davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14

tility but sour so that the clover bac-
terra could not thrive, made all the diff
ficulty.
I have seen the hill lands of south
ern Illinois, once so fertile, run down
in corn culture, wash and worn till in
riding on a train I told farmer that
the corn was poor.
He replied that they had finer crop
than usual aud that their best lan,ls.
made 40 bushels per acre that year.
And | thought that farmer who was
satisfied when his best land made 40
bushels of corn needed to use more
brains in his farming. Now the prob
lem in Egypt" is how to make it Egypt
again in productiveness.
AS a nation no people ever so wasted
their heritage as the American people
have But here and there the seed sown
at the institutes is producing results
and If We only keep right on preaching
the gospel of good farming and train
ing the young men to better practices
we may finally get more brains on the
farm and become a nation of real farm
ers instead of land SINNERS, wasting
the heritage of our children.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
WORK IN THE FARM DAIRY

Ihere is no reasonable excuse for
dalryman to use a scrub bull from year
to year when pure bred bulls can be
bought for little more than beef
prices.
Many good cows are ruined by being
fed too highly concentrated foods rich
In nitrogen. The city milk dairies are
great maestroms which are continue
ally drawing the best cows of the coun-
try to premature slaughter.
No COW can stand up under forced
feeding for a long time without being
injured. 1T is more of the homc- grown
starch foods that cows need and less
gluten brewers grains and cottonseed
meal
We must provide the cows with am
pie exercise in the yards, even though
it is done at sacrifice of production
at the pail
Many dairymcn have had these facts
forced home to them by such diseases
and lowered vitality as are common
III some of the highly pampered herds
| of pure bred dairy cattle.
Water basins by the side of each COW
are a fine thing but when they are used
as an excuse for not turning tho cows
out to exercise for at least an hour
each day they arc not to be recon-
mcnded to a dairynlan.
/ The dairSinan who proposes to make
that business his principal occupation
should make plans to breed and grow
| his OWN cows BY doing this he does
| not take the risks of introducing tuber-
culosis and contagious abortion into
his herd.
II is indeed unfortunate that SO many
dairymen depend upon purchased cows
for use in their diaries. The good, old
fashioned way where the cows We're
bred and raised on the farm was not
SO bad, after all.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
HOW AND WHAT TO FEED

There is nothing better for heavy
draft horses lnder continuous hard
work than cut hay and ground oats.
The hay should be soaked for at least
twelve hours before being fed and
should then be mixed with the ground
oats. The average ration is about 10
pounds each per day, fed morning and
night and about 5 pounds OF dry oats
fed at noon.
The Texas station has found that al
falfa in addition to rice, bran and cot
tonseed meal, is not satisfactory, be-
cause it is so rich in those constituents
which are abundant in cottonseed that
it makes too much nitrogen in the ra :
ton.
The man who grows more roots every
year, particularly the prolific turnip, is
making progress in feeding.
Yearling calves cannot be brought to
perfection on corn alone. During the
winter at least they should have one
third oats or bran, with all the good
clover hay they can eat.
To get the best results feeding young
steers a small amount of oilmeal OF
cottonseed meal every day, say 4 to
" pound to each steer, should be fed
Many inexperienced feeders make the
mistake of forcing young steers too
rapidly at the start.
Farmers in the middle west who in
tend to feed cattle next year ought to
SOW plenty of sorghum. 1t can be sown
up to July ] and cured as hay or with
a grain drill.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14

breeding ewes to run with the rest of
the flock, as they are too often wor-
ried by the others.
There is another point in the hand
ling Of sheep that is, / think, too often
neglected, which may to some who
have never tried it seem rather silly,
and that is to never allow them to run
on the same pasture long at a time.
They do much better when they are
changed from one pasture to another
very often.
Sheep like a fresh, short bite, and
when they are changed from one field
to another every little while they can
have just the kind of grazing they
want. This is especially valuable with
breeding ewes.
AS to water for the sheep. Provide
the very best water that is possible to
be had, never allowing them to drink
from .stagnant pools, which often con-
tain all kinds of disease germs. In
fact, when they can possibly do other
wise they will not drink such stuff.
The sheltering Of breeding ewes is
sometimes overdone; they do not re-
quire much shelter unless the weather
gets bad.
l have constructed on my farm sew
eral sheds and windbreaks where the
ewes can go when the storms in winter
come up.
I allow them the freedom of pasture
during the daytime and they know
when they need to go to the shelter as
we'll or better than l do, and | always
let them be the judge.
OF course when lambing comes it is
hest to keen them in small mems for q
few days unless the weather is very
bad: it is not best to keep them toe
closely confined, as that will tend to
make them tender, and as the young
lambs are rather tender anyway every
thing that will strengthen them should
be provided for them.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
WORK WITH FARM POULTRY

Capons and other fowls intended for
market should never be kept With lay
ing hens, as the latter are sure to be-
come too fat.
1t is a good plan to put the grain for
the hens breakfast in the litter at
night after the fowls are on the roost,
The doors between the roosting houses
and the scratching sheds (Which are
under the same roof) are left open at
night and the hens are at work as soon
as daylight comes. They never have to
stand around and wait for their break
fast.
The next thing in order is a drink OF
fresh water, which in winter is always
warmed a little.
Some kind of green food is given at
noon and corn at night. When green
food cannot be had mash made OF
cooked vegetables or steamed clover
meal mixed with bran, sailed d little
| and moisted with warm water
A similar mixture of corn is some
times fed at night instead of corn, IL,
which case cornmeal is used instead OF
vegetables.
Raw cut bone (not bonemeaD is fec
twice each week, and we wish to i'm
press it upon the minds of all would
be egg farmers that green cut bone is
the cheapest and best egg producer we
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
which they never recover. Even a cold

which they never recover. Even cold
rain often proves fatal.
After the first week we begin to feed
raw mixtures. These are composed of
equal parts cornmeal bran and mid
dlings or second flour moistened with
water or oatmeal bran and cooked
vegetables, a little salt being added sew
eral times a week.
Sometimes cornmeal. cooked potatoes
and chopped greens" and so on are
fed. Occasionally we fed green corn
cut from the cob.
At the end of the fifth week those in
tended for market are put upon a more
fattening diet.
Instead of moistening the mash with
water as heretofore, skim milk is used
and no green's are added. Milk
should not be used as a drink for ducks,
but when added to ground grains it is
far superior to beef scraps OF any other
Kind of animal food for producing rapid
growth in ducks.
Twice a week some powdered char
coal is added to the mixture Besides
sand we give the ducks coal cinders
with the ashes shifted out, A duck
prefers cinders to an other grit.
AT 10 to IA weeks old the ducks are
sent to market There is nothing gained
in keeping them longer, because about
this time the large feathers begin tic
appear and the gain in weight will be
less rapid.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
which have bodies outstripped

which have bodies outstripped in
growth by beak and feet.
Pekin duckling will eat at one
meal as much as three or four chicks
at the same age and gain weight in
proportion, but the food must be of
somewhat different nature from that
required by chicks
For instance, dry feed, such as wheat,
cracked corn, etc, are unsuitable for
ducklings, though they make excellent
feed for growing chicks. In order to
ascertain the difference in growth a
pair of Pekin ducklings and a pair of
White Wyandotte chickens We're
weighed when ii weeks old
Ducks and chickens were Matched the
same day, both were fell fed, but
neither forced. The two chickens
weighed pounds ounces, while the
two ducklings tipped the scales at IA
pounds.
We use both hens and incubators for
Matching, those Matched under hens
being kept for breeding stock. Our
ducklings are kept in large yards
fenced with poultry netting while
small. Twenty-Five is the usual number
for each yard and ducklings Of different
sizes are never yarded together.
! Each yard is furnished with sep
arate house for the ducklings to sleep
in at night. These houses are cleaned
every day and fresh litter put in for
| bedding. For the first week we feed
| light bread Cat least two days ODD
crackers, corn bread, cooked rice and
rolled oats.
The bread is crumbled and either
fed dry or moistened with sweet milk
| We never confine our ducklings to any
| one kind of feed, because variety
gives much better results.
Green food is essential at all times
For this purpose we grow large guam
| titles of lettuce, onions and dandelion
These are chopped and fed in addition
| to the grain food several times q day
while the ducks are small.
They relish these, greens" no matte,
| how plentiful grass may be, and when
mixed with other food the green's fur
nish bulk, which is an important point
! in duck feeding.
| A great quantity OF food is required
/ but it must not be too highly concen-
! trated. For this reason wheat bran IS
! IL prime ldCtOi III Tie IeeulnS oil ducks
We feed our young ducks all they
viii eat five times day.
J There is little danger of overtaxing 8
! Peliin duckling's digestion provided
| good judgment is used in the selection
of food and plenty of grit and sharr
1 sand is provided
The latter we put in the drinking
water. This is important. We have
| known instances where whole focks O.
young ducks We're lost because tn,
owners failed to furnish grit.
The food must be fresh and clean
! Drinking water is given at each mea
and also between meals, in shallow yes
sells. which must be kept clean. Duck.
drink often and soil the water in ;
short time
Pekin ducks do not require swim.
ming water, though they enjoy it, ant
if allowed to roam at will, both youn,
and old, are sure to find pond o
4 stream il there is one within easy dis
i tance.
we never allow the young ones t,
wander off, because early in our ex
perience we learned that too nauc,, g,e.t.
ding in ce5 V'aasoss ......zes cramps, from
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
BEST PLACE FOR THE INCUBATOR

AS to the location of the incubator
Do not place it in a room where it will
be between two windows where draft
is likely to blow across it. The ma
chine should not be located where the
sun can Fall across it or strike the floor
too close to it.
The effect of the sun upon the ma
chine is rather peculiar, and while the
temperature in the room may not seem
to rise, the sun will cause the egg
chamber to heat more rapidly than
might be supposed, thereby interfering
with the adjustments of the regulator
Do not locate the machine in a north
OF west room unless it is impossible
to find another place. A south or east
room is far more satisfactory.
The incubator should be where there
is fire all the time or it should be in Il
room where there is no fire at all. IL
the machine is placed in a room where
there is no fire it should be borne in
mind that the eggs cannot be cooled in
temperature lower than 60 degrees
for any length of time without chilling
the eggs. The eggs should be wrapped
between the folds of a blanket and car
ried into an adjoining room where there
is q fire.
The operator should use every pos
sible care in keeping the lamp bowl and
lamp burner scrupuously clean and
free from oil or any other foreign set
things If this is not done the heat of
the burner will naturally generate some
gas, and if this be thrown off in the
room it is sure to be gathered back
into the incubator, and as it flows
through the egg chamber, may cause a
great deal of damage.
The air in the room must be abso-
lutely sweet and fresh. Be very careful
to see that the incubator sets perfectly
level, but do not attempt to level it by
water bottle. pan of water or by any
thing except a carpenters spirit level.
Be sure to set the machine true in
the front and back and across each end,
as this will insure a perfect circulation
of air through the tanks, as well as
through the egg chamber, which will
play a good part in producing strong,
healthy chickens.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
PROPER CARE OF PELTs
Profits Of Winter Hunting Often
Lessened by Lack of
knowledge.
By W. M. KELLEY.

Many of our Industrious young read-
ers who follow hunting and the trap-
ping of fur bearing animals during the
winter lose much of their hard earned
money i'll not properly caring for their
pelts.
All pelts should be removed from
the animals when first captured, ex-
cept in severe cold weather, when anil
mails may be kept In a frozen condition
for a long time without injuring the
fur. Skins should be we'll stretched
and cleaned of all loose flesh while they
are green, but they should not be
scraped too hard OF the fiber may be
injured.
They should be dried in the open air
to prevent them from becoming hard
and liable to tear, Particularly those
from thin skinned animals, such as the
fox, muskrat, etc. Fatty and oily hides,
like those of the raccoon and skunk.
may be exposed to the sun without in
jury, as the sun draws the fat and oil
to the surface and it is then easily res
moved. Alum, salt and saltpeter arc
often applied to green hides by boys
who are not we'll informed in preserv-
ing their hides and furs, but they
cause a shrlnlage and also prevent
quick, soft soaking and easy curryinM
when first handled by the tanner
Animals that afford valuable furs ara
hunted and trapped in cold weather and
no personalities are necessary in dry
ing the skins. Never wash the blood
from the flesh side OF the pelt, as IL
INJURIES the skin and causes decomposi-
t1on. The skins of most fur bearing
animals should be drawn over stretch-
al. no IL, e;.l
edges tackled in place. The otter, fox,
mink, muskrat and marten should ba
treated in that manner. A common
house single slanted on the thin end
makes an ideal stretcher for muslkrat
pelts.
The muskrat, fox, otter, marten and
mink should be skinned in the follows
ing manner: Cut the skin through and
around the ankles and then place 4
small, sharp knife in the incisions ant
open the skin down the inside Of thi
hing legs to the cauda. BY, doing thiG
the skin can be pulled over the head Of
the animal without tearing it and viii
como off i'll q baglike shape.
The tails are drawn out by placing
the fleshy part between two notchei
sticks to prevent them from slipping
sideways.
The tails of many animals need start4
ing at tho base with a knife. Otter
and skunks should be split down the
under side with a knife and tackled OUT
fiat on a stretcher. With fox skins the
feet are usually left and the fur sidd
turned out when the pelt is partially
dried.
The skins of wolf, badger and skunk
are skinned fatty by cutting down the
middle Of the belly and the inside OF
the legs. Such skins may be stretched
and nailed on any fiat surface. Al
soon as the pelts are dried they shouH
be made into bundles and stored in
cool attic and allowed to remain unit
spring, but it will be best to sell earl.
and avoid shrinkage and loss that IL
apt to come as soon as the weather
warns UP in the spring.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
DRAFT HORSES GOOD SELLERS

Professor Kennedy of the Iowa bu-
beau of animal industry told the men
of his special course that draft horses
are the horses for the average farmer
to raise, for they do not require the
special preparation for market in the
way of training, ETC., that light horses
or coach horses do, and are less dam
aged by blemiShes, which will frequent
ly appear even on colts that are care
fully cared for In addition to this the
draft horse can be broken when he is
but 2-year-old and can be made to
earn his keep from then until he is
mature and ready for market. This
cannot be done with light horses.
1.-THE greatest need in horse breeding
at the present day." said Professor
Kennedy, sis that of some definite plan
in breeding. No breeder Of average in
telligence would think of crossing hogs
or cattle in an indiscriminate way with
the exception of getting satisfactory
results, yet these same men will cross
draft mares with trotting horses, or vice
versa, and yet expect to get horses
that will be useful for some definite
purpose. The result is usually horse
that will class neither as a light horse,
coach horse por draft horse, and the
market is constantly flooded with these
misfits. Every farmer should attempt
to produce horses of some definite type,
such as the market demands, and this
can only be done by deciding on the
breed or type one desires to breed and
then resoJutely sticking to it.
THE type of draft horse that the
market wants is a horse weighing 1000
pounds or over in ordinary working
condition, a deep-b bodied, broad, close
| coupled, massive horse, with powerful
loin and hind quarters; he should be
/ deep and wide in the chest to insure a
rugged constitution. His legs should be
| well set, with clean, dense bone, STOP
rugged constitution. His legs should be
| large and round, wide at the heels, and
Of fair depth especially at the heels. ii
| is well to remember the old Scotch
motto:
Feet and legs, bone and feather,
Tops may come, but bottoms never
without good feet and legs the best
| bodied horse in the world would be-
practically useless on city streets OF
hard roads. Good action is also a prime
requisite, for. with all other thing.
equal, the horse that can walk foul
| miles per hour with ease is OF fa.. 1,...-:
value than III" re .f;sf cannot talk
l this 1rcs6ss, r:1a good action is also in.
/ variably associated with good tenn.
permanent"
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
SEGREGATE BREEDING EWES
It's a Mistake to Permit Them
to Feed and Flock With
the Winter Sheep.
hy R, B. RUSHING, OZARK, ILL.

The feeding of the breeding ewes is
an operation that i find is not thor
oughly understood by many farmers,
especially those who have just a few
sheep as 2 side issue.
l see flocks too often that are all run
ming together-the ewes that are ex-
pected to raise lambs for the market
and to supply the future breeding ewes,
and the others that arc being prepared
for the market-all feeding upon the
same kind and quantity of food and
running together.
This practice I have found to be a
very bad one, as the breeding ewes, If
you intend to get the best results, re-
quire entirely different feeding.
Ewes that are carrying young lambs
should be fed on feed that will tend
+! to develop the young as well as nour-
ish the mother, while those intended
for market should be fed more on fat
tening foods.
Also it is not best to allow the
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
CARE OF HOUSE PLANTS

Gas-heated rooms, unless well VEN
tilated, arc bad for plants.
Clogged drainage and too liberal wa
tering will sour the soil, ruin the foli-
age or kill the plant.
Remember it is the weakened plant
that is the easy prey to disease and
insects owing to bad conditions.
A chilly temperature will cause be-
gonias to drop their leaves. When once
chilled It will take many weeks to re-
cover from it.
CIogged drainage and too much wa
ter will also cause the dropping OF
leaves. Reporting in fresh, porous soil
will benefit.
When sweeping or busting cover the
plants with newspapers, as the plants
breathe through the leaves and clogged
pores lI' or weaken.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
PROFIT IN PEkIN DUCKS
A Successful Woman's Expert
ence in Raising These
Money Making Fowls.
BY ANNA eAL1GHER.

During the past nineteen years we
have been raising and marketing @lcks
keeping several different breeds, but
were long ago convinced that the Inn
peria Pei<in is the market duck par
excellence.
AS a gene purpose duck we like
the Rouen, aud for eggs alone the In
dian Runner stands at the head OF the
list.
There are two varieties of Pekins, the
small or medium sized white duck. sc
often seen around farnyards, and the
large kind known as the lmperla
Pekin, the latter being only little
smaller than the common goose and
having u beautiful cream coloreo
plumage. This is the variety of Pckins
kept by the larger breeders in the east
A common mistake, especially among
farmers, is that ducks and chickens are
fed and housed together, the result
being a lot of half-starved specimens
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
FOR MORE WHOLESOME MILK

The New York station says that the
greater the attention paid to scrupulous
cleanliness in handling milk at all
stages, the shorter the time that elapses
between the drawing, straining and
cooling of milk, and the lower the tenn
perature to which it is cooled, the
greater its freedom from micro or
ganisns, the longer it will retain its
normal condition, the more profitable
its production will be, and the more
wholesome will it be for old and
young
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14

know of when fed in connection with
grain and vegetables.
Meat and milk need not be fed when
green bone is used. 1t furnishes botn
lime and animal matter, which the
fowls convert into eggs, and the cost
of the bone outside Of the cutting is
about 2 cents per month for each fowl
here, though the price is higher some
places.
Do not make the mistake of letting
the cut bone take the place of grit.
While it certainly helps to grind the
food, it is too soluble to do the work.
Keep crushed shell and broken
crockery ware in reach at all times.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
PLENTY OF GOOD BLOOD

There is plenty of good dairy blood TO
go around, but there are too many
dairymen who are not looking for it.
Some dairymen raise every heifer re-
CARELESS of it's individuality or breeding,
while some other dairymen with a much
better herd will not raise any of his
heifer calves. What a great improve
ment 1t would make il some exchange
of calves could be made SO that the
man with conveniences and natural
ability could grow the very best calves
from the milk producing cows!
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
A FINE TYPE OF BROOD sow

This SOW has an almost perfect body.
1t is vigorous, rather long, with heavy
quarters, fiat back, short snout and
ears and low on the ground. A good
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
SAVING THE SWEET POTATO

More sweet potatoes rot on account
of being harvested before entirely ripe
than from any other cause. When
banked before ripe neither starch nor
sugar develops. but if dug before frost
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
SAVE The FARM IMPLEMENTS

This picture shows how an Illinois
farmer, who owns $50 acres of fine
land, stores his implements in the win
ter time. The photograph was taken
in March Of last year, and the imple-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14

ments were only two years old. The
man who owns this place is pretty near
failure.
Are you storing your implements the
same way?