davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06
A SOUTHERN FARMERS GU1NEAs.

Some people object to the noise
which guineas make and their wild
nature. but as summer egg-layers.
gum ca hens are hard to beat.
We have three guinea hens and
&C ok that have the range Of the fields,
and they are the best insect destroy
ers that we can have on the farm.
They have better reputation with US
as insect destroyers than the 'thieving
crow which some writer's commend SO
highly for the bugs and worms they
eat, and they also pay handsome
profit in eggs for any grain they may
eat
The guinea hens lay an egg each
day for several months at a time.
We have brood Of young gufneas
that are growing nicely-they are .
cross between the pearl and the white
guinea, and are. growing better than
we ever got either full blood to do.
I never liked the idea of crossing
breeds, but a cross seems to increase
the vitality OF the guinea.
Some have trouble finding the guinea
nests, but our guineas have never gone
far from the house to make their
nests Sometimes they lay in the hen
nests in the poultry house.
They range long distances from the
house during the day In search Of food.
but come near the house to lay.-A. J.
Legg,
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06
GOOD "HoRsE SENSE"

Don't allow the offer Of a good. stiff
price for the colts to tempt you In let
ting 20 of them. You'll need some
fresh. young teams one of these days,
and It takes an almost fabulous sum
of money to buy span OF young
horses suitable for farm purposes.
II you are in the habit of dashing
YOUR warm horses up to the town
hitch rack and tying them up to cool
off and chill without a blanket OF any
sort, try the experiment of standing
beside them awhile even half as long
as you usually are in town, and-some
harness dealer will sell you a pair OF
horse blankets before fifteen minutes
have passed.
As a general rule, man may own
good-pulling horses or balky ones OF
the worst type - just whichever. he
chooses If colt were properly hand
led while being broken in, and then
loaded decently after it had learned
to pull. balky horses would be few and
far between. Indeed, we doubt very
much If there would be balky horse
to be found in the whole world.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06

placed around the post, twisted upon
itself and then to the fence wire; or
one end Of the fastening wire IS twlseeo
around the fence wire. and the 1res
end is then carried around the post
and twisted on the other side to tho
same wire. Either plan is good. but care
must be taken to draw the fastening
wire tight. or else stock trying 10 get
(, cough the fence may raise or crush
d 81, the fencing with their heads. II
any trouble is experienced, the post
should be roughened at the fastening
point with cold chisel.
Expansion and contraction of the
fence due to heat and cold are cared
for by the tension curves or kinks" In
the woven-wire fencing, and no fear
may be felt in drawing the fastening
wires as tight as necessary. Wooden
mailing strips should never be en-
bedded In the posts. for moisture Will
swell the wood and crack the con-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06

There are numerous methods Of at
taching wire fencing to concrete posts.
Some makers place staples or wire
loops in tho green concrete: others
make holes in the posts. The former
method is not desirable because the
fastener cannot be located exactly
where the wire of the fencing will
come when the post is set in the
ground; then. too, the fastener will
eventually rust or break Off and will
thus injure the looks Of the post.
On the other hand, holes through the
posts weaken them, and therefore this
method is, in general. unsatisfactory.
The simplest, easiest, and cheapest
way Of fastening wire fence to con-
crete post is by encircling the post
with a wire one size less than the cor
responding wire in the fence proper
and by twisting this wire around the
strand of the fence This Is done in
two ways. The fastening wire Is
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06
THE GAS ENGINE.

Farmers who shelter their macnin-
cry In the field durinx the winter are
not apt to make much Of . success Of
the gasoline engine IN farm work. The
gasoline engine IL very handy power.
and IL deserving of widespread popu-
lartty. 1t will ali many inches ON .
good sixsd farm. ana very few of US
have begun to know its valas. But it
must be we'll cared for and kept we'll
housed, for there are certain eondi-
tons under which It operates that are
simple but snsxorabls. 1t will balk
quicker than g mu.e IL the conditions
are not right. Any farmer can get
valuable assistance from q gasoline
engine II he will give It proper care
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06

pan, s inches deep. This is filled with
rich soil composed Of leaf-mold and
highly fortified garden soil. In this
the seeds are planted: the pot plants
are arranged upon the shelves
The whole thing should be put to-
gether with some screws so that 1t may
be taken down and stored away during
the summer.
Select window for your garden that
can be ventilated without any draught
on the plants. Ono that is absolutely
ir-tight.
3 Do not have the shelves too near the
glass, but allow space for shade to
be pulled down cold nights. When it
is very cold, place several thicknesses
Of newspapers between the shade and
the window.
The soil used for potting shout be
composed largely Of leaf mould and
sand. If leaf mould cannot be used, re-
sort to rich garden loans, sand and
well-rotted manure, pulverized.
Pots. pans. baskets, boxes should be
provided with holes for drainage, and
layer Of pebbles, stones, broken
crockery or cinders put in the pots,
etc, over the drainage holes.
When a plant needs water, the only
safe way Is to water thoroughly when
the top soil Is dusty and dry to the
touch.
Spray once a week. and sponge of
the leaves of the palms, rubber plants
and all the smooth leaves with weak
soap suds at least once month.
k1,> $nv <,,S
and remember that plants can stand
a lower temperature with greater for
titude than a high one The hot, dry
air In most homes IL neither good for
human or flower life, therefore pro-
vide ventilation to give fresh air to
the home when cold weather comes.
A pan Of water on the stove Is an
easy way to provide moisture.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06
The why, VvHENAND HOW Of MuL CHING
BY Eva Ryman Gaillard.

II 10 doubtful II any ono form Of gar
don work IL more important than that
Of mulchfng, but the one who secures
the best results from it IL the ono who
makes study Of why, when and how
1t should be done. juEt as he studies
the reason for planting and pruning
ways
Why do We mulch? Not to pre-
wont freezing Gas many new to the
work seem to think), but to prevent
thawins. It 10 premature thawing
rather than hard freezing which we
have to guard against.
A bed of hardy bulbs will not be
injured II the ground freezes solid far
below.their depths and stays SO for
months, but If the surface Of the
ground Is left bare and exposed to the
bright sunshine Of the pre-spring days,
the surface soil thaws,the bulbs start
top growth, and the next freeze-up
does them an injury.
Every time a thaw is followed by a
freeze more injury is done until the
bulbs are heaved out Of the soil and
the starting buds ruined.
The mulch il intended to keep the
! direct sun rays from the soil and so
prevent the warming Of the surface
soil until the time when it will not
freeze again.
knowing that effort should be d.
rected toward keeping off warmth
rather than providing 1t, 1t is easy
to understand how a mulch Of loose
leaves, straw, evergreen boughs corn
stalks light barnyard litter or what
ever is convenient, Is better than q
dressing of heavy manures that may
keep the soil sufflcientl-.- warm, d.
rectly under 1t, to start growth OF
plants and then smother them. Let the
covering be light and loose. remenn-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06
Why NOT BREED FOR SUMMER EGGS?
BY NJ. @. Clinton.

provided, and a large box filled with
dry earth and sand should always
be available for the youngsters to ex-
ercise their scratching propensities.
A good plan for winter Matched
chicks is the deep feeding method.
This method consis: Of strewing lit
to- of fine chaff on the floor or in
comparatively thick layer and rcatter-
Ing a layer Of chopped corn and
wheat then another layer of chan.
and alternating until the mass is five
or six inches deep.
Placed in warm, sunny corner OF
the brooder house. the young chicks
will find plenty of exercise in digging
+ r this feed and experiments have
shown that results obtained from this
method are excelle-
When spring comes along. the young
chicks can be turned on the range un-
til they have acquired full strength
and plumage and by. the middle of
June will be in excellent laying condi-
ton.
i For this method Of producing sum-
mer eggs. the best laying breed should
be selected.
Within our knowledge a young wo-
man in Illinois ado ted this plan with
three settings OF white Plymouth Rock
eggs which Matched February 10th
The pullets begas Iayini juno 25th
ard produced the regular SUI ply OF
eggs all through the SIMMER months
Tkav wintered in very good condition
and laid regularly up to May LIST. the
next spring, when they began to fall
of.
The next winter. however. they be-
gan laying the cary part of October
an m de as good records as any
other birds on the place.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06

boring that the object IN mainly 90
shade the soil from the sun and pro-
tect it from the sweep of the winds
If the material is light eno,~', - -
blown away by the winds a ;~ae
branches should be- put over sc
enough to hold the material wIic-,
put. If some old woven wire fencing
is available, strip Of that pegged
down at the corners holds any sort
of mulch securely.
The same law that applies to tho
nat beds where bulbs or half-hariy
half-hardy shrubs Oh which tha
branches, as we'll as the roots. need.
protection to prevent the first wa rm
days from starting dormant leaf buds
into a premature growth that vii! l.s
killed by subsequent freezing.
Here straw. cornstalks. evergre
boughs, or other material must ~
stood on end around the bushes. md
in order to do the work in the easiest
way and with the least material all
shrubs and the remaining branches
drawn together as closely as may he
without injurinC them. Use broad
strips of cloth for this work Cor twists
of straw. in order to avoid cutting
the branches.
Cover the ground with lighe
mulch, then stand the protection ma
terial around the shrub and tie 1t in
place. When this is done, examine ..
near the ground aid open 1t out in
places to admit circulation Of ar
over the surface of the soil. and, in
cidentally, spoil fine nesting places for
mice and moles.
Barrels with both ends out nats
! good protectors If the lower end rests
on something (bricks for example) to
hold them up from the ground. and
the tops covered with burlap.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06

onolcal building that can be maCo IS
the illustrations.
These houses may vary in size; those
with floor dim snsion3 Of by feet 6
by . feet. or by fee. will DO found
most satisfactory. The roof mead not
be over feet higl. at the highest
point. Tho house may be made on
rum ers to facilitate moving It about
To prevent the sow from crushing the
pigs ut narrowing time. scantling
should be fastened to the inside Of the
house, about . inches from the ground.
projecting about 10 inches toward the
center Of the pen The small pigs can
r, under this protection and keep
tho mother from lyins upon them.
Supply plenty Of straw for bedding.
espsciall.. At farrswing time.
The necessity Of the careful feeding
OF the SOW before farrowins time
should be apparent to every farmer,
for It IL Impossible to obtain good
pigs from 4 weak. improperly fed, ne
elected mother.
Pastures arc tho basis for the prof
table handling Of pigs. The pigs
should be gotten UP to weaving time
az cheaply as possible, and the cheap
est way to do this 10 to have q pasture
for tho sows to run upon every month
In the year that 10 possible. In the
South it IL very little trouble to have
pastures practically the year around,
but in the northern States more
months of grain feeding are necessary.
or course, the SOW should be provided
with some grain in. addition to the pas
ture, but the pastures will save q great
amount Of grain. It must bo remom-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06

In the city the sanitary condition OF
homes is maintained chiefly by sys-
tenn Of cooperation and entraliEaeon
which brings into existence offensive
sewerage systems, water supplies. ana
Aha collection of house waste by public
authority.
In tho country-and more particu-
larly In isolated districts-ths condi-
lions Affecting the health Of the house
hold are largely In its own hands. ana
more individual effort 10 Required to
maintaan hsalthfui surroundings than
in cities. The i-rrnsr must supply
himsslf and family with drinking
water, and must get rid OF the waste
Of the household a. best no can.
Tho chief dsnssrs which threaten
tho health Of rural Inhabitants are
those arising from polluted drinking
water. This 10 often the result Of
neglect or ignorance Of tho harmful
effoots Of placing . we'll In oloss prox-
Unity to barns and other ousbuiAings.
Tn, water in the we'll 10 Infected from
the household sxcremsnt and barn
yard drainage, and its use loads to
typhoid fever and other AissassA. Wells
are exposed to- contamination by the
surfacs water from rain. houss Stops
and barnyard drainage. which dnds it,
way into the we'll 1T or near the sur-
face Of the ground.
Too much care cannot DO bestowsd
upon tho household we'll. 1t should be
xuarded jealousy, end all means ap-
piled to put tho water above any sus-
picion Of being impure. This 10 osps-
cially true in diaries whore we'll water
.s used in cleaning the milk cans, ana
where steam and boiling water have
not yet found their way for this sno.
The well itself must be 20 construct
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06
BIG CROPs-LOVER PRICES.

Record breaking crops. led by corn
with the greatest harvest ever gath :
cred, were produced by the farmers OF
the United States during this year, ac-
cording to report of the bureau OF
statistics Of the department Of agri-
culture.
The aggregate production of crops
in 1910 are approximately 7.6 per cent
greater than the crops of 1909. and
about 81 greater than the average
annual production of the preceding
FIVE years. Prices for important crops
averaged on November l about 5.4
per cent lower than q year ago.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06

nearly everybody wants winter eggs,
but why not have our hens lay through
tha summer months az we'll? Chickens
a. : rood many breeds hatch in Febru-
arv. and ought to begin laying the lat
Tar part Of June or early in July. just
when tho winter layers are going on
the Job.
Pullets that commence laying about
this time are not very likely to mouIt
very heavily tho first year. and II they
are well cared for they will lay right
along through the summer months anu
well into the winter.
OF course, the demand for eggs Is
much heavier IN the winter than the
summer, but then, too. the supply Is
rreater. The farmers wife who will
have part OF her f1ocks, laying during
I! winter months and the rest during
the summer months, will find she can
arrange with customers in town to
supply them with eggs all the year
around at fixed price.
This ia tho kind of egg business
which pays best. TIE greatest profits
are made by selling direct to the Gus
toner always. but to do this one must
have q supply oil the year around, and
chicks Matched in --pril and May do
not begin to lay until late in the fall
and then usually stop laying early in
the summer.
OF course. in the orthern climate II
IL not as easy to raise young chicks in
the late winter months, but If a warm,
trooder house is provided and special
attention 10 given them. the young.
sters will grow about az we'll as though
Matched in late spring.
IN the South the chickens MY cas-.
lily be raised earlier
An abundance Of litter should *
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06
SINGLES BEES.

Mexican stingless bees are to be in
troduced into the. State of Missouri
early this winter as an AID in fruit Gull
ture.
Missouri has not realized until re-
Gently the absolute necessity Of bees In
the raising Of fruit.
Millions of fruit. trees have been
planted over the State without a cor
responding increase In the number of
bees. the result being that only g small
per cent of the blossoms becomes pol
lenized, and consequently the fruit
fails prematurely.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06
SHELL TER AND FEED FOR THE SOW
r A1s1NG HOGS PROFITABLE BUSINESS IF PROPERLY
CONDUCTED. NEGLECT THE SOW BEFORE THE
PIGS COME is NOT GOOD BUSINESS.

bored that the SOW must DO nourished
in such a way that the pigs Will come
into tho world strong and healthy.
Corn alone will not keep tho SOW IN
q good, healthy condition, but corn,
along with q good leguminous pasture,
will provide her with q good ration
When pastures are not available, such
feeds az skim milk and bran should
bs used along with the corn. Not
more than one-half of her ration
should ever be made up OF corn;
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06

Good Portable Hog House.

tho other half should be mado up Of
a food that will furnish plenty Of ash
and protein.
Leguminous pastures are the cheap
est feeds that can be found to go
alonk with the corn. With a good
leguminous pasture the SOW Will DO
maintained in good flesh when she is
fed q ration of corn equivalent to l
per cent Of her live weight. For
2oo-pound SOW this would be pounds
of corn daily. When no pasture ID
provided, It requires from . to I
pounds Of grain to maintain ZOO
pound SOW in proper condition.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06
A WINDOW GARDEN FOR WINTER.

The drawing shown herewith illus
trates a simple greenhouse that any
one handy with tools can easily make.
It consists of ordinary sash
fastened together on three sideo and
to the sides and sill Of the window.
The roof IL also sash. 1t Is loose
and hinged at the top. 1t may be
raised to any desired height, serving
u q ventilator to the growing plants.
Tho best results are to be had from
I south or southeast window.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06

The cut illustrates a window Of four
lights 2Sx40 inches.
The shelves are Is inches apart.
In shorter windows the shelves may
be closer or fewer in number.
Sufficient heat may be supplied from
tho living room, or wherever there Is q
constant IRE during the winter.
cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant and to-
n1atoes may be started. also the pansy,
asters. petunias. nasturtiums and other
free towering ANIMALS.
On the bottom shelf Is galvanized
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06
SELECTING A ROOSTER.

i, you intend to keep males for
bl eedine (better buy good rooster
from som cone else, though). select one
cockerel for each dozen pullets. Pick
out the most masculine appearing Dlrd
in the lot. He should be good Hgnter,
strong. vigorous and active Keep
these breeders by themselves until
three weeks before you begin to save
tn eggs for Matching; then change the
males in the breeding pens every week.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06
NAME YOUR FARM.

Many farmers of Minnesota. and
other States as well, are beginning to
name their farms, each name being
registered in the office Of the register
Of deeds at county seats Among the
names in one county of Minnesota
are: Oakland" Pleasant View
Farm" "Roseland." Sunny Slope"
"Cozy Nook" and "Eroad Acres"
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06

1t. Or. tile may be used to line the
we'll and the joints made wstsr-tight
with cement down to the watsr level.
Driven wells. I. g.. wells constructed
OF iron tubing driven into the ground.
are, perhaps. the safest whore the
quantity Of water needed 10 not large
and whore other conditions are favor.
able.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06
PROTECTION or DRINKING WATER
POLLUTED WELLS NOT ONLY ENDANGER THE HEALTH OF
THOSE THE FARM But THAT OF A MORE OR LESS
NUMEROUS BODY OF CITY CUSTOMERs

ed that Impurities cannot set into it
from above or from the sides. II
water can soak into 1t after passing
few feet Of soil only. It can
net be regarded as secure from pollu-
ton. To prevent this, tho well may
be provided with water-tight wall
built OF hard-burnsd brick and cement
down to the water level. Tho outside
surface Of the wall should be COW
cred with thin layer Of cement, and
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06

70 produce strong. healthy pigs.
e. ey must BIO looked after befol. they
4. born. Tho sow. while pregnant.
must bs cared for and fed properly II
shs 10 to give birth to good litter OF
pige. AZ rule, the SOW IS neglected
during this period. the owner seeming
T. think that tho application Of care
and seed after g., has farrowed 10 all
that Il required. We should know
nat Z poorly nourished mother means
: weak. sicily litter Of pigs.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06

woman living at Grandy, La, con-
ducts a small farm for the purpose OF
raising mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits
and ferrits for the use Of scientists In
their Investigations of tuberculosis
and other diseases.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06

Two Canadian geese enclosed on
game farm near: Now Orleans discov-
cred a large fox squirrel stealing corn
from their enclosure. and promptly
killed him. ~
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06
CESSATION PERIODS OF FARM ANIMAL s

This table is easily understood. The
rows Of figures between the lines give
the date of service. Directly below is
given a corresponding row Of birth
date for each class Of animal. For in
stance: If mare IL red on August
1st, she will be due to foal on July
4th Of the following year. A sow
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06

bred on January 1st will furrow about
April Esd of the same year. OF course.
these figures are only approximately
correct, as no two animals are exactly
alike in this respect any more than in
many others. but for general purposes
the table is reliable and should be pre-.
served for reference. ~.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06

A dirty dollar never brings any per-
manent good to the man who soils his
SOIL by taking 1t. (.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-06
rortabao Hog HOUSE, Showing Plan OF
Construction.

Construction.
Tho question Of shelter 10 IN I'm
postant one. whether in tho northern
or southern States. although IN the
south-ths far South speoislly-very
little shelter except at farrowing time
IL needed. At farrowing time the
mother should always b supplied with
I. building that will afford shelter from
L. rain and tho wind for both the
mother and tho pigs until the pigs
s. ono dry. If the wind strikes the
young pigs when they are flrst born
they will often oh.l to death. Each
farmer can make ~ own shelter, to
b. in keeping with hic surroundings.
but probably tho best ana most econ