davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30
SMALL VERSUS LARGE SEED POTATOES

In 1908 a trial was made In the use
Of small and large seed. 1t was
found for that year that when large
tu: ers were planted. (using about IS
bushels of seed per acre.) the value
per acre Of the crop, less the cost OF
seed. was about twice as large as was
tho value of the crop when small
tubers were used for seed, planted
ut the rate OF about 5 bushels per
acre.
The same experiment was repeated
In 1909. The large tubers used for
seed were very large, and many Of the
small tubers were large enough for
COO kirg. A third plat was planted as
check plat. using cut pieces for ed.
The table gives some Of the results:
The tubers were valued at thirty
cents per bushel at planting time, and
at one dollar per bushel at digging
time. The spring price was the very
highest obtainable, while in the fall
potatoes were being retailed at $3.50
per bushel. For conditions of 1910
the very large amount of seed used
Is seen to be justified. No allowance
Is made for the increased cost of
planting or for the increased cost Of
digging and marketing. but making a
generou. allowance for these items,
rMlpArIyC VALUE OF LARGE AND
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30
DOUBLING PRESENT CORN YIELD
BY g. r. Hartley.

ditions, ana frequently this Il thu trua
cause. for there are but few summers
during which this crop does not suffer
more or less at some stage In its
growth. The most that can be done
regarding the weather IL to take the
best possible advantage OF the con-
dit.ons as they exist. But there are
other conditions that are responsible
for low production-condit that
arc directly under the control OF the
ia .mer-and It IL these that make
possible the doubling Of the average
yield per acre within few years.
Although entirely possible, 1t is not
expected that the near future will
witness an average production OF s..
bushels for every acre grown. The
future to realize this production will
result from the failure Of many grow
some growers in many different States
are year by year producing 80 and
IS bushels OF corn Per acre proves the
pe ssibility.
The lines Of improvement that viii,
most easily and quickly double the
present production per acre are I'M
provement in the. quality Of seed
planted; Improvement IN the con-
dition of the soil;, Improvement in
methods OF cultivation.
The methods of cultivation in gem
eral use In one section. OF the country
differ greatly from. those In another
section. The implements and meth
DDS employed In Iowa are as different
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

Seavey.
placed at least ten inches from the
wall. A good roost may be made
from material 2x2 inches then slightly
rounded on the edges.
Many use old boxes. but these II
near the ground are liable to in
duce egg eating. To prevent this use
dark nests. Nests are usually made
from IL to Is inches square. Dirt
| floors are as rule more satisfacto
and much cheaper than board floors
and have the additional advantage Of
not providing hiding place for rats,
weasels, etc. The floor should be at
least six inches above the surrounding
ground. This can be accomplished
by filing in with sand or gravel. From
time to time this filling should be
taken out and renewed otherwise It
Is liable to become foul. i.
Cement foundations are best and
cheapest in the end, but posts or
stones at the corners serv, fairly we'll.
Tho building should always be con-
structed in the spring or early sum-
mer in order that it may dry. out
before the fowls have to be housed
in it.
Mr.. Julian E. Seavey. a New Hamp-
shire man thus describes a house for
which he has found to be
very satisfactory:
My chick house is 4 K feet. 4
feet high in front and 21s at the back.
with floor. 1t has corner stones under
It. The sloping raceway OBJ is con-
when chicks pass In and out.
I simply raise bottom board Co and
fasten up. to let chicks all out at
once. Cd. d. is statio.-ary front. To
feed chicks the wire netting &c. E. E..
Is made to take down from ono end.
The top boards CD are hinged (GG)
to be open or shut as I choose.
When chicks are small I use two
lath partitions, giving three apart
ments with one hen and brood In
EACH These partitions removed af-
ter taking hens from chicks and put
in roost. put two Stat frames at
bottom to keep hen in when board
(C) was up. I like this style of
house. It is easy to clean by simply
hoeing out at the bottom and putting
in fresh sawdust.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

To mako q cleft graft select q
branch or IN inches in diameter
and sever 1t with q saw. Care should
be taken that the bark be not loos-
ened from any portion of the stub.
Split the exposed end with a broad
thin chisel or grating tool. Then
with a wedge or the wedge-shaped
prong at the end of the grating tool
spread the cleft SO that the scion may
be inserted.
The scion should consist of por-
ton Of the previous seasons growth
Of the tree to be propagated and
should be long enough to have two
or three buds. The lower end Of the
scion, which ts to be inserted into
the cleft, should be cut into the shape
Of a wedge. having the outer edge
thicker than the other. In general
It II good plan to cut the scion so
that the lowest bud will come Just at
the top Of this wedge In order that it
will be near tho top Of the stock.
The advantage of cutting he wedge
thicker on one side II illustrated
showing how the pressure Of tho stock
is brought upon tho outer growing
parts Of both scion and stock, where
as were the scion thicker on the in
ner side the conditions would be re-
versed, and the death Of the scion
would follow.
The Importance Of having an in
innate connection between the grow
ing tissues Of both scion and stock
can not be Too strongly emphasized,
for upon this alone the success of
gro Ptinv danandR To makA This CON-
tact Of the growing portions doubly
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

Weeds. Weeds everywhere: they
thrive In the cornfield. they choke
wheat in the field. they annoy the
gardener, they thrive in the meadow
they spring up by the roadside. they
encroach on the swami.
Emerson said of weeds that they
are ''plants whose virtues have not
yet been discovered" But q few
BENEFITS may be derived from weeds.
They are of some use in the world
to induce more frequent and more
thorough cultivation. which dement's
crops: in occupying the soil after
O. % has been removed they prevent
tie loss of fertility by shading the
ground.
Weeds plowed under add some
humus and fertility to the soil.
though in a very much less degree
than clover or COW peas; some weeds
furnish food for birds in winter.
In justice. to the weeds their adj
vantages, have been mentioned first.
because the list of the disadvantages
Is very long one-too long to en-
umerate. A few however, may be
to convince every one
that every effort should be made to
get rid Of them.
Farmers should carefully observe
and study the weeds and their habits,
in order to tight them to the best
l. Weeds rob cultivated plants Of
2. They injure crops by crowding
and shading.
3. They retard the work Of har-
vesting grain by increasing the draft
and by extra wear Of machinery.
I. They re.ard the drying of grain
aad hay.
s5. They increase the labor Of
II ,shing. and make cleaning Of seed
difficult.
g. They damage the quality of
iour. sometimes making It nearly
I. Most of them are Of little value
Is food for domestic animals.
81 Some weeds injure stock by
means of ba. bed awns.
g. Some of them injure wool and
lisfigure the tails OF cattle. the names
md tails OF horses.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

the heavy seeding would still show
excellent profits
1t is very we'll known that the in
creased sowing Of potato seed will
increase the yield, but it Is often a
question to what extent the heavy
seeding can be carried at profit. In
the spring Of 1910 potatoes were a
drug on the market. Many farmers
could not sell what they had on hand.
With such condition it Is always
wise to sow an abundance Of seed.
The seed costs but little, the heavy
seeding will produce IN increased
yield, and as a general rule potatoes
are are a good price in years following
From the table 1t IS seen that the
check plat with cut seed produced
a greater yield per acre than the
small seed although the amount OF
seed used in the check rlat was the
Smallest of the three plats.
The heavy seeding had The great
est number stalks per hill. but we
did not find an appreciable larger
percentage Of small potatoes on this
plat. Particular attention was paid to
this, and a study was made Of the
number Of stalks and the number Of
small and large tubers for each hill
C. r. Waldron.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

Historically. sheep scab is one Of the
oldest diseases Of sheep. but its cause
was not discovered until about the
middle of the nineteenth century
(1s35) when the agent producing the
disease was found to be very small
mite This mite is. light gray in color
and the female Is one fortieth and the
male one sixtieth Of an inch in length.
In general appearance the mite re-
sembles a tiny spider. It has four
pairs Of legs, the last being very
small, and the third pair having long
thread-like appendices which are
longer in the female than in tho male.
The mite crawls very slowly. showing
that its power of locomotion is weak
A female will lay from 10 to 20 eggs
during her lifetime. These eggs are
SO small that they can not be dist
inquished with the naked eye. The
pe,io. of incubation is from to 10
days, depending mainly upon temper
ature. Gerlach. noted authority.
estimates the descendants of q single
female to be 100000 females and
s 90, 000, males at the end Of 30 days.
He estimates the average number Of
eggs from a single female to be Is,
10 of which hatch females and s
males, and allows Is days Tor each
generation. ..- -
The first symptom that attracts
ones attention to the affected animal
Is It's rubbing certain parts of It's back,
gides or tail against some object. or
biting at these parts. as the bites OF
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30
SOME COMMON WEED PESTS
1T IS VERY INFORMANT THAT ALL SEEDS PURCHASED
OR GROWN AT HOME FOR SEED ARE FREE FROM
WEEDS. THIS ADVISE LITTLE NEEDED

10. A few make "fIair balls in
the stomachs Of horses.
II. Some injure the quality OF
dairy products.
~. Penny cress, and probably
others, when eaten by animals. injure
the taste of meat.
Is. Poison hemlock, spotted cow
poisonous.
IA. Many weeds interfere with a
rotation of crops.
IL. All weeds r,mage the appear
ances Of q farm and render 1t less
valuable.
Four Of the commonest weeds are
the wild carrot. chicory. dodder. and
ribgrass.
Chicory has long been recognized
as troublesome weed. It is common
in alfalfa growing sections Of the
country as we'll as the clover sections
The plant Is easily recognized by the
blue flowers and lower root leaves.
which resemble those Of the common
dandelion. The upper leaves are
more or less sticky and clasp the stem.
The plant contains a milky Juice.
Chicory Is not difficult to destroy
where rotation of crops Is practiced.
Though a perennial. the roots are
easily killed by successive cultivation.
The blossoms Of chicory are yellow
and attractive. Chicory was intro
duced into this country from Europe.
Wild carrot has become more widely
with clover seed than any
other weed in the country. It is an
common weed in the East
where 1t has long been known as
to crops. Wild carrot is
q biennial with bristly stem, finely d.
vtded leaves, and numerous white
flowers In umbels. After Towering
the flower stalks bend inward, becom-
ing strongly concave. The seed is
1attened with marginal bristles.. In
seed these bristles are
often broken of.
This weed Is most Objectionable
one In the meadow and pasture. It
IS not, however. difficult to extermi-
nate when taken in time. Thorough
before sowing the crop.
and thorough cultivation Of the corn
deld. will destroy the weed Do not
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30
STARTING A POULTRY PLANT
BY w. S. Jacobs.

There are several reasons for this
Fowls Of the heavier breeds cannot fly
high and those of The lighter breeds
frequently injure the soles OF their
feet in jumping from high perches.
Roosts should be made III the same
height For II they are made some
higher than others tina bi.ds will all
flock to the highest ones and crowd.
which is undesirable. G
When dropping boards are used
they should be low to permit of easy
cleaning. They should be made Of
matched lumber and be twenty inches
wide for one perch and three feet
wide for two perches. The lrst perch
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

The first consideration in establish
ing a poultry farm is a suitable To-
cation. An elevation having natural
drainage away from the area where
the building Is to be placed should
be sought, as the ground, no matter
Of what nature, will be cold and UNI
healthy If damp. If the proposed site
does not afford drainage naturally 1t
should be provided in the form of a
thorough system of under drainage
A dry, porous soil of sandy or
gravelly nature Is much moro salts
factory than an impervious clay soil,
as that Of the more open nature =
more easily kept in a clean and san
itary condition. A pure, sandy soil
10 not desirable. however. as a soil
which will not support plant life Will
prove unsatisfactory for poultry.
gentle slope facing the south or
southeast is preferable in order that
the fowls may receive as much sun
light as possible during the short days
of winter. A slope towards the south
east is better than southwester!y
one, as the fowls seem to prefer the
morning to the afternoon sun. Orch
ards are very desirable as locations
Ter poultry runs on account of tie
shade which the trees '.fford during
the hot summer days. and In return
for tho shade thus provided the poul-
try will prove a valuable ally to the
orchardtst in combating many inJur-
ious insects.
We find poultry thriving and yield
ing good returns in so many different
styles Of houses that It Is difficult to
any one particular kind.
There are a few things which should
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

It Is possible within q few years to
double the average production Of corn
per acre in the United States and to
accomplish 1t without any increase in
work or expense. It Is not to be I'M
dorstood from this statement that It
is desir, Ne to double the present corn
crop. but that It Is desirable to pro-
duce the same yield on i smaller
number Of acres and with less labor.
II 60 bushels are raised on one acre
in stead Of on two acres. the labor Of
blowing. narrowing, planting, cultiv-
ating. and harvesting Is greatly re-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

In starting alfalfa better start on q
small patch and learn how to do 1t
before experimenting on large field.
Use plenty Of manure. Plant on corn,
potato, or summer fallow ground.
the germs. Sow without a
nurse crop. In the more northern
states SOW the last Of May or first Of
June. Do not use too much seed
Remember that the alfalfa is delicate
till it gets Its partner on its roots
look fey the nodulsA
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30
METHOD EMPl DYED IN CLEFT GRATING

certain, the scion n often set at .
slight angle with the stock into which
it is inserted, In order to cause tho
growing portions Of the two to cross.
After the scions have been set, the
operation Of cleft grating II com-
pleted by covering all cut surfaces
with a layer of grating wax.
Cleft grating II particularly adapt
ed to top-working old trees, that Is.
changing them from undesirable u
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

duced. Demand controls the quaint
ity that should be grown. To meet
the demands the producers of the
United States have, during the last
ten years averaged in round numbers
$500. 100000 bushels Of corn yearly.
In producing this quantity little
more than 96.00o,000 acres have been
devoted to corn growing. The average
production per acre has been 26
bushels. Very few farmers would like
to acknowledge that their average
pr. duction for the past ten years
has been as low as 26 bushels per
acre, but from the best estimates
that have been made the conclusion
Is unavoidable that half Of those who
grow corn harvest less than rs bushels
per acre. Twice this quantity is q
fai. crop, three times &c bushels is
a good crop, and four times 26 bushels
per acre are frequently produced.
Since the average crop in the States
best adapted to corn growing Is but
little above the general average Of the
entire country, 1t Is evident that the
average Is not lowered to any .-eat
extent by the poor crops in sections
unsuited to corn growing. Moreover.
the yield per acre In the New England
States, with their short growing sea-
son, Is as great as in any other part
Of the country. This clearly indicates
the possibility Of greatly increasing
the yield per acre in the corn belt.
This is especially easy Of accomplish
ment in the Southern States. where
thu present production per acre Is low
and where the growing ceason is not
shortened by frosts.
Poor corn crops are usually at
tributed to unfavorable weather con-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30
WORK WITH THE FLOWERS

Go over the lawn and II you find
moss rake It out. Cut well below the
crowns Of dandelions and plantain. If
possible top dress the lawn with leaf
mold or thoroughly rotten straw or
manure.
The continuous towering border
recommends itself to the busy house,
wife who wants lot Of flowers and
who has but little time to give to them.
Prepare a border two or two and one
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30
IN THE GARDEN.

lie: the rows run north and south:
this gives the most sun exposure.
Two essentials are necessary for the
rapid maturing of vegetables--a soil
made light with sand, and rich with
well rotted manure. end wind break.
Plan to plant crops that live from
year to year, IKE asparagus, rhubarb.
strawberries and the ike, at one end,
SO that they viii not Interfere when
you cultivate the annual ysgetablsA
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

, permit any plants to 90 to seed in the
clover or timothy meadow. The bios
som is white.
Ribgrass, or buckhorn, IL very COM
mon in some parts Of the country. the
East especially. 1t is a perennial. or
possibly In some cases biennial
weed, with a short root-stock and
numerous narrow lance-shaped leaves.
with brownish hairs at the base. These
leaves usually form a rosette. The
fiower-stalks are at first short The
head looks something like tho head
Of timothy. having at first a yellowish
color due to tho anthers Of the sta
mems. Tho seeds are chestnut brown.
polished, with groove on. one side.
It flowers during the entire season.
from May until frost. In England the
plant is used to some extent for forage
purposes. but its quality Is not very
high.
Sow clean seed In clean soil and
there will not be very much danger
from this weed. We would recommend
that clover meadow badly infested
with It be turned under before the
seeds have matured. soon after the
first crop Of clover hay is cut Then
follow with corn crop. There Is no
practical way of separating ribgrass
seed from clover seed. Glover seed
containing ribgrass IL, therefore, dim
cult to sell and will not bring the price
Of seed free from this weed.
The dodders are easily recognized
by the twining habit Of tho plant.
They are leafless, excepting for small
scales on the stems, and the plant is
of a reddish or yellowish color. The
dodder plant pierces the clover or
alfalfa and takes its nourishment from
the plant on which It occurs. This
parasite spreads rapidly and under
favorable conditions large area
may become infested in a short time.
Where this parasite occurs the
patches should be moved with O.
scythe and the material burned. If a
field is badly infested tho whole
growth should be plowed under and
the early crop removed. before the
dodder has chance to go to seed.
Plant only clean seed.
Dodder Is another one of our
weeds which was intro
duced into this country from Europe.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

half feet wide and spade 1t two feet
deep, enriching it with well-rotted
manure. Into this border plant all
sorts Of ANIMALS. perennials and bulbs,
placing the tall growing ones in the
back row and the short ones along
the edge of the border. As the years
pass the border will grow in beauty
and bloom ten months In the year
almost.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30
Female Scab Mite.

stance. often no larger than pin
head, and unless careful examination
be made, may easily escape detection.
II this place Is scratched. the sheep
will respond by q nibbling-like mo-
ton OF the mouth. Large patches are
formed either by small infected spots
located on different parts Of the back
growing and uniting. or by the gradual
enlargement of a single spot. In OBJ
their food. the parasites in
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

White specks in butter are some
times simply fine particles of milk
curd, resulting from lack of care in
skimming. Sometimes they are small
specks Of dried cream having been
scraped from the sAdes of the pan and
being too dry to thoroughly soften
and mix with tho rest.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30
GIVE THE VEGETABLES ROOM.

Do not be afraid to thin out your
plants-they must not be crowded.
Probably more garden stuff has been
ruined for want @of being thinned at
the proper time than by any other
cause.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30
BY Edwin S. Good.

the mite cause intense itching. The
irritation is much more noticeable
when the sheep are warmed up by
driving than when they remain quiet.
Infection generally begins on some
portion of the side or back. and is
usually confined to these parts Of the
body,
moist, yellowish, dendruff-like SUBJ
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

Root crops should be planted to-
gether, as we'll as vine crops, such as
cucumbers, melons, ETC., also tomatoes,
peppers, eggplant and the like. 81
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

The cream pot should lave its con-
tents stirred every day at least, and
every time any cream IS added. This
insures an even ripening and better
quality of butter
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

~ Scion. BY Scaons inscrte,! IN
cleft. O.. Cross section Of stock and
Scion. d. Grating Tool.
desir dc varieties. Branches too large
to be worked by other methods can
be cleft grated. Sometimes several
varittes are grated on q single tree.
The best time for cleft grating IL IL
Il spring just after growth has bes
gu:i. Wood for scfons 10 usually cut
in the fall, tel IL bundles. and buried
in sand to protect them from ex.
tremes Of heat and cold until they
are to be used.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

from those Of Connecticut as these
in turn are different from those OF
Georgia.; and while these differences
are to some extent due to the nature
Of the farm land or to class OF labor
employed. they are to still greater
extent due to the conservatism of tho
FARMERS themselves That certain
kinds Of cultivators or plows or
methods Of planting have been In use
in Georgia or Iowa for many years
does not prove that implements OF
methods found successful In other
States might not be used there to
advantage.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-30

Plant your windbreak in May, and a
hemlock hedge Is the thing.