davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21
PRIMITIVE METHODS
Of FARMING

The most primitive method Of
farming is still carried on In many
parts OF Mexico. The blowing II done
by the ldltime bull tongue, which
| Is crooked stick with the point COW
cred with an iron shoe. which onis
scratches the soil.
| Corn is planted by hand. . man fol-
flowing the plow dropping the seed
and covering It with his foot. II 10
cultivated with the same plow. which
gives very poor results In destroying
the weeds The fodder II gathered
by pulling the leaves or blades from
the stock, which are made into bum.
dies and carried from the fields BY
pick mules.
Rice IL planted. after the native
plow has scratched over the land. BY
being thrown broadcast and covered
BY hauling q bunch Of brush over the
land. When the rice Is about one
foot or 10 inches high It II cut down
with grass hooks; not even scyths
Is used for this work. This cutting
back ID said to make the rice grow
moro bunchy and enables the rice
plant to get the best Of tina weeds.
whereas. IL the land had been proper
y ~
~ plowed before planting. there
would be no weeds and this cutting
back would not be necessary Some
eight or ten days before cutting Of
harvesting time the water II shut on
from the rice fields to allow the rice
to ripen, when It II cut with the same
grass hooks. II IL then piled up for
three days. when Il IL thrashsd by b.
ing hand beaten on q rock. BY which
process ! to 10 per cent Of the grain
remains on the straw. During the
eight or ten days the field II drying
out q loss Of about 10 per cent Of
grain occurs from various cauSss.
This style Of forming, without
farm implements, could re continued
through the long list Of crops that are
raised In that country.-vice-C Consul
r. ". stAddAn..
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21
RACE En{ {V| FlRH ON
BY O. r. BARNS.

The pitifu1 story was told recently
In i Northern daily paper Of an in
dustrious and capable farm laborer
who had answered several ADVERTISE
ments Of farmers in need Of just such
experienced services as he we1 able
to render; but whose application was
rejected. In each instance, because he
hal wife and two small children.
The farmers wanted neither women
nor children about their farms So
ttsc competent farm worker was
obliged to accept employment In r.
city stable.
t 10 to b feared that this is by no
n cans an isolated instance. Human
kindness has been 80 far eliminated,
In many cases, from the relationship
between The farmer and his hired
HELP, and that relationship has been
put 20 exclusively on hard business
basis, that the complaint Is common
that "the farmer cares more for the
comfort and happiness Of his cattle
and hogs than he does for the we'll
beink Of his men"
Under healthier conditions In rurai
lie, the married workman would re-
ceive the came preference that he
se .eral1y does from employers In
mercantile and manufacturing pur-
suits; ~ being more reliable and less
likely to seek q change, II fairly well
treated. than tho single man. Aside
from this. however, there Is q moral
and social obligation. restin. at least
as strongly on the farmer as on any
one else, to encourage family life
among workers. and thus TO promote
stability in rural populations and to
discourage the nomadism among la
borers which II the bans OF our agri-
cultural enterprises
). Il II aleogether probable that the
actual decline In population. shown
~ the last census to have ta.:sn
place IN extensive agricultural areas,
Il due to the disbursement Of mar
fiage among farm workers, and the
refusal Of employment to men with
families
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21
DAMAGE TO TREES BY
THE MICE
BY ]. e. MUNDELL.

The time OF year is at hand when,
In many localities, the rabbits will be.
gin to do damage to young shade and
fruit trees where they are not pro-
tected by some means. Comfortable
loss occurs each year BY the rabbits
gi-dling the treeA. Painting the
trunk Of the trees with either Of the
washes mentioned in the following
formulas will prevent the injury Il
properly done and in time.
Formula No. l. Slack in water
over night the quantity Of unslaked
lime needed for the york. In tho
morning add enough water to make
Z good thick wash. Stir tbs mixture
WELL and to each ~ gallons Of the
wash add ..wo tablespoonful. OF Paris
green. Take care to mix '.ell In the
wash Apply TO the trunk OF the
tree with an ordinary paint brush:
keep the wash stirred uo So the In
gredients will not settle to the bot
tom Of the pail.
Formula No. 2. Slack the lime 40
above and stir In just before using in
place Of the Paris green from one
half pound to one pound Cf arsenate
OF lead to each pailful Of the wash;
A handful Of salt added to the wash
will make 1t stick better to the trunk
Of the tree. Apply this wash in the
same manner az in No. /.
Formula No. ). Take equal parts
Of unslaked lime and COW manure
and add enough water to make q
thick wash, and apply with brush.
This makes q cheap and effectivs REM
edy to keep rabbits from gnawing
young trees.
Formula No. 4. Make 3 wash Of
equal proportions OF sulphur, stove
SCOT and unslaked lime. Put IN
enough water with these ingredients
to make thick paint. Apply with q
brush in the ordinary manner.
It takes no extraordinary skill or
practice to make and use any OF the
-- -'A.. = --tvAn In the above fnrnn,,las-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21
PENS AND LOFTS ron PIGEONS
The Buildings Should BE Comfortable and Convenient Bl
Need Not Be Elaborate q Expensiv..
* I nvE aNryrRR X M @4 &
DY +. a. SOFTER

Pigeons do not nssd fancy house;
an old barn or building Of any a.
scription can b fittsd up to serve
their needs. II the building - g
house Is pairs Of homers. It shohld
be seven feet wide by ten feet Ions.
and II more than one house 10 to b
built under the same roof, leave m
alley way from three to four fest wide
separating 1t from the pan by . wire
netting.
The front Of the puildins should bs
eight feet high. with six light WIN
dows. 5$t
Directly above the windows two
holes seven by eight inches should b.
placed. through which the pigeons GAP
come and 20. They should be pro-
vided with q slide to be clossd whom
the weather Is very cold. These can
be opened and closed from the allsy-
wa by pieces Of rope and pllleys. 3
Tho ny pen should be AZ high and
wide ~ the front Of the pen proper
and about Is fee. long. It should bs
enclosed with wire netting small
CROUCH to keep spArrows out.
Six feet from the ground : six-iheh
wide board should be placed from
front OF house to end OF run on eithsr
side rs an alightins board. WA
The bathing-pan should be plAesd
In the fly, and there should be door
In the front Of the nv through which
= person can pass in ana out. Thsse
doors are simply = frame covered
with wire.
In the pens. nest-boxes In tiers are
built on either side. preferably on the
east and west walls. These boxes are
I feet high. 10 fest long. arranged IN
pairs I foot deep. I foot high and
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21
THE MILKING sHoRTHoRx.s

While tho Shorthos IL generally
regarded as q prime beef breed, there
are among the best mixers of this
country many strains of we'll bred
shorthorns. In New England there
are one or two herds tracing bAck TO
Arabella and the Constance and Wa
terloo families. 1920
Many herds Of Shorthorns can b
found whose cows produce from 40 to
80 pounds OF milk per day. Thess
CT tile are smooth, we'll fieshed. and
fatten of into prime beef.
The admirers Of shorthorns claim
that they can be so bred and fed that
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

With regard to the exterior ana In
terror arrangements OF poultry houses
the advantage Of net having a wooden
floor Is that the hens keep healthier
than II there was fitted floor.
II Z portable house and too large to
move on to fresh ground as often as
would be necessary to keep the ground
clean, but since cleanliness is essen
tial to success. the ground on which
the house stands must be cleaned and
newly Uttered frequently.
Some Of the best materials to use
a. litter are moss filters. cinders and
ashes, straw or hay.
/ place. Whatever 1t may be on dry
door. because It absorbs and retains
much moisture from the ground.
b It Is advisable to keep the walls OF
the house on the ground by standing
them on q sill made Of the most dur.
able wood. and In this way they are
Kept from early decay, and the wood
will also hold longest by placing the
boards upright and fixing them in this
position to the frame work.
A dry noor Is absolutely essential to
Tie health Of tho birds and any pains
that may be taken to secure dryness
VIII bs well repaid In most soils
Il may be well to take of the clay
Until the gravel Is reached and I'LL
in the excavation with stones finish
Ing of the floor with gravel.
In this way II can be raised q few
inches above the surrounding ground
and water cannot run into 1t.
II the house Is to be Of wood a
foundation for the walls should be
made Of stone and mortar in order to
raise the wood of the ground and
keep 1t from decaying.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21
DIcEsTIBILITY Of THE PRlcKLY PEAR
Possibilities For the Usefulness q This Plant When Corn
hin.d With O her Feeds Are Great
n. &

ably. but not wide enough to permit
them to turn around.
The experiments developed the fact
that animals scour badly when fed
prickly pear alone; besides. other
feeds are needed to supply the proper
amount Or protocols. For ehess ,rea-
sons It II better not TO feed 1t alone.
WHOM prickly pear Is fed with
cured folders or grains the disestia
bilityo both II increased. tn feeding
q mixed ration Of prlekly pear and NJ
falfa, or prit ~ pesr ana cottonseed
meal, the general effect II 10 increase
the disestihility Of all three feeds.
Il the ration o. prickly pear viii
Increase the digestibinty Ut HI Feeding
stufrs. as II apparently does that Of
alfalfa and eottonseed meal then this
feed has greater value than IL shown
by It's own disestible nutrients: The
probabilities are that the addition Of
this green and succuient feed 70 any
dry feeding stun viii increase the d.
gcstibility OF both.
During the experiments the animals
being tested. when fed pfickiy pear
alone, seldom drank water. IN fact,
In feeding 4 ration Of 100 poun-, OF
this feed per day tho animals obtained
from the feed over 8 gallons Of va
ter. which Is more than was usually
drunk by them when fed cured fcd-
ders alone.
A ration for a l,oo0-pound mich
COW Of so pounds Of prickly pear. 10
pounds Of wheat bran. and 10 pounds
Of alfalfa. would furnish about the
correct theoretical amount Of nutri-
tients.
IN the prickiy- pear region Of Texas
4 ration consisting Of this feeding
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21
~ A. v. AIEERsCH.

Draugl1ts may be excluded. a. It Is
most necessary they should be, by
mailing thin strips two inches wide.
over the joints between the boards on
the outside walls.
The boards of the roof should on
the other hand run lengthwise from
end to end of the house and parallel
with the ground, for though they may
not hold SO long In this position az
if placed upright they can be pre-
served by annual painting or tarring,
and 1t IL the only way OF making a
thoroughly rain proof roof. that will
remain rainproof for years In all
changes at weather.
1t is advisable TO line both walls
and roof with tarred paper and this
adds greatly to the comfort OF tho
house without considerably increasing
the cost.
II the house IS to be used for sum-
mer as well as for winter it IL adj
visable to have both walls and roof
double with an air space OF q few
inches between the sheets Of boards.
Thin, rough and cheap boards will
suffice for the inside sheeting II q
layer Of paper Is put between the lin-
ing and the outer wallis.
In this way drafts are effectCally
excluded.
The most convenient position OF
the door Is in one OF the gable ends
50 that It may be almost the full height
Of the house. A window may be
placed In one Of the sides. and the
nest boxes may be arranged on the
outside Of the end opposite the door
with openings to them from the house
and hinged lid so that the attend-
ant can take away the eggs without
entering the house.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21
FEEDING NOTES.

The self-feeder IL not rood fn-
young pigs. 90 Under hve months nf
age they viii eat too much.
Il Livery locality In the country can
produce kind OF feed capable ne
balancing up the corn ration.
Ihe I, danger ,sa,, Of oy :, e q.
to maximum results.
Salt ard air~slaksd time 80 li,,,s
more lime, than walt. will act favor-
ably on the stomach at sheep and ns-
sist in preventing bloat.
In my experience / have FOUND nv
food for dairy cows that gives boz
ter satisfaction than ground oats, Tvs,
cow rarely tires Of them. They gts.
4 delicious flavor to the milk and m.
aroma to the butter.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21
a HANDY LIFTING DEVICE.

This Is a portable hay derrick which
can be used for lifting many things
about the farm. It Is excellent for
loading shocks Of fodder onto 4 wagon
In the field.
Placed on runners It can be hauled
along the row Of shocks and with
its use one man can load as much
corn as three can without II. It IA
also useful In loading hay from the
stack to the wagon or from the cock
to the wagon.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

they will produce good beef animals
and at the same time make GOOD dairy
cows. Or. they can be bred and fed
for the dairy to the opposite extreme
ana make good beef - well.
OF course such breeding viii. IN
time, ruin the constitution Of the
stock. and destroy their qualities both
for the beef and the dairy. The ten
dcncy Of the shorthoSn to fattsn too
easily u ons Of the objections "a this
breed but properly fed, a. they are
In England. they still retain strong
place In the dairy.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21
thoushtfulness for other. com

thoughtfulness for other COM
fort, or courtesy toward those with
whom We come In daily contact II
practiced In the home circle, II tho law
ce, kindness. truth and Justice Is -
ercised toward those nearest and
dearest, those who are entitled to our
warmest consideration because We
love them most, then will our mAiiner
to other friends be all that ID required
by tho most rigid rule Of etiquetta Or
or by the still higher law laid down by
the Master to. love our neighbor -
ourselves.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

The centre pole should be very
strong, q small telegraph pole being
the best for the purpose. The bots
tom should be made with . shoulder
to at in the hold Of the cross plank
It the bottom.
II the pole IL twelve feet high the
bottom frame should be about SIX feet
square. It should be made Of 2xe
plank strongly bolted together. Three
pulleys are used and the crane can BE-
swung around to any position.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21
WORTH THINKING ABOUT.

The man who nsslects his stom-
ach until he Is 81 10 likely to have a
steady job Of nursing from IL: {
time on.
The farm homes neves look so good
as when we get back from trip to
the big city.
The incubator that matches most OF
our trouble IL generally found in our
own hearts.
The farmer who cannot go ahead
IN this age ought to hitch his hopes
10 another kind Of wagon
Details may seem too small for
Forne people to bother with: but II
the little cogs in the big machine were
left out 1t would stop.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21
KNEW THE SIGNAL.

Railway men are 10 accustomed 70
communicating with each other BY
means of gestures that the habit Of
looking for such dumb signals be.
comes kind Of second nature. A
complaint was received that valu.
abls COW had been titled on = cor.
tain day and by a certain engine. In
vestigation showed that the engineer
had failed to report such an accident
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

feet long, divided BY q capital + front.
THUS making two nests Of each box
Each side now has 20 pairs of
boxes, ample for rs pairs Of bresders
or more, UP to IS pairs. but this u
rathey overcrowding the birds.
When the building Just described
has been furnisho! with recsptaoies
Tor feed. water. oyster shell. salt 9rit
and charcoal ana thoroughly white
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21
CULTIVATED CRoPx

Crops, such - corn, potatoes. man.
gles and all root crops that are plant-
Cd In rows and cultivated dufins thsis
growth, are known, - cultivated
crops. These crops have always been
regarded a. beneficial 90 coil fertility.
but investigation shows that contfn-
uous growth OF cultivated crops de-
pletes the soii more r1pidly than does
the growing OF grain continuously.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

The increased use Of the prickly
rear - feed for all classes Of rumi-
nAnts. especially for range and dairy
cattle, makes It important for the
proper preparation OF a ration that
the fAeder know now much diSistihle
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

Prof. Hacker. who IL interna tional
authority on d.iryiny, estimates the
feeding value Of a ton OF fodder corn
at 1870 al. compared with : ton OF
timothy hay At $500,
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

stun with cottonseed meal II very
&C rnmon. It IL customary and better
to give the cattle either the rum Of Z
dry grass pAsturS or some coAf.s feed
in connection with this ration. as It
will serve the double purpose Of Wild
ening the too narrow ration produced
from too much cottonsesd meal and
tend to check tho securing which re.
suits from the use Of these two feeds
alone.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

There are more than 100000 head
Of beef cattle In Missouri. Missouri
fat cattle are famous for their excel
lence in ali the principal fat cattle
markets Vt America end Great Brit
ain.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

Many Of our most valuable farms
were at one time slouxhs ana swamps
and considered almost worthless.
Drainage has made them valuable.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

The average farm ID yielding only
about Z per cent profit on investment.
This suggests the need Of q better
method Of handling business on the
farm ana {. better farm management.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

washed inAtds. II 10 ready 70 have the
birds placed IN IL
On . well condcctsA pigeon plant
the routine should Be - follows:
In summer q o'slAlh h the morn.
Ing. all birds ere wsts4eA: Use. ksds
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

The big powder companies Of the
country are advocating the use OF dy-
Mantle for the purpose OF breaking
up hard clay soils
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

Accordingly he YVES sent FOR ana asked
why he had Omitted to report the mat.
ter. 81 didn't know hurt the COW"
he said. 'rhen you remember hitting
her ?" Eyes, and slowed up - she
rolled over on her back. but she
waved her feet for me to 70 ahead.
and 30 concluded she was al rtsht." "
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

Sales Of farm land In southeastern
Iowa have recently been made at from
5000 to s22s per acre.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

Plant trees In the spring. They
protect from wind and shut out un-
desirable views.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

II you raise fine fruit or vegetable.
for the table. why not let the people ID
your. market town know 1t by meanl
OF card? You may thus sell many
Ia wagon-load direct 70 consumers, and
at much better price than when the
-niddieman il your only customer.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

We should use considerable of ths
milk OF human Kindness in caring tes
orr dairy cows.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

Be content with nothing but reach
ing after .nore.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-21

salt water Is tonic for the eyes
and should b. used frsauentIy.,
The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-04-25
vermont,s Paramount issue.

The intimation has already been made
that if an extra session of the Vermont
legislature results from the railroad con,
test in the Connecticut valley, an effort
will be made to again pass measure
dealing with money loaned for the de.
velopment of Vermont's natural re-
sources.
No measure considered by the legis-
lature at its regular session aroused
more genuine enthusiasm among legis-
lators or stirred the people Of the state
as whole to a greater degree than
the bill to tax evidences of loans by
individuals at low rate of interest.
the same rate savings institutions pay
the state on deposits The belief pre-.
walls very generally that II the bill had
been considered earlier in the session,
it would probably have become law.
The fact that the legislature of New
Hampshire during its recent session
went step further than was proposed
in Vermont and exempted in taxation
all money loaned on real estate at five
per cent. through the vigorous work of
the farmers of the Granite state has
not been lost upon the farmers OF the
Green Mountain state.
1t is well that the people of Vermont
should become aroused to the fact that
we have legislated against the devel-
opment of the states resources, and
have wondered all the time why so many
of the young men and young women
constituting some of our best blood
leave Vermont for more inviting fields.
We make it easy and profitable to
put money in savings institutions which
send the money out of the state to
build up other sections of the country,
and we make it correspondingly difficult
for the young farmer or the young bus
mess man starting out in life to secure
money for less than the full six per cent
and frequently he must in effect pay
more, to say nothing of the big taxes
he pays.
Vermont will not enjoy the full de-
velopment of her national resources UNI
til our legislature puts the individual
on an equality with the bank as re-
CARDS the rate of tax on money loaned
for such development This viii be true
no matter whether direct tax results
or not, and direct tax would be
cheap price to pay for the develop
ment Vermont would enjoy from the
striking off of the financial shackles
that have bound the youth Of Vermont.
If the state is put to the expense
of an extra session at this time, our
lawmakers may well take the extra time
needed to pass a bill that will relieve
the struggling young farmers of Yer
mont from some Of the burdens Of I'm.
equal. If not double, taxation. Burling
ton Free Press
The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-04-25
Swallowing Germs.

Our sanitary experts have accom-
plished what appears to them to be a
great revolution in the adoption of the
individual drinking cups. And the aver
age citizen may be pardoned if he has
mental reservation to the effect that
it is case of straining at a gnat -
Rutland News.
That is better than swallowing lot
of disease germs which have been de-
posted on the common drinking cup by
some previous user OF the receptacle
Besides, the idea of individual drink
ing cups, while very recent in origin, is
gaining ground rapidly among people
who have the matter of public health
in mind, so that there is some doubt
whether it is a case of "straining at a
gnat, as the contemporary puts it. II
you had noticed the assortment of peo-
pie who preceded you at some common
drinking cup perhaps you would not now
be so skeptcal of the innovation. Ughl