davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20
BIRDS CHECK INSECT PEST
They Feed Upon CaterpiIIars, Grubs,
Cutworms, Grasshoppers and
Other Destructive Bugs.
lRv i f MORGANN


Aside from the good cheer which
the presence of birds inspires, their
economic value is very great. Birds
are our greatest natural check upon
insects, tending to prevent their I'M
due increase and preserve the proper
balance In nature. They feed upon
caterpillars, grubs, cutworms, beetles,
bugs, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers.
chinch bugs, plant lice and many 9TH
er destructive insects. Some birds are
on hand all the year to guard the
crops and trees against the ravages of
insects.
Another large service rendered by
birds is the destruction Of various ro-
dent pests such as gophers, mice and
rabbits which work such havoc to
trees and crops when they become
numerous.
The annual loss coca Toned by in
sects and rodents amounts to several
million dollars each year in the United
States. This loss is increasing as till
age increases and birds are destroyed.
Hence it is of the greatest Importance
to agriculture that our valuable ma
tive birds be preserved and everything
possible be done to allow them to in
crease.
The third great service is in the de-
struction Of weed seed. Many kinds
of birds feed upon the seeds of nox-
ious weeds, in this way destroying
countless millions of seeds that other
wise would terminate and spring up
to pollute the fields, lessen the yield
of grain and lower it's market value.
The service rendered here amounts to
many million dollars annually in the
United States.
Certain birds also serve as scavan-
gers, consuming decaying animal mat
ter that otherwise might become a
source of pollution of our air, streams
and water supplies. thus endangering
health.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20
FALL WORK AMONG POULTRY.

Experience proves that alfalfa
chopped verys fine or ground and
mixed with other feed is very bene-
fetal for laying hens.
Sell off all the cockerels now, but
first stuff them for at least two weeks
before taking them to market.
If you have never used curtain In
the poultry house, try it this winter
Get everything ready before cold
weather comes on.
The natural feed of fowls is insects
and worms and dry grain.
1t is poor business to ever send a
lean fowl to market. Some dealers
take lean fowls that have been freshly
killed, soak them in ice water for an
hour or two which creates plumpness
and improves the appearance. 1t also
adds trifie to the weight.
Spade up every foot of the poultry
yard before the ground freezes. After
the hens have raked it over smooth it
down with a rake and roller leaving
no depressions in which puddles can
form
Do not send poultry into winter
quarters without first thoroughly dis
injecting them. Whitewash and spray
with carbolic acid or kerosene.
1t is our plan to take out every
roost and loose part of the poultry
house in the fall and replace with new
material.
The Christmas market for good
roasting fowls is generally high and
roasters should be ready no later than
the 10th of December.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20
Strav Hats and Autos

"You might scarcely think" said Mr.. Mac
Blink, chat there was anything in common be-
tween straw hats and automobiles, but by that
way of thinking you'd be surely forgetting
their cost of upkeep, in which respect they are
strikingly alike.
"They say it costs more to keep automo-
bile than it does to buy one; precisely the
same is true Of the straw hat. You take my
own experience for an illustration.
early in the season 1 bought straw hat
for which paid So. know place where you
can get very good straw hat for that money,
and If it hadn't rained all summer l should
have been on the straw hat account under no
additional expense
But it always does rain more or less,
Just as it has done this summer, and as is very
we'll known if a drop of rain gets on straw
hat it is all up. Raindrops on a straw hat
will accumulate DUST and then you have to
have the hat cleaned, and that costs money; in
some places 25 cents; in some Is.
81 find by reference to my books that
have paid out this summer in straw hat ac-
count for upkeep only $3.50, which is a good
deal. While the automobile man has been
spending his money for gasoline and things
l have been blowing mine for hat cleaning, and
it has cost me more to keep that hat going
than it cost me originally
But in this find some slight satisfaction.
In this respect at least find myself on the
same footing with the man who at the begin.
ming of the season bought instead of a straw
hat an automobile"
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20
Aviation as a Business.

For an infant industry aviation is
prospecting exceedingly we'll financial
". The few men who have mastered
the art of flying are all making money.
with more than a million dollars post
ed in prizes it is easy pickings for a
skillful aviator Grahame-White's win
ming of $22,100 in a week at Boston
is an example of the possibilities. Not
only are the airmen themselves max
ing money, but the promoters of the
Harvard meet have made a good
profit, even though over 100000 was
raid out in prizes. Curtiss' recent
three-day exhibition at Sheepshead
Bay was so successful that it was re-
Oeated a week later with still larger
attendance. The aeroplane business,
accelerated as it will be by the COM
ing international aviation meet, prom
ises quickly to become as important
commercially as it is scientifically.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20
Raising Turkeys.

keep the Bronze, and have never
been able to supply the demand for
eggs early in the season. says writer
in Baltimore American. For this rea-
son / have kept nine good hens and a
fine tom from prize winning stock.
have no trouble in keeping them at
home, as none of my neighbors who
keep turkeys live close enough to-
gether for them to range together
have a fine range for them, a large
woods pasture and big peach orchard.
My flocks divided last season, part
stayed in the woods and the rest in
the peach orchard. l find them very
profitable fowl to keep as the prices
have been so high for several years.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20
HENS COMB GOOD INDICATOR.
PouItryman Who Sees His Flock Daily
Can Tell by Signs Which Are
Good Laying Fowls.

A hens comb is a pretty good fndt
Gator of health and vigor. Still many
hens that have a bright red comb, fully
developed, do not lay. In cose OF in
sufficient food, this sign would be OF
little use. Self-preservatiOn is the
hrst law of nature, and when lay
Ing hen is allowed an insufficient sup
ply of food to keep all the functions
OF life in active operation, that of egg
production, or the perpetuation OF the
species, is the first to be suspended,
Feed hen just maintenance ration
and she will be as bright and active
as laying hen. A flock of hens thus
led will fairly deafen one with noise
every time that you go into their pen,
and 1t would be an expert indeed who
could tell from their general appear
ance that they are not laying. A ply
slclan, by much practice, can judge
pretty accurately by examination OF a.
patients pulse and tongue what his
state Of health is. So a poultryman
who sees his flock daily can tell by the
different signs pretty accurately which
ones are laying.
F. o. Welcome, an expert in poultry
husbandry, in discussing this subject
says he gained much information on
the best breeders of his flock by not
ing the roosting habits OF his fowls.
AS rule, those that went to the
roost first chose the back roost, and
those that busted themselves scratch
ing in the litter or foraging about as
long as they could see and consequent
ly were the last to go to roost, perch
ed in front of the others. He usually
found nonlayers and poor layers on
those parts Of the roosts that darkened
first as night fell and the best layers
on that section which darkened last.
He found the hen that goes to roost
much in advance of her mates will lin
ger on the roost in the morning and
is probably not laying.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20

Windham who did not thoroughly accept the IN
depreciation were Colonels Dyer and Elderk1n In
few minutes the light of the torches showed an
immense cOncourse of toads or frogs, whenever
they were, bearing down the main street OF the
town. croaking and 'glucking' like myriad OF
night demons. 1t suddenly struck the people that
if Judgment day was at hand, notwithstanding
the fact that Colonies Dyer and Elderk1n seemed
to have been singled out by the visitors, the day
of accounting according to the Bible was an all
embracing affair, and thereat all the Wmdnam
people started trembling violently.
There living today a good many persons
who direct descendants of the Colonel Elder
kin whom the batrachians called to judgment that
night In Chicago until recently there lived
Mrs. Charlotte Perkins Norris, direct descend
ant of Colonel Elderkin. Mrs. Norris had heard
the story of the invasion of the village score or
times from the lips of her grandmother, who as
a child taken time after time to see the place
from which the night dsturbers came. To the
days of their deaths Colonies Dyer and Elderkin
were called Frog Dyer and Frog Elderkin, and
if local Connecticut authorities are to be believed,
there has not been seen from that day to this
either toad or frog In the meadow and pond
from which started that midnight migration.
To get away for a moment, from frogs and
toads, and in order to lead back to them again,
let it be said that out in Utah the gull is care
fully protected bird. Olive Thorne Miller speaks
of them as great beautiful, snowy creatures who
look strangely out of place so far from the sea-
shore" l have been told that these gulls
sacredly protected by the law and the people of
the western state and have also been told that
the early settlers, the Mormons, believed that the
Lord has sent the birds to his chosen people.
1t is no wonder that it was believed the gulls
were specially sent. Clouds of grasshoppers had
destroyed the crops in that early day in many
of the western territories They attacked Utah
by the million millions. Then it was that the
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20
HELPFUL HINTS TO FARMERS.

Fall rains are searching. If there
is any doubt about the roosts get at
them now.
1t may not be too late to build the
silo if you push the job.
If you are ordering bulbs for pot
ting get the soil, pots and everything
else necessary ready before they ar
rive.
Don't let the winter vegetables stay
in the ground until they become
woody.
Ever try planting peoples in the
fall? They will come through an
ordinary winter all right and get an
earlier start next spring than those
planted then.
Winter weather is mighty hard
on buildings and fences. Good time
to use the paint brush before the rains
set in.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20
Moz7HYc LIRE M ACtZ50A7E ES7Zrz47E GOLD

gulls appeared-birds never before seen in that
locality within the memory of man. They came
in tremendous hocks and devOured without
stopping the hosts of the enemy and they
completely saved the crops from destruction.
Now the gulls follow the plains like chickens,
and in Utah at least, it is said that no one
has any desire to raise his hand against them.
What the gull was to Salt Lake region the
toad was to one section of a northwest Texas
county, some time ago. There was but com
paratively small area of the county under Gull
tivation but the growing things were threat
ened with destruction by horde OF Rocky
Mountain locusts; then there appeared to the
astonished gaze of the resident Texans an
army Of toads, before which in numbers the
great army Of Xerxes was but as score.
These dismal-looking, warty-backed Hop-o-my-
thumbs came along as on business bent. Ihey
said nothing and they ate grasshoppers. They
cleaned up utterly one entire fight of the crea-
lures. And they quietly sat under the cab
bage leaves and beet tops to wait for more.
They didn't come. The toads had saved the
crops, and it may be judged that If one wants
to be certain to get in a quarrel he can get 1t
If he will go that section of Texas and ma
lign toad.
Should anyone be inclined to doubt the In
sect-eating capabilities of common everyday
American toad let him listen to the evidence
of an experimenter, who Is at once scientist
and clergyman, the fact establishing his
accuracy and the other his veracity This
theologue-naturalist, as the record shows,
found a toad in his garden and proceeded to
make pet of It, He went to call on master
toad one morning about ten o'clock and with
out knowing how many insects already had
fallen before the toad's darting tongue, pro-
ceeded to feed him on plant pests. The toad
ate readily and greedily twenty-three large
SQUASH bugs which were offered him, and then
looked up inquiringly for more.
The squash bug Iarder depleted, SO the
clergyman turned his attention to caterpillars.
Of these hairy. repulsive creatures the toad
ate ninety-four, the story record goes, and
then he shut down to hop heavily off to
shady corner to take that rest which 1t Is
said aids animal digestion.
Now this same experimenter tells tales of
toads which might appear a bit overdrawn.
were not the gentleman's cloth what it is. He
took in his experiments with one toad some
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20

trim trained nurse in spotless white
may be seen leading small boy by
the hand up and down the shady ave-
nues near the Fitch mansion. The
boy in turn leads the decrepit terrier
by chain, and the pretty nurse
watches over both child and dog with
tender solicitude. The child is Mrs.
Fitch's little grandson, and the terrier
is the aged pet Of the Fitch house
hold. Tim Connors was born over
the sea twenty-five years ago. He
came to the Fitch family when he was
two years old, and has been beloved
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20
The Earn Well.

Don't put the well too near the
privies and barns. Water is the great
source of typhoid fever, is easily con-
taminated with disease germs through
the soil, and should never 0e used
for domestic purposes nor for stock
when taken from well located near
barns, privies. etc. nor where drain
age from them can pollute the water.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20

member of it ever since. He has Ia
ken part in many bench shows and
has had many a blue ribbon tied to
his collar by admiring judges.
Though gray, deaf and half blind, he
still displays all the good points OF
his breed, and is just as full OF fight
as ever. At the approach of a strange
cur his hair bristles, his feeble old
body stiffens, low growls issue from
his throat, and only the restraining
leash prevents battle.
Tim never is forgotten when the
Christmas presents are bought, ana
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20

intention so to do, they have inaugurated yeri-
table reigns of terror
Years ago, in the little Puritan settlement
OF Windham, Conn, out of which sprang as
many notable American families, perhaps as
have come from any other colonial hamlet a
migration of toads led the people to believe
that the tocsin of the last day had been sound
ed. and they were all summoned, sinners and
sinless, to answer at the bar of judgment. Ira
dition says that the migration which brought
this fear upon the people was one of the frogs.
Scientists of today lean rather to the toad
theory but it made little difference to the
frightened populace which species of batra-
chian brother it was that brought horror into
their midst
Now it happened that there lived in Wind
ham two colonial colonies, big men and digni-
fed. by names Dyer and Elderkin. 1t may do
no harm at this late day to say that both these
military titled gentlemen were more fond of
good living, so the story goes, than was per-
haps exactly consistent with the strictest Pur
itan thoughts Some of the elders of the place,
1t is said, looked bit askance at some of the
views of Colonies Dyer and Elderktn. There
were slaves in that day in Connecticut and
Windham held it's share.
One neaceful night in May the Vindham
families retired at their usual hour, not long
after candle light" At midnight they were
sleen however sound could withstand the roar
that broke upon that peaceful hamlet in the
watches of the night There were blended the
noises of a million Threats. 1t was cultural.
harsh and horrible, and 1t came out OF the
iettv blacbness of midnight. The people of
Windham jumped from their beds panic strick-
en-. threw on what clothes they could, and
rushed outdoors, many bearing pine torches,
which ate little light holes in the fnky~ black
ness.
The slaves were Frustrated with fear and
chung to the knees of their masters The noise
ceased not for an instant, but on the contrary
increased with every moment, and then, to
the added horror OF all, the noise found shape
in words which one quick-eared, imaginative
woman interpreted into this, all but two OF
the people accepting the Interpretation read
fIy: Judgment day; Judgment day; Colonel
Over and Elderkin too, and catch niger too."
It is perhaps needless to say that the only
two people among the white inhabitants of
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20
Value of Manure.

Constantly the value of the manure
product of the farm is having higher
value placed on it. but mainly as an
did in grain production, being put on
tbe growing grain itself or on the sod
preceding the blowing for grain. This
Is all right. but | believe there is ?
better way, says a writer in an ex
change. If the grasses are the recup
Grating crops of the land, why not
make them do their best? Why NOT
feed them in preference to the grain
crops?
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20
Terriers Life a Long One

when her master retired from the
service. Topsy Walker, pug dog OF
Tarrytown, died recently at the ripe
old age of seventeen, while another
pug is still living in the same town,
aged nineteen, though it is stone blind
and has only three legs.
Tim Connors is an Irish terrier, be-
longing to Mrs Fitch, the widow of a
New York millionaire, with a country
seat near Irvington. On sunny days q
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20
IMPROVING Grad es.

There never was better time to
commence the improvement of the
grade of cattle kept on the farm. Reg
istered animals are cheap, and good
start can be had for a small amount
of money.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20

there is always dainty bowl for his
porridge, new collar, a blanket, a
set OF combs and brushes or some
other dog luxury for him on Christmas
morning. Every year he is taken to
the Adirondacks, where Mrs. Fitch
has a summer camp, and regains
some OF the freshness of his lost
youth chasing rabbits in the primeval
woods.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20
Maxine Poultry Paw.

II is the little things done at the
right time that keeps the poultry
healthy and makes the poultry pay.
Yes, with the right kind Of poultry
keen and care, living. and a good
one. can be made with poultry.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20
The Sheep Business.

The sheep business has had many
ms and downs and will have more
The only way to beat this game is to
stay In it. The in-and-out sheepraiser
generally manages to miss a large por-
tion of the high spots in the market.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20
''TIm Connors" Seemingly Without
Doubt Is the Oldest Dog Living
in America.

If there is any older dog in Amer
ica than Tim Connors it has not yet
been discovered. The oldest dog on
record IA the United States was
black spaniel which sailed the seas
as q navy pet for twenty-four years,
and was still as lively as Q puppy
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20

NCLE SANS scientists have had
more than one good word to say
for the toad. Several govern
ment publications have been is
sued, l am told, telling about the
toad and it's good work. There
is no department in nature which
is overlooked by the scientists of
Secretary of Agriculture James
Wilson's department. If it is be-
lieved by the experts that any
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20

being as is his frog cousin.
He never could "a-wooing
go" like his green-coated
brother, despite the fact
that Shakespeare proclaims
that his toadship has a jew
ell in his head. Ugly and
venomous, the bard of
Avon writes the toad down,
and ugly and venomous to
the peoples mind In many
places he is to this day, al
though in reality he ranks
with the birds as one of
humanity's best friends. AS
a matter of fact, it is likely
that the brown-skinned ar
my which moved without
banners in military array
some years ago was on the
march to meet the great
army of Rocky Mountain To-
Gusts which was moving
steadily forward in an op-
posite direction and in Cen
eral Sherman's words, For
aging literally upon the
country"
Even though the toads
are so harmless and help
full, they perhaps will never
get anyone to love them. 1t
must be admitted that ap-
pearances are against them.
The Iowa people who some
years ago were visited by
the toads had no reason to
arrogate to themselves any
particular distinction on ac-
count of the visitation, for
IN scores of instances the
animals have appeared in
immense bodies, and in
some cases, without any
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20

May Cultivate Cotton.
Efforts are being made to cultivate
cotton In Hawaii.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-10-20

beneht may come to the people of the United
States by the study of the habits of a partcu-
lar animal, that animal is studied forthwith
and studied carefully.
In folk lore history and in the history of To-
calities which hardly can be classed as folk
lore, the frog and the toad frequently have
been confused; sometimes stories have been
told of frog visitatons and it has turned out
that the invading army was composed of toads.
The reverse of the statement also has been
found to be true on several occasions.
Some years ago an army of track-hopping
tramp toads took possession of the gravel road
bed of the Sioux City and Pacific railway, and
in unbroken column miles in length, as the
local story had it, the toads marched past the
town of Blencoe, Iowa 1t is stated that there
were so many millions in this mighty army
that nothing like an accurate estimate of the
toads could be made The ground was said
to be brown with the color of it's visitants.
If there was such an army of the batra-
chians as it is said there was it would be
wonder if the residents of the infested district
might have feared that the toads would divert
their course from the railroad into the towns,
to repeat Pharaohs plague of the frogs, when
the rivers brought forth frogs abundantly,
which went up into the houses, and into the
bed chambers, and even upon the beds, and
upon the people, and even into the ovens and
into the kneading troughs.'
Now the toad is not nearly so handsome a
The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-07-28

Well all pretty wirH
this active bunch
WE'LL these day by $4,000 lively
folks Surely lot of would If the
Tacoma Times today Certainly that's the get what
after Telephone Main 33 A1733 we'll the uer
get what dispose of that which don't
Copyright, G.. J.. Johnston.