Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-07-08
MRS. LENA CANFIELD SMITH
WRITES A VERY INTERESTING
LETTER TO COURIER.
FRUIT IS SCARCE
Drouth and Heat Have Played Havoc
With Early Products-Chinc
Bugs Making Serious Inroads
Into Corn Crop.

| MIS- Lena CdunelQ SmlCQ, uuLl d
year ago resident of this city. but
now living near Marion, Kan, is the
author OF a very interesting letter re-
ceived by the Courier few days ago.
Mrs. Smith is a subscriber to the Tri-
Weekly Courier, and expresses her in
terest in the continued stories that
are now running. From Mrs Smiths
observations concerning the agricul-
tural outlook around Marion, it seems
| that Kansas has had about as little
rain as Iowa. The letter is as follows:
Editor Courier:
Please find enclosed postal order
in payment for the Tri-Weekly Courier.
We could not get along without the
Courier. For some reason we miss a
copy once in while and we miss it
very much, especially when there is
continued story running in the paper.
We missed the last two papers that
had the last continued story. That is,
we missed the last two numbers so we
did not know just how the story ended.
Will you kindly send me copy OF
those two papers, if you have them at
/ the Courier Office? I will appreciate
it very much. You know how woman
is, they generally turn to the last chap
ter of book, to see how the story is
going to end. Well would like to
know how that story ended. We enjoy
reading the story now running in the
paper, and hope we shall not miss get
ting any of the numbers.
| Likes CaldweIPs Letters.
1 am very much interested in Mr..
Caldwell's letters. While all those
things he mentions happened before
my time, like to know of them and en-
| Joy reading about them. I think Mr..
Caldwell would have a big surprise
was he to visit Ottumwa now. pre-
sumo that l would be little surprised
at the change made in the short while
have been gone, (not quite year,
Mr.. Caldwell belongs to our state now.
We like Kansas very much. The
only objection is the wind that blows
so hard in the spring. People who
that the wind has blown unusually
hard this year, and they also say that
Sunday June rs, was the hottest day
on record 1t sure was a hot day, 115
degees in the shade. In the city the
thermometer registered as high as 121
degrees. How is that for hot weather?
Can Iowa beat that? Monday was
much cooler. It tried to rain but failed
there was not enough rain in this
vicinity to lay the dust. Vegetation
can not stand the drouth much longer.
Country is Pleasant.
We are glad to be living in the
country this hot weather. I certainly
pity the people who have to stay IN the
hot cities these awful days, we like
living in the country much better We
live twelve miles from Marion. the
county seat, and within ten miles of
several towns of a smaller size. We
have an auto, and can go to any OF
these towns in half an hour.
Living in the country is not half so
bad as city people think. We have all
the varieties of fruit. large and small,
that grow in this vicinity. That is.
we have the trees and bushes to bear
them but we have not the fruit this
wear. Apples, (of which we have
eighteen varieties), aprlcots, peaches,
and pears are very scarce mere on &C.
count of heavy frost and ice the
first of May We have pretty good
crop of small fruit. cherries. plums.
gooseberries, currants, etc. but the
early crop of blackberries is dried up.
The late crop will be good, however. |
If we only have rain. We have fair
wheat crop, about twenty bushels to
the acre on an average. Oats down !
here are SO short that the men find |
It hard work to bind them. The chine |
bugs too are making serious lnroads |
into thu corn crop. Some fields have