenly divided between America
and imported horses
Since that time the American bred
horses have captured the lions share
Of the prizes and awards and have es-
tablished clear title to supremacy.
The six horse draft team shown by
Armour &, Co. a year ago at the Lon
don exposition aroused the amazement
and admiration of Englishmen, who
had no idea that such magnificent
horses were being produced in America.
Their amazemept was coupled some
what with chagrin when nothing ap-
preaching the team in the way of Eng
lish-bred horses was shown.
And now even this wonderful team
has had to take second place, Morris
& Co.'s superb six-horse team taking
first honors at the last Chicago Expo
sition.
Henry Ward Beecher declared, $50
riety owes to the horse a debt Of graft
tude a thousand times greater than il
hoes to thousands Of men who abuse
him."
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09
BY PROFESSOR H. A. MOORE.
Wisconsin Experiment Station.

Soy beans were first grown at the
Wisconsin experiment station in 1899,
and each year since the acreage and
the number of varieties tested have
been increased.
The tests at this station have been
made for the purpose of determining
their value as forage plant and of
finding out which varieties, IL any,
were adapted to our soil and climate.
Twenty nine varieties have been on
trial; of these the Michigan green
seems especially adapted to be grown
with corn for silage. This is me-
dunn early variety and is noted for its
height and great growth of foliage.
The stems are strong and 1t usually
stands erect so that it can be harvested
nicely with the corn binder, or If grown
alone can be cut to advantage with a
mower.
If grown for seed or pasture pur-
poses the soy bean should be sown In
drills about thirty inches apart. Where
a small acreage is desired hand drill
can be used, but where a large guam
| tity is planted a grain drill can be
used by stopping some of the inter-
vening spouts SO as to have the soy
beans the proper distance apart.
| A corn planter can be used to adj
vantage and the seed sown the usua
distance allowed for corn, or by doub-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09
SOME HELPS IN CANNING

Fruit for canning and preserving
should be perfectly fresh and carefully
selected. No stale nor half-fermented
fruit is fit for use, though many fail
to appreciate this fact, trusting that
sugar and cooking will arrest fermen-
tation.
Even if fermentation should be ar
rested the flavor of the fruit must be
impaired by staleness, and no amount
of sugar or cooking will restore the
natural and essential qualities of fresh
fruit.
Strawberries are the most difficult of
all berries to can SO as to retain their
delicate flavor and color. They should
be placed in a colander before stem
ming and very cold water run through
them to remove sand and to harden the
berries. Stem carefully and handle
daintily,
Two boxes of strawberries when
cooked will fill one Mason jar. which
is enough to cook at one time.
Crush one pint Of strawberries in an
enameled kettle and add one full cuI
of granulated sugar; juice will thus be
formed without using water and OF
such weight that the berries will not
float on top of juice when in the jar.
Let the crushed berries and sugar
boil hard, shaking the kettle over the
fire to prevent sticking. Drop the re.
mainder of the berries into the boiling
strip and cook just about five min.
utes, Swimming thoroughly.
Have ready jars placed upon a clotf
wrung from cold water and fill in thu
berries with silver spoon. Canned il
this way Strawberries will retain NOR,
of their natural flavor and color thar
in any other way, as a strip made o
water and sugar Injuries both flavor ant
color.
The above rule as regards suga
holds good only for canned strawber
ries. Preserve or jam would requir
more sugar and longer cooking.
Raspberries, both red and black
should be allowed to reach the boilin.
point in little water before adding
sugar in order to soften the seeds.
Peaches are better dropped into boil
ing strip and cooked until silver forl
will pierce them readily.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09
THE POSSIBILITIES OF AN ACRE

know man who is making money
on three acres of land.
This was his share of the old home
place. When the land was turned owe,
to him he had only the one small field
with no buildings.
The first year he planted most OF
the ground to garden truck One half
acre was planted in small fruits anc
Strawberries. From this first wears
crop money was secured to make thu
first improvements.
He built a storehouse for keeping hi.
products in winter and used all snare
time and money in enriching the soil
Manure was bought at the stables IL
nearby towns and In three years thu
entire three acres had been covered
with plenty of stable manure with bu
small outlay of money
NOW he is growing fine cropsaof po.
tatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage Sant
Deans, besides other garden crops. HI
mas QUILT house and other buildings
mas small greenhouse, several stand.
OF bees, few chickens, fruit and shade
trees-in fact beautiful, well-kep'
home which Is his own.
He gives all of his time to this small
farm and is making money and good
living. The same can be done in al.
most any county or state, Tut it take:
study and industry.
In almost every state land can be
had in small lots at low prices. These
lands are broken too much for grain
farming and usually can be purchased
for from So to SIS per acre, and there
is no place more suited to the building
of beautiful country homes than these
hill lands, and the man with $500 OF
i $500 could soon have a home to be
proud of.
| AS much of this land still has soma
i timber left, true it would be a back
woods life for few years, but the time
is not far distant when the change
/ will come.
Much of this hill land belongs te
people who give it no care. They cams
there to work in the timber for the
railroads; they bought the land for the
timber, worked it UP and are now GLAD
to part with it at almost any price. al
they are not suited to farm life.
man does not have to own a large
farm to make a success of farming
The middle west is fast becoming
truck growing country and the small
farm of from three to twenty acres i.
more often found than larger ones, ant
crops of this kind are bringing higher
prices each year.-Thomas M. Cisel.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09

part. 1t must be understood that such
a formidable enemy as this weed re-
quires heroic treatment. Other farm
ers have gone at the problem less heed
lessly, as in the case of man who
followed the root of plant to the
depth of four feet and then applied
large quantity of salt in the hole
Various methods have been tried
to keep down the top growth, and hence
starve out the underground parts
There are three methods that have
given satisfactory results, namely,
clean cultivation, alfalfa growing and
hog pasturing. There are other meth
DDS that have been tried, but not with
large measure of success. These in
clude the placing of building paper,
beet pulp, apple pomace, straw OF ma
nure on the ground to smother the
weed growth. and also the application
of chemicals. Conditions in irrigated
regions are complicated by the fact
that bindweed is often allowed to grow
along irrigation bitches. the water In
which distributes the seed. The water
of streams, especially at food times, Is
also factor in distributing the seeds
and roots to other land.
Bindweed can be eradicated by clean
cultivation if thorough and persistent.
The case requires going over the land
once every week or ten days during
the entire growing season of the weed,
which is between the spring and fall
frosts. Two years Of this treatment
will accomplish the result in most
cases, and 1t is probable that one year
will suffice where the plant does not
root too deeply. The difficulty is that
many farmers will not cultivate as
thoroughly as is necessary. Even a
small top growth is enough to form
some new underground growth and re-
juvenate the old roots or root stocks,
thereby carrying the plant over to the
next season. Cultivation has the fur
Their advantage of inducing rapid
termination Of all seeds of the weed
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09
CARE OF THE sow AND PIGS

1t is a good plan to re-breed some
September.
Let the young pigs learn to eat with
their dams and as soon as possible put
them all on pasture.
The cream separator has greatly re-
duced scours in pigs because the skim
milk can always be fed while sweet.
March is too early for pigs to come
in the north. The latter part Of April
or first half of May is better.
Too many farmers feed their brood
sows any old grain or other feed that
is knocking around or that has been
refused by other animals, and then
they wonder why they fail to raise good
pigs.
Very young pigs are sometimes killed
by running in wet pasture during the
cold days of early spring. Keep them
dry.
Keep the boar in an Enclosure by
himself and turn the sows in to him
to be served.
Sow some Essex rape this spring
for hog forage. 1t will make the
youngsters hump along late in sum-
mer.
Grain is high and unless we grow
substitutes in the way of forage profits
will be reduced.
| If the pigs show signs of thumps
cut down the sow's grain ration. They
are too fat.
| A SOW that is too fat when with pie
will be likely to lose more than she
would If she were lean. Any surplus
fat beyond enough to give her strength
and foundation for milk giving is
dangerous.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09

on the teeth will prevent pulling and
other vices, but that this is so is proved
by the following incident: A pony
that I knew of, one that no one had
been able to drive with ease. although
various bits and contrivances had been
tried, for the above reason changed
hands. The primary cause must be
discovered, which in this instance was
a decayed tooth, the removal of which
caused an instantaneous cure. The pony
was then driven in plain straight
bit with curb chain by the new owner,
an elderly man, who SO appreciated the
animals quickness and docility that no
amount of money would have parted
them.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09
SOY BEANS A GOOD CROP
Hogs Take Very Kindly to This Plant and Eat the
Beans Ready-It Is a Great FIesh-Former.

ling put them one-half the distance
apart.
Where the greater distance is all
lowed between the rows the seed
should be sown about twice as thicl,
in the row.
If the desire is to cut for hay, sow
broadcast with seeder or by hand.
Where sown in drills about one-half
bushel of seed should be used per acre.
and II sown broadcast about one bushel.
Various methods have been employed
at the station for harvesting and
threshing, none of which have been
entirely satisfactory, Where grown for
hay or silage the mower can be used to
advantage.
When harvested for seed the usual
method has been to pull the plants by
hand, which entails an unusual amount
OF labor The self-binder and mower
nave been used with partial success at
the station.
The soy bean can be harvested to
advantage by being pastured off with
hogs, and it seems that this will be
one of its principal uses in the future,
as it is high in protein and a great
flesh former.
Hogs take very kindly to this plant
and eat the beans readily. BY planting
few acres Of the early varieties each
year farmer cannot only renew the
fertility of the soil, but have an abund-
ance of feed for fitting his hogs for the
fall market.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09
cow YARD AND DAIRY NOTES

While in calf the COW should be
gently treated and all irregular and
violent exercises avoided.
When cows are allowed reasonable
amount of exercise healthier and
stronger calves are usually obtained.
A little extra care and food pays big
returns when used to hasten the ma
turity of the dairy heifers.
There is certain class of dairy
farmers who refuse to sit down and
figure, through fear that it will upset
a few of their pet theories.
The best favored butter in the world
is made in private dairies-and the
worst, too.
No man can develop COW into a
high producer unless that COW had an
inherited quality of development to
start with.
Success in dairying demands that a
man breed and develop his own COWS
as far as possible, and buy, If he must
wisely.
The most successful dairymen have
let go their hold on the dual-purpose
cows.
Common sense is better than the
best dairy instruction of the day, bu
it clearly shows a lack Of common
sense when dairyman discards all re.
| cent Investigations.
| 1t takes a COW weeks, sometimes
months, to get accustomed to a new
home. So strong is this native attach.
ment that change seriously affects
her temper and conduct.
A few poor cows may do a perma,
nent harm to the herd, but poor bull
will ruin the chances of improving the
best herd in the country
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09
BEES AND WILD HONEY
Bee Hunting for Profit Is Thing of the Past Owing
to the Passing of Great Forests.

most like brown smoke escaping from
the rock. These bees are out of reach
of man and the amount of honey they
have stored within this rock can only
be guessed at but it must be large.
The old-time bee hunter knew his
business we'll, and many were the ways
he had of finding the stored sweets.
One of the most used was the snow
hunt In early winter, when the first
snow fell. The hunter went into the
wood, going from tree to tree looking
about the roots for dead bees upon the
snow, as it was known that all dead
bees are removed from the hive and
dropped beneath.
Another method was the placing of
sweet strip or honey on log near the
wood and then following the bees when
feeding.
Sometimes flour was dropped upon
the bees, making them white and more
easy to follow through the shade of
the woods. The flour would also be
thrown off when entering the tree, and
this often helped the hunter to locate
the bees.
After a bee tree was found it was
marked, and that mark was thought to
PAosSSI ZIG iSC lOI Tic uutii IuS
coming of cold weather, when the
honey could be removed.
Sometimes the finder got all the
honey, but often he had to share with
the owner of the land on which the
tree was found.
The cutting of bee tree was no
pleasant job, as the day was never so
cold that the bees would not try to de-
fend their home, and often the hunter
got more stings than honey.
But If the tree was large and the coll
ony had been in it for several years
the honey would pay well for the gath
ering.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09
NOTES ON HOG RAISING

The white breed of hogs is gradually
disappearing.
Salt buried few inches in the
ground in certain spots will attrac
the hogs and confine them pretty close.
iy to such places.
1t is natural for hog to root, blu!
if YOU want to prevent him from doins
so a simple ring in the snout will an
swer the purpose.
1t is a great mistake to mark hos
by mutilating its ears. Better use
metal tag.
When SOW refuses to allow her pigs
TO suck pour mixture of ten to twenty
grains of spirits of camphor with one
to three of tincture of opium in one
ear; she will Immediately lie down on
that side and remain quiet for several
hours No injurious effects are no.
ticed.
If sows are closely watched at farrow.
ing time and the pigs can Immediately
be placed in position to suck they are
not so apt to devour them.
A Kansas correspondent writes: "fIy
sows have for the past six months had
access to the sweepings from flour
mill. They became very fat and I be-
gan to fear they would not produce
good litters but the six now have fifty
four healthy youngsters, one of them
having fourteen and another twelve"
Successful hog raisers will always
have clover or alfalfa pastures for their
| animals.
Every hog pasture ought to have an
open shed on high point of ground
for shelter from the hot sun. Leave
all sides open SO the air can pass over
them.
A half starved SOW cannot, in the
very nature of things. produce vigorous
| pigs.
The man who imagines that he can
produce fat and lean bacon in streaks
!, by feeding one week and starving the
! next will be disappointed.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09
BY THOMAS M. cIsEL.

1t is commonly thought that with
the passing away of larger timber the
wild bees would have to go; but such
is not the case There are more wild
bees to-day than there were thirty
years ago.
At that time trees had but little
value, and the bee hunter found no
trouble in cutting bee tree wherever
1t was found, and many men followed
bee hunting for profit and pleasure, and
as the bees were most often found in
large trees with decaying limbs or
trunks they became an easy mark Tor
the hunter who understood their habits.
Now all timberland is under fence
and the cutting of a tree on another
mans land often ends in trouble.
Bee hunting is a thing of the past
but the bees are here more plentiful
than ever. The oldtime colony with
so and 100 pounds of honey is not
found. They have been compelled to
use the smaller trees for storehouses
which soon become overstocked and a
new home must be found. Thus the
colonies are smaller and more numer-
GUS.
In removing the timber from three
acres of land the owner found nine
trees with bees and honey. OF these
nine trees the largest amount of honey
stored uas about ten pounds, and on
two of the trees the bees were storing
honey by building 1t fast to small twigs
outside the hollow in tree.
The largest colony of wild bees ever
saw was in Pope county, Illinois. This
colony was using cavity in a rock
bluff as hive, and was told it had
been there for fifty years.
When looking at the entrance the
bees leaving and returning looked al
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09
BY W. R. GILBERT,
Canadian Experiment Station.

AS preventive of lameness. to COM
mence operations on the teeth would
appear to some persons very ludicrous,
yet common sense and practice would
convince them that this would be the
proper means of preventing interfer-
ence-one of the chief causes of lame
ness in young horses.
Young horses fully developed show
signs of fatigue and weakness after a
journey and interfere. Some grab the
quarter of the fore foot with the toe
of the hind foot and overreach.
In such cases the ordinary practi-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09
BY R. B. RUSHING.

AS much blowing as possible should
be done in the fall. The soil thus
turned up is exposed to the frosts OF
winter, and they penetrate it to con-
siderable depth Soils that are covered
with sod are not penetrated more than
half IS deep by the frosts as are those
soils that are recently plowed in the
fall.
1t is desirable to loosen the earth
below the depth to which the plow
goes. This is especially valuable in
CLAW soils. When ground is plowed
well before the coming of frost the soil
will often be frozen to the depth of
twenty inches. This means that every
particle to that depth is moved to a
certain extent. The expansion of the
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09

sirable to have plant roots go as deeply
as possible.
Fall-plowed land will also be found
freer from cutworms and other inju-
rious insects in the spring. Some of
these insects try to get below the frost
line or at least to a point where freez-
ing and thawing in the early spring is
not possible. The blowing of the land
turns up these insects, and, though they
may be still covered by the SOIL leaves
the ground SO loose about them that
they freeze, and in this way they are
killed.
While fall blowing does not entirely
wipe out all the e.tWorms that may be
in the ground. it will greatly lessen
their number
This point alone is enough to justify
the blowing of land in the fall.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09
FLOWING In THE FALL
Many Advantages.

particles of moisture pushes apart and
breaks up the most retentive soils.
Clay soil that has been well drained
is in this way made more friable to a
great depth, and when spring comes
and the frost goes out of the soil 1t
will be so loose that air can penetrate
to a great depth and chemical action
be better.
The manures in the surface soil are
disintegrated and some of them are
washed down to the depth the frost
has gone.
The result following is that the roots
of the plants seek the cool, moist earth
below if there be in it plenty of plant
food, and the plants supported by the
roots are the more able to resist many
droughts that may come in summer
Where droughts are common it is de-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09

Olive brown. feltlike areas called
scab occur on the under side of the
leaves and brown discolorations on
the upper surface of the tomato. In
severe cases the leaves turn black.
shrivel up and die. Tawny-colored /.
two celled spores are produced on the
clustered stalks of the fungus on the
under surface.
Treatment Spray with Bordeaux
early and repeat at intervals of ten
days or two weeks.
Any of the fields full of burdock
If this pest has good start it will
spread all over the farm by the end
of another season. Easy to kill II. The
burdock only lives a couple of years
If frequently moved off close to the
ground, but the best way is to take an
iron bar, drive it down deeply by the
side of the root and pry the whole mis-
cradle thing out and burn it, root and
branch Every plant thus treated is
dead and done for.
The best way to sell the SKINNED
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09
WHY NOT RAISE MORE WHEAT7

The average yield of corn in Illinois
is thirty-five bushels per acre, and it
takes about thirty FIVE bushels to nav
the expenses But good farmer can
produce sixty bushels per acre. and
at the average price this would return
a net profit of IS.
The cost per acre would be: Plow
ing, $1.04; disking (before and after).
% cents; rolling and narrowing, So
cents; seed, $1.25; drilling, 80 cents.
interest on land, $3.50; cutting and
plnding, ~ cents; threshing, $1.20;
marketing, 80 cents; wear on machin-
cry, "a cents; plant food phosphorus
in CROP, S1.15-total, s11.62. Thirty
bushels of wheat at 65.4 cents, the av-
erage price for ten years, will bring
1882 net profit, IS per acre.
Estimates of this kind may be
shifted one way or the other, but it is
evident that wheat is worth consider
Ing. 1t may net as much profit as corn
and at present figures it is likely to net
more profit than oats.
If corn can be cut early good seed
bed for wheat can be prepared by disk
| ing the ground thoroughly. The ground
should be stirred deeply and made fine
but compact, AMI to this end must be
prepared early.
| Put the wheat in with disk drill
one and one quarter bushels per acre
The date for sowing in Illinois should
be near Sept. 15.-Albert N. Hume
University of Illinois.
Whenever you see young chick.
crowd around their keeper withou
fear, feeding from his hand and climb.
! ing upon his person he sure they are
veil managed.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-09
BY H. R. cox,
United States Bureau of Plant Industry.

The only successful methods for the
eradication Of bindweed must be based
on the suppression of all top growth,
in order to starve out the underground
parts. A great many farmers are look