davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
Gu M 81
.cEMENTs SAND STONE c0NceFE

with SAND and all the spaces between
the sand are filled with cement is the
ideal mixture. Cement Is a powder
finer than -four
The ideal mixture Is rarely obtained
as the spaces in each load Of gravel
and sand vary slightly, and in order
to be absolutely safe. little more
sand and a little more cement than
will exactly I'LL the spaces should be
used.
Considerable skill is required in the
mixing Of concrete, to obtain q sub
stance that will meet all the require
ments to which It il put, and its dtra
bility depends very largely upon the
right proportions Of sand. stone or
gravel used.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
SHED FOR THE FARM TOOLS

EVERY farmer should have . shed
for his tools and the tools should Do
cleaned and placed In the shed =
soon as one Is through using tnem.
Often this saves time ana delay Wnen
the tool is wanted later on.
The paint brush should BE- ussd
freely on the woodwork ana othsf
parts that become worn or scraped ~
use. This costs but little and adds
years to the life Of tho tools. In fact
It Is best to give all machinery new
coat Of paint, every two years.
know a farmer who follows this
m ethod OF caring for his farm naach-
inery He is now using = binder he
1a, owned for ten years and Il - san
doing good work and the repair oiii
for ten years has been only -.
In tho winter he goes over all his
tools and repairs. repaints and 9o0
them in shape for next summer. The
cost OF his shed was $50. and his tame
while building It.
The tool house need not be Q costly
building good roof With cheap
siding will do and any man should -
able to put It up at odd times.
some farmers use shade trees for
roofing their tools. The shade - but
little protection an the more moisture
the more rust and the shade Will hold
the moisture for days.
Tho cost Of ono new binder will pay
for good building large enough to
store the full equipment Of fair
sized farm.
In this sned may be placed the
forge and workbench whore small re-
pairs to machinery and many new
ana useful thing may be made dur
ing the winter months. Put in plenty
of windows on the sides and ends
particularly on the workshop side
Thomas M. Cise1.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
EARLY GARDEN WORK.

Keep an eye on the hot bed when
the sun shines brightly. Too much heat
will make the pl" hts weak and spindly,
BY all means have an animal-proof
fence enclosing the garden and a self
closing gate.
Although flowers cannot be eaten
they too have mission, so plant them
among the vegetables The wife will
appreciate them.
The asparagus is a glutton. Give II
lots Of rich food" and It will repay
you..
II you want an all-summer bed OF
spinach SOW the New Zealand. It Is q
revelation to those who only eat thi.
wholesome vegetable in spring or early
summer. Last fall after the early
frosts the writer gathered two bushels
for canning from bed ten by ten feet
Get the brush for the peas. and poles
for the beans when 1t Is too wet to
work field or in the garden.
Don't plant the tender vegeta bles
until all danger Of frost is over. II.
however, frost does get the early
planting don't waste time repining-
reseed.-John Field.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
BY D. J. Crosby.

contact with the earth as to induce 1t
to throw out roots and shoots, thus
producing one or more Independent
plants, the branch meanwhile remain
ing attached t. the parent plant.
Layering frequently proves satisfact-
DRY method Of multiplying woody
plants which do not readily take root
from cuttings. There are several
n ethods of layering.
Tip layering.-The tip Of branch
or cane is bent down to the ground
and slightly covered with soil when
it will throw out roots and develop a
new plant Many plants may be pro-
pagated in this way.
Vine layering.-A vine is stretched
along the ground and buried through
out it's entire length in a shallow
trench, or it may be covered in certain
places. leaving the remaining portions
exposed. Roots will be put forth at
intervals and branches thrown up.
Later the vine may he cut between
these, Leaving a number Of indepen-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
BELGIAN HORSE BREEDING.

"The whole world appears to be de-
pendent for heavy horses for breeding
upon Belgium, where the business is
exceedingly profitable" states recent
report on the Belgian equine market,
which further says that 1861 horses
and colts were exported in one year to-
Germany. 1924 to Luxembourg. 2,412
to France. 1910 to Holland. 1870 to
the United States, 1918 to Switzerland.
672 to England. and 33s to other coun-
tries. From Germany many Of these
animals were sold to Austria, Russia,
Denmark. and Sweden for breeding
purposes. and 1t Is very probable that
many Of those sold to French and Eng
lish breeders found their way to the
United States and Canada.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
GOOD ROADS COMMANDMENTS
BY NJ. A. Coverdell

1. Thou shalt everlastingly keep at
the good -ork. and let nothing dis
courage thee.
II. Tack thou a board over those
Itreacherous holes In bridges, and
thereby save the bones Of both thine
and thy neighbors' valuable htrses.
III. Thou shalt trim out all l.rLsh
and hedgerows bordering the load
that the sun and the wind OF thy
Creator may keep thine highway dry
and that passers-by may not be suffo-
Gated unto death.
Nv. The noble drag being thy
handiest and most efficient weapon.
thou shalt WELD it twice a week al
the very least. Blessed Is tho man
who useth the drag for his fellow
mans sake.
v. Thou shelt open all drain
d'tt hes at the side Of the -oad border
Ing thy farm. lest the water collect in
low places and form a mire !. which
t ~ or thy neighbor may get stuck
whereupon the recording angel
listeneth with great pity to wicked
words and swapping of tho whip
vi. Toss thou those aggravatinl
and damaging stones from the track
Of thine highway: for thou grittest thy
teeth In anger and thinkest wicked
sayings when thy vehicle striketh
them. And they do knock the
''stuffing'' right out Of thy buggy and
wagon wheels. Likewise do they
trouble anc injure the noble horses.
VII. If thy neighbor DO shirkel
and doeth not his full share Of i'm.
proving the roads, let not this put q
d-mper on thine enthusiasm: bu,
rather set good example and show
by thy works that thou art truly al
ht est "booster'and not hanger-on
Then shall thy l-:::.:hbor blush with
shame and feel constrained to follow
thy shining example.
VIII. When thou drivest To town
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
CHINESE WAGES AND COST OF
LIVING.

The + lowing interesting statistics
Of wages. price Of foodstuffs, etc., re-
late only to the Shanghai district,
which embraces about $4,000 square
miles OF territory and at least 20, O00,-
600 inhabitants. Daily wage rates,
in United States currency. are: Mach
inists. 40 to Is cents: blacksmiths, 80:
carpenters. Is; electricians 40; stone
masons. Is: bricklayers. 10; molders,
so; plasterers. 20: stonecutters, IS;
farm laborers. 80. and common labor
ers. 20 cents.
The character Of fabrics usually
bought by the natives cost, per yard.
about cents for muslins IN cents
for calico and 25 cents for woolens,
while their cloth shoes cost about 40
cents per pair.-W. r. Dorsey. Vice
Counsel.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
FAIR PROFIT IN GU1NEAs.

Guineas do not pay as we'll as good
poultry on the farm, except under
extraordinary conditions. If they are
raised for broilers and sent to the
special market In the big cities at
Just the right time they will bring
good prices.
Guineas are not much trouble but
If they are allowed to run wild over
the farm the young ones are apt to be
killed by vermin. The best way to
handle guineas Is to confine them in
as large space as possible with a
high wire fence. The ground should
be covered with bushes or high grass
as guineas do not like the open.
The hen always hides her nest and
great care must be taken not to touch
the eggs with the hand or she will
not return to It,
The guinea hen lays from 10 to Is
eggs before sitting on them and the
best plan is to take the eggs out
every day with a long-handled spoon
and place them under chicken hen.
AS soon as the guinea hen begins to
sit her nest should be destroyed. She
will wander about rather disconsolate
for ten days or two weeks when she
will disappear.
If she Is left alone she will then
sit on her eggs and late in the sum
mer may turn UP with a flock Of Is
or dozen chicks. These chicks are
very small when first Matched about
half the size of an ordinary chicken.
They stick close to the mother and
and do not stray off. They are ex-
tremely wild however, and at the first
alarm Of danger settle themselves in
the deep grass and remain motion
less until the mother calls.
Young guineas are quite easily fat
tened and as they have a decided
gamey flavor they are very much
relished when in fine condition.
They bring best returns when sold
to large hotels or to some big market
that caters to the best trade. If sold
in the market in the regular way they
will not bring money enough to pro-
duce an attractive profit.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
BEES AND FRUIT.

The ideal fruit-farm. with It's or
chards Of apples. cherries, pears. and
pl-ms, its shade-trees and its gardens.
is hardly complete without at least q
few stands Of bees. Properly man.
aged they will not only add to the
profits Of their owner, but supply his
table with an abundance of the most
luxurious Of all delicacies; and add
materially to the fertility of his berries
and fruits by the Notwithstanding
habits that these insects possess.
This important feature, however, Is
generally omitted, or carried on in
such way as to result in very little
profit and q great deal Of trouble: and
usually results in failure in the end;
and this in face Of the fact that 1t
might easily be made one Of the most
profitable and fascinating OF the fruit
growers occupations--D. W. Otis
Evil wishes. like chickens. como
home to roost
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11

put thy spade In the buggy. II thou
contest to ono OF those ruts which do
cause thee ana thy nsishbor 60 swsal
when passing over. NIL thou Il With
q few spadefuls Of dirt. Thy neigh
bors will less thee for II. and thou
mayest save . big repair bill on thine
own vehicle. And the low places at
the approaches to bridges, thou shalt
treat in like manner with the same
good effect.
TX. II thou hast been guilty Of
throwing brush or any kind Of trash
into ono Of those small drain bitches
along thy farm 60 thou stralxhWAy
and remove the obstruction. Or 4
thy neighbor has committed q Ike
offense thou shalt intercsds with him
till he also removes those hindraness
and opens up the bitches. For road
with ditches across Il. or down the
main track. Is an aoominatdon ANA
curse in the sight OF every mortal wne
llaboriously travels over II
X. Do thou all this and as much
more as seemeth good. Preach thou
to thy neighbor. and to thy neighbors
son, that good roads are never
happen-so, nor q vegetable that
springeth up in . single night; put
that they are q natural result OF NOR
tai mans untiring EFFORTS. And e.
member thou these points:
Open bitches at each side Of the
road will perfect the drainage.
The drag will smooth ana work
the dirt to tho center Of the roadbed.
Sun. wind ana travel will aid IN COM
pleting the requirements BY drylns
and packing the earth in place.
Sea thou that all these conditions
aYist wherever tho road touches thy
farm. and the travelling puOho VII.
raise on tiptoes and call thee piesseu
among men.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
LIVE srooK NOTES.

Do not be IN too much of q hurry to
force a horses coat to shed in the
spring.
Forced shedding exposes the new
hair before 1t is ready to come to the
and harsh.
George Washington was the first
breeder Of high-priced mules. in this
country.
A mule seldom gets sick more than
once and he generally dies then.
More mules die Of accident and old
age than from disease.
A horse that brings 5000 at three
years Of ago pays as we'll or better
than any other animal on the farm.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
TRAINING YOUNG ElnA

Training the young orcAarA aD.more
needful than pruning, ana shsaA esn-
|sist mostly In shaping the tress Or
keeping them In form and propss1y
balanced. Very often the side oppo-
site the direction from which he pre-
vailing winds come, becomes heavier
than the side towards the wind. and
the removal Of some Of the branches
and heading In Of others becomes
necessary.
Some shoots become too rampant
and need checking TO preserve the bal
ance of the tree. and others can BE-
bent and tied to I'LL the open spaces.
Work of this kind and the removal Of,
water sprouts may be done In the SUM
mer.
A bushy, or clustered habit Of
growth, is not uncommon even In
quite young trees, and needs to b cor
rected by the removal OF surplus
branches.-W. ]. Green.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
FABLE ON JUPITER AND, THE
BEE.

A bee from Mount Hymettus, the
queen Of the hive. assembled to Olym-
pus to present to Jupiter some fresh
honey from her combs. Jupiter, de-
lighted with tile offering Of honey,
promised to tive whatever she should
ask. She therefore besought him,
saying, "Give me, I pray thee. a sting
that II any mortal shall approach to
take my honeJ, I may kill him."
Jupiter was much displeased, for he
loved much the race of man. but
could not refuse the request on ac-
count of his promise. He thus an
swered the bee: You shall have your
request; but 1t will be at the peril of
your own life. For if you use your
sting, it shall remain in the wound
you make. and then you will die from
the loss of It."
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
MULCH1NG STRAWBERRIES.

M-iching is beneficial in ell cases
a. weather conditions. On some
fields it is absolutely necessary to pre-
vent freezing out in the spring. One
of the greatest advantages of mulch
ing is that it keeps the plants back
IN early spring. thereby escaping dis
astrous spring frosts: next it holds
moisture better. and last but not least,
.:..eps the berries nice and clean In
rainy weather; no sandy 5erries where
ziu:ciling is done.
Any kind of coarse material an
g. -ers the purpose--such as straw.
leaves. pine browse, nnarsh-hay. etc.
Fresh manure Is excellent, as It not
only cover; but fertilizes at t., sams
time.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
BETTER THAN A GOOD RAIN.

While it has not been found possible
to make it rain, something even better
ha- been discovered, and that is that
the moisture can be bottled up in the
soil. When a soil is full of moisture,
as in the spring, the evaporation is
rapid, if the soils compact. amount
ing to about an inch week. BY stir
ring the surface, thus forming soil
mulch, this evaporation is stopped and
that moisture saved in the soil. This
is better than good rain in the grow
ing season, and it has the further adj
vantage Of warming up the soil.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
n FARMERS VIVID DREAM
BY II. b. Buckhan.

revolt and to be in terrible rage
too.
A minute more and the astonished
farmer could hear them hammering
away at the doc. until at last 1t gave
way before their united efforts to
force it in, and they came tumbling
he was lying.
He made desperate effort to raise
himself. but for some reason could
not. Bang went the huge head and
horns Of the angry bull against his
chamber door, which flew open as
though it had been latched with q
feather. and before he could move a
muscle, or bestir himself to escape, he
had been seized and bound. hand and
foot, by the Infatuated animals. and
borne down the stairs on their backs,
and bound to q post In the barn.
Then his captors returned to the
house again. and took possession Of
1t. Looking out through the gaping
cracks in the barn, he could see them:
the hens roosting on some chairs in
the garnet. the sheep in the chambers.
and tho cattle gathered comfortably
about the kitchen fire.
All seemed to be laughing at his
expense, and making sport, OF his
discontinue, now and then casting :.
glance in his direction. There, they
seemed to be saying, 'let him try it
for a while, now, and we will spend
the winter very comfortably In here.
Let him have turn at his own med
icine and see how he likes it,
And sure enough. 1t was cold. out
there. The captive shivered and
shook. while his teeth chartered in
his head. He soon saw that he could
not endure such exposure long. and
must free himself or perish. He gave
desperate plunge. throwing all the
strength of which he was capable into
the endeavor, and awoke to find him
self lying on the floor, the cold wind
blowing over him from the open
window.
It was all a dream, but not an I'M
profitable one. for from that day. this
mans farm and buildings took on a
new and more thrifty appearance.
and his luck" changed for the better.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11

That "there 10 no money in dream
Is maxim centuries old. Our fore
fathers entertained II. and We Of to-
day hold to It, after them. And true
It is, too. In the main. but there may
be exceptions. nevertheless. as to all
other rules, which the following will
Illustrate:
There was once q man who made
his living by carrying on q farm; or.
rather, he was able to live because
his farm carried him on, in spite OF
the fact that he devoted mono too
much thought and attention to Its
care and cultivation. Little by little
he had allowed his barns and out
buildings to fall TO decay, until they
presented sorry spectacle indeed,
and as for his fields and meadows,
anyone could see 1t a glance that they
were not receiving the attention
which they should. But year after
year they were yielding their owner
q living, nevertheless. as many
another IL doing under similar CIR
cumstances.
One night, late in the fall, this man
had vivid dream. It may be that
ne had been eating too much mince
pie. that day, or that 1t would not
have happened II he had spent few
hours in wholesome. active farm
labor. that afternoon. instead Of idle
ness. or it might have been the result
Of guilty conscience. but however
occasioned, 1t was as follows:
1t seemed to be early In the morn
Ing, and that he could hear great
commotion going on among his live
stock It was as though he could
understand what they said, and over
heard them planning a revolt against
him. I'VE will stand it no longer!"
they were protesting, "only look at
the cracks and crevices in this tumble
down barn. and the way the lind
whistles through them. It's ridicu-
lous. Well put up with 1t no
more"
So eaying. they all made a dash to-
Eether. out of the barn toward the
house. lnd on by the old bull, who
seeD,ed to be the ring leader in tho
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
Mound layering. Tip layerins

dent plants. The grape can be easily
propagated in this way.
Mound Iayering.-Plants which stool
sending up a large number of stems or
sfcots from a single root, are often
lavered by mou, ding up the earth so
as to cover the bases of these stems
and cause them to throw out roots
Each may then be removed from the
original root and treated as an inde-
pc ndent plant. A plant is cften cut
back to the ground to make 1t send up
a large number of shoots to be layer
ed in this way.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
POULTRY IN THE ORCHARD.

A well-drained orchard promotes
the life Of your trees: well-drained
poultry yard affords a long life to
your flock. Why not plant both on
the same plot Of ground?
The droppings from the poultry as
they roam over the orchard are valu-
able. In order to keep up the fertility
Of the soil in the orchard. one must
use a good fertilizer. and there is
nothing moro valuable In this line
than poultry manure.
We scatter all the cleanings from
the colony and hen houses all over
our orchard.-J. G. Lembke.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
SWINE BREEDING.

In the selection Of breeding animals,
more attention should be paid to the
Individual qualities Of boar and SOW
than to the particular breed. Breed
alone does not determine good breed
ing stock. A pure-bred boar Ia to be
preferred, and both boar and SOW
should be rather Of medium than an
extreme type Of the breed represented.
Under present conditions. farmers find
1t most generally profitable to raise the
larger breeds Of hogs; the sows pro-
ducing more pigs at a litter. and grow
ing more rapidly in weight than the
others.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
KNOW WHAT CONCRETE IS?

Many people have an Idea that
cement and concrete are the same.
There is vast difference between the
two. because. in fact. cement Is only
ono Of the elements Of concrete.
Concrete is stone manufactured by
mixing sand, cement and stone or
gravel. The proportions vary accord
ing to the use to which the concrete
Is to be put.
The mixture in which all the spaces
between the stone or gravel are filled
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11

roughly drive him aside he may be
arrested. II goat enters the yard Of
a person. not his owner. and rock or
clubs be bounced off his body. the per-
son guilty Of the offense must pay a
fine Of 80 cents II the engineer. of q
rail train sees goat on the track the
train must halt until the animal is
gently coaxed to move OF.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11

Layerfng may be considered the
connecting link between natural and
artificial propagation. Many plants.
such as black raspberries, grape and
others, increase naturally in this way
but man has lent his aid in SO many
WI vs. to this process Of propagation
that it may be considered to certain
extent artificial.
A layer is branch SO placed in
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11

It is seldom that stock submits
patiently to being sprayed. AS 1t is
frequently necessary to spray cattle
and horses In order to free them from
some pest, ticks. mango or other
trouble the easiest method Of carrying
forward the work should be employed.
Where many animals are to be
treated it would be advisable to con-
struct chamber or chute through
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11

Animals are as uncomfortable as a
man would be when forced to s.and
or lie on a cold cement floor Such a
floor should be covered knee-deep
with straw, especially for milch-cows
and young stock. Fattening beeves
will show their appreciation Of such
comfort by taking flesh more rap
idly.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11
A GOOD SPRAYING CHUTE

An alley or race for combining stock
to be sprayed. The fences are two
feet apart and twenty-five feet in
length. accommodating three animals
at one time. The floor should be of
cement, so sloped as - drain away the
surplus spray. An earth floor soon
becomes miry and renders the work
disagreeable.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11

It is claimed that the quiet dis
position and steady habits of tn
Black Langshans. make them exceed
ingly useful birds to raise in al
orchard. Large Of size, they are no
given to hying over fences.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11

An old fruit-grower says that tho
pick Is the best tool he ever used
around apple trees when the ground
has become too hard. He sinks the
pick s or 10 inches into the soil and
merely prizes the dirt loose. and does
not disturb the roots in this way.