davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02
DESTROYING BITING INSECTS
CONSTANT AND CONCERTED WARFARE AGAINST
INJURIOUS INSECTS AND NOXIOUS PLANT.
DISEASES IS NECESSARY *EE@
BY Glenn w. Herrick, Mississippi.

There are many kinds Of insects that
hester the farmer and fruit grower and
all of them, taken together, may be
divided into two great groups depen-
dant upon the kind of mouth parts
they have and the manner in which
they attack plants. The insects of one
group have jaws and bite Off bits OF
plants and swallow them. They are
known as the biting insects. The
members of the second group have a
bill or sucking tube which they insert
into the tissues of plants and suck out
the Juices. These are the sucking
insects.
THE grasshopper Is. familiar ex-
ample of the first class Of insects. for
it has biting mouth parts, composed
of two pairs of jaws, one of which
is hard and black and easily seen with
the eye. With these jaws the grass
hopper bites off pieces of leaves, STEMS
etc. and swallows them much as a
COW or horse would do. Very many
insect pests have biting mouth parts
like the grasshopper and eat parts of
plants. For example, the caterp1llars,
or worms" on cotton. tomatoes. cab
bage. ETC.. the June bugs, fg-eaters,
potato bugs, etc. All such insects are
known as the biting insects.
1t is plain that an insect that bites
off pieces of leaves and swallows them
stands a relatively high chance Of be-
ing killed by putting some poisonous
substance upon the leaves before they
are eaten. It is absolutely necessary
to know what kind Of an insect is
causing the injury-whether it is
biting or sucking insect. This is the
first point to determine.
Probably Paris green is one Of the
best known poisons for biting insects.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02
BY J., b. Davidson and M. L. King, iowa.

Join tho foundation. The foundatioa
wall. and In fact the walls Of the entire
silo, should be 40 smooth as possibie.
II due care Is used In tramping stl,e
silage during the filling. doors witch
extend into the silo are not d serious
objection, though perfectly flush. doors
are certainly an advantage. "A vertical
wall is tho only satisfactory war to
use. as wall inclined outward will
support tho stlage to q certain sxtent
and prevent it settling satisfactorily,
thus creating air. pockets When the
settle away from 1t. In tho case Of
concrete siios with tapered walls. these
should: be vertical on heinsids.
Best results are obtained where the
silage' is uniformly distributed
throughout the siloss ana is carefully
packed near the walls and arounds the
doors by tramping. MI Care should Do
taken that tho heavy and light por.
lions shall be uniformly mixed. Some
silo owners are Of the opinion that .
great amount OF tramping is ,unneces-
sary. but the investigations Of the
writer's would indicate that whore
tamping was not followed there was
always q certain amount OF spoiled
silage and that the naoney spent for
labor used in thoroughly. trampinGst the
silase in the stlo when filted brought
good returns. G.
In localities where freezing occurs.
It Is necessary to construct the silo 20
as to prevent % far a. possible. freez-
ing Of tho silage. It Is dihlcult to
make a comparison between the merits
OF tho various types Of silos In this
respect, owing to the inability to ind
them under like conditions. Freezing
Of silage IL due to loss Of heat. first
through tho silo wall: second. TO tho
air in contact with the feeding SUR
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02
AVERAGE COUNTRY SCHOOL9SYSTEM

Country schools in America are not
rising to the great opportunities which
! confront, them. They are not keeping
pace with other social Institutions
Some of them occupy an exceedingly
low plane, with faults as fragrant as
could have, been pointed out twenty or
thirty years ago. ri 4.
The faults of the country school
system are a strong factorlin causing
young people to dislike rural rife. Log
tcally. then, they are. responsible il, a
great degree for the slow progress Of
our farming communities.
An experience Of ~ years as a
teacher of rural schools has left clear
impression on my mind Of defects and
of possible remedies in educational
methods and conditions.
If the more promising boys and girls
In every neighborhood. or q large pro-
portion Of them, grow up dissatisfied
with their environment and leave for
the cities as soon as possible, an in
.calculable Injury has been wrought.
IL IS Ia damage to the agricultural
regions and In many cases, to the
young people concerned.
The schools and the system which
governs them. must accept large
share Of the blame in this matter. It
Is a painfula truth, but they cannot
hide nor minimize 1t. In, fact, they
have too long tried to evade their re-
sponsibilities and secrete their faults.
One Of the striking defects of our
rural schools is the youthfulness of
the teachers. Coupled with inexper-
;anco IN r,oany cases <hora ia q I,1ooL
Of interest. Assuming, however, that
every teacher has proper amount of
interest in her school, and a devotion
to the cause Of education, it is rank
folly to look for practical results on
an extensive scale. from an instructor
between sixteen and twenty years Of
age.
Thousands are teaching all over the
west and middle west who are still In
their teens, and who have no broader
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02
BEATS The SCOOP-SH0VEI,

.
One Of the hardest Jobs on the
farm is shoveling ear-corn from a
wagon into a high crib or: shed. So
strenuous Is this exertion that many
farm workmen decline to work on
farm where large corn crops are
handled. sl- a.u4Ea
The invention of the portable grain
elevator has rendered this task a light
and easy one. 1t takes a pretty good
bshoyeler to empty a big load Of corn
from wagon into q high crib in
thirty minutes and when the job is
finished the shoveler needs a thirty
minutes rest before he can proceed
with other work. @
The elevator will do the job In five
minutes, The picture illustrates how
the elevator is used. The front wheels
Of the wagon are elevated so that the
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02

The way the female grasshopper
places her eggs.
1t is rather expensive, difficult to buy
unadulterated and is quite liable to
burn the foliage of plants If applied
TOO strong. - y IT,. J. ....
1T can be applied dry as follows:
-, 1 pound Of Paris green,
- 25 pounds Of slaked lime
or flour. ,g b.. ..... 49,. -.
The two should be thoroughly
mixed and may be sifted on the plants
from thin muslin sack, prefera bly,
In the morning while the due is yet on.
Paris green may also be applied in
water. which we believe is better
method than the dry one for, most
plants, Quick lime is added to pre-
vent burning Of the foliage and the
poison is used in the following pro-
portions:
pound of Paris green,
t,s 200 to 800 gallons of water.
3 pounds quick lime.
Stake this lime in little water and
add the Paris green. Stir thoroughly
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02

should be In the nun around the vent
and on tho ventral side Of tho body
and in the fun under tho wings. Its
efficiency. which is greater than that
Of any other lice powder known to
the writer, can be very easily demon
strated by anyone to his own salts
faction Take a bird that IS covered
with lice and apply the powder in the
manner just described. After lapse
Of about a minute. shake the bird.
loosening its feathers with the fingers
at the same time, over clean piece
Of paper. Dead and dying lice will
drop on the paper In great numbers.
Anyone who will try this experiment
will have no further doubt Of the Won
derful efficiency and value Of this
powder. ... ...>,. ~
' For a spray or paint to be applied
to roosting boards. nest boxes or walls
and floor Of the hen houses the follow
Ing preparation Is use1:--3 parts Of
kerosene and part crude carbolic
acid. This is stirred up when used
and may be applied with any Of the
hand spray pumps or with a brush.
In botn OF these formulate 1t Is highly
important that crude carbolic acid
be used instead Of the purified product.
Be sure and insist to the druggist on
getting crude carbolic. acid. It IL a
dark brown, dirty looking liquid, and
its value depends on the fact that 1t
contains tar oil and tar bases in ad-
dition to the pure phenol (carbolic
acid) o.. .-.. d."
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02
FOOD VALUE OF FRUIT.

Here are a few facts worth con-
sidering. Baked apples are more nu-
tritious than baked potatoes, and will
produce more work. Dates, prunes
figs, apricots and raisins are dried
fruits always AVAILABLE Instead OF
looking upon them as merely supple
mental to food-like. confectionery
we should remember that we are
really among the most ~healthful, pal
atable and concentrated Of vegetable
foods. :
Among fresh fruits, bananas, apples
figs. grapes, biackberries, Strawberries
and oranges have decided food value
and may be used as economical sources
of nourishment.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02

mont itself; has recognized the msnsce
to- thesnationz In the conditions here
outlined and IL inquiring for q remedy.
One suggestion that I can make with
condolences. 10 that for each distinctly
rural school, tho teacher be recon-
mended. By the headsof a State asr1-
cultural college, the qualifications to
be- large knowledge OF human nature
as we'll as an intimate Acquaintance
ship with agricultural conditions,
from tho worst to the BEST. / put
these essentials above the rule Of three.
Give community such q teacher ~
that. and I venture to say tho mere
book-learning will be, taken oaEe of.
Teachers ofrthis class arc available, II
the district viii pay the price.
A little concentrated effort on the
would enable directors to hire and
maintain mon and women teachers
who could and would Grapple &intelli-
gently and effectively with the prob
lens confronting them. -
Where districts are not large enough
to Y support higher.prioed teachers
without unduly burdentnE the tax
payers, consolidation is tho solution Of
Inc problem. o. ..
It is only in a comparatively few
cases that this would be necessary, and
when the consolidation Of districts in
wolves too much travel for pupils. 4
public conveyance should be provided
by the officials. .1@.- -
It is ono Of tho bad aspects in every
farming district that there are many
oaopl> xuhn ara fnA{fpAYant ahos1k laaNH-
ing their children attend school reg
II there IL any little duty about tho
farm whore the boys and girls can be
worked to advantage. tho parents do
not hesitate to keep Thorn from their
school work. for a. long . period a.
they can be probably used. This -
one Of the most important reforms
needed in the country school system Of
America.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02
BY Jeanette Pierson.

iviews Of life than they imbibed- while
hurrying through a high school 20,
lacademys course In the nature OF
things, such teachers cannot impact
respect and love for agriculture, K q
lofty public spirit. a taste for home
making, or skill which will enable
the young people of tho farms to lift
themselves out@of tho rut, in which
their fathers and grandfathers have
Iplodded year after year. s., p.
g What can these young teachers, boys
and: girls just out Of school, know
about one of tho greatest problems
confronting American society today
t. This problem is. as suggested by for
! mer President Roosevelt to bring the
the people Of the rural districts into q
happier and more prosperous state. It
| is in our rural schools that children
must be taught to love nature. to be-
lfeve insprogressive agriculture. to dig
nifty labor, to- develop the homesmak-
ing fnstinct. and to set out with. high
Ideals for a career Of honor and use
fulness in the country. -. p
How can we expect the ten Thousand
youngsteachers to grasp and scompre-
hend these vital essentials, and then
to show the boys and girls in their
schools how, they can be the most
manly of men and most womanly' Of
women. without leaving their country
homes? r
Country schools, as rule, pay too
small salaries to secure broadly Gull;
tured and capable teachers. AS a gen.
eral thing. also, they are cursed or at
least hampered. by a system ssof petty
politics, which not only enters into the
hiring Of teac hers, but is felt in ali
matters OF management and discipline.
Society in the country fails to re-
cetve from It's schools the results
which 1t needs. This deficiency is rec
ognized by all of the larger schools
and the farmers institutes, which to-
day are giving a great deal of atten-
ton to the social life Of our agricul-
tural communities. In fact the gov
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02
THE SUREST HAY CROP.

Alfalfa is one Of our best drought
resisting plants. 1t is a soil improver
and produces a valuable hay. It
should be disced every spring and
sown thin to@s make it. drought-re-
sistant. MANFRED land that was In
corn or potatoes is best. Slsow4not over
eight pounds with drill not over two
inches, deep. Then put on 2o0>pounds
of soil from an alfalfa field to bring in
germs and harrow it in. Use no nurse
crop. When alfalfa is eight to ter
inches high run mower over 1t.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02
TRAINING THE COLT.

On his early training entirely de-
ponds colts usefulness and value as
horse, and it should begin the day
he is foaled.
u The training OF colt cannot be too
thorough, a broken horse is not
broken at all, and is always a danger
Gus animal.
There is no better or cheaper place
to develop a young horse and put him
in proper shape for market than on
the farm. ,,.;-s "a. -. .,s, -.'.' -.
A colt wants to be kept eating and
growing and exercising and anything
but fattening as long as he has time
assigned him by nature to grow.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02
FLOWING UNDER FORAGE CROPS.

b. r. & p q a ! /. sa :. -,
My experience in using green forage
crops to improve the soil has con-
WINGED me that unless we make IN In.
telligent selection Of the crops that
are grown the work Is often done at
loss. ,s-s 3sf - 80
To be OF value the crop that -
turned under must be one that OBJ
tains considerable Of its plant food
from the atmosphere, either directly
or indirectly, or else ono that mas
deep roofing system that brings up
mucn OF Its plant food from below
the depths reached by the roots Of
other plants. .Es5s
A plant that obtains all Of it, food
from the surface soil adds nothing to
the fertility Of the land when It u
plowed under, except that 1t assists
in forming humus and improving the
mechanical condition Of the soil, thus
enabling the plants to develop better
root systems. III
We have found red clover especially
adapted for all kinds Of soils whore 1t
would thrive. It and the other Nom.
bers Of the legume family arc IN my
opinion the only plants thar we can
afford to use In building up our soils.
except on certain soils whore tho
mechanical condition Is such that
other crops must be employed before
a stand Of clover can be obtained.
In dairying sections We have found
red clover too valuable q forage crop
to pillow under for soil improving pur-
poses until after the first crop has
been harvested for hay.
The second crop together with tho
manure resulting from feeding the
first crop will supply an abundance
Of humus for the three year rotation
Of crops practised on the best dairy
farms. The roots. stubble and the
second crop of forage will afford very
near as much humus forming material
and nitrogen as the whole Of the first
crop.--W. NJ. KELLEY.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02

pension longer. It, can be made as
follows:
II ounces acetate Of lead w.
(white sugar of lead),
ounces arsenate of soda,
SO gallons water.
Dissolve the acetate of lead in 4
quarts OF water and the arsenate of
soda in quarts Of water. Pour them
together, mix thoroughly andf then
dilute with SO gallons of water It Is
then ready to use at once
ArsenateE Of lead can be bought
ready prepared and is very convenient
to use. 1t should be used at the rate
Of to 6 pounds of the arsenate of
lead to 100 gallons of water. 81"
White arsenic is cheap, easy to get.
and is not often adulterated. There
fore, when it is combined with lime or
sal soda to prevent burning of the
FOLIAGE 1t Is most satisfactory in
secticide.
1t may be prepared as follows:
I pound white arsenic,
pounds quick lime.
4 gallons water. 90, go
boil the lime and arsenic torether
in the water for half an hour and then
dilute with 200 gallons Of water for
spraying.
Arsenic Of lime may also be pre-
pared by boiling two pounds of white
arsenic and eight pounds Of sal soda in
two gallons Of water for is or 20
minutes. or until the arsenic and soda
are dissolved. This constitutes a stock
solution which may be kept in
sealed Jug for long time. When
ready to spray, slack two pounds Of
quick lime. take one pint Of the stock
solution and mix them both with 40
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02
A CHEAP. sEED-CORN RACK.

Construct a frame. from fence
boards. This may be Of any length
or height, ana several med furnished
ones are better than one large frame,
Drive nails through the boards each
way on an upward slant. On these
nails stick the butts of the corn. Each
ear stands out by itself, where it can
dry perfectly. BY numbering each ear
on the board, track of 1t can be kept
when testing for termination. Keep
in a cool place and to insure protec-
ton from mice, swing 1t up by wires
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02

drilled In. but In rather an irregular
manner, the stalks sometimes stand
ing singly and again in groups Of two.
three and four. Il
Last autumn the land was planted
to wheat from which there was har-
vested in the spring crop OF wheat
hay that averaged over two tons to
the acre.
The successful raising and harvest
ing of two such crops In the same
season is q striking evidence OF the
productiveness of Georgia soil. espec-
tally when manipulated by farmer
from the central part Of the great
Empire State Of New York.-Moses
Folsom.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02
EGGS AND EXERCISE.

The hens to lay we'll in cold weather
must have plenty of exercise. If they
are to be confined. give them a deep
litter Of straw to scratch in. and place
the grain feed in this straw so they
will scratch. Inactive hens will not
lay. 1t is good, plan on the farm to
allow the chickens the run Of all the
barn and stables during the day. They
will do no damage at this time and
will secure lot Of feed. that would
otherwise go to waste. In securing, 1t
they will be compelled to exercise.
which will promote laying. Also. the
barn is a dry. warm place for fowls in
winter. and dryness and warmth are
great factors in their health and pro-
ductiveness. They can easily be shut
out Of the barn at night.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02
SORGHUM.

Sorghum is q canelike grass with
the stature and habit of broomcorn,
or Of the table varieties Of Indian corn,
but more slender than the latter, with
out ears and Of glaucous hue.
Sorghum Is cultivated throughout
Africa, chiefly for the sweet juices Of
the cane. In the United States it has
been employed for many years to
make syrup, for which purpose It Is
more or less grown in every state. 1t
has also been the subject of much
experiment in sugar-making.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02

=. .Uorn can be placed in any part of
the crib. 1t.5$$ "a. ...
corn will, run into the, hopper Of the
elevator. which is operatedsb horse
power. The work Of changing the
team is matter of very few mo-
ments. -
The use Of these elevators is becom-
Ing general throughout the corn belt
The farm workmen are, in many cases,
'>~fusing to work on a farm which
Aces not have one of these elevators.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02

The Importance and value OF the
silo In furnishing succulent food for
dairy cows ana other farm animals
is now being more generally appre-
ciated. Only a trial Is necessary to
convlnee stock raisers that silage Is an
economical feed for the production Of
beef a. well a. for the production of
milk. silage when included in the
ration for steers makes It more pal
atable. and in this manner IS an active
agent in bringing about more rapid
gains Also In many cases we'll pre-
served silase has been found cheap
and successful feed for sheep. swine
md ,hoYSes -.tat' Il sI<Iit7. g$.sr
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02

uniformly distributed through the
mass Of plaster. When enough plaster
has been added the resulting mixture
should be dry. pinkish brown pow,
der having fairly strong carbolic
odor and a rather less pronounced gas
|oline odor. 9TrE 81
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02

tho occupants were thrown out and
some were badly injured. Satisfied
with wrecking the machine, tho bull
went his way with dignity and did not
deign to attack any Of the members
Of the sheriff's family.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02

. I II
face. The first loss may b reduced
by using non-conducting wall in the
silo. and the second BY preventing the
ciculation Of air above the silage IN
the silo. &.s&
Any kind Of an air space will par
TALLY prevent freezing, depending up
on how little the air circulates In this
space and also upon how much con-
Quoting material 10 required to tic the
outer and inner walls together.
The King and 0ueler sllos were
among the frst to make use Of an afr
space to prevent loss Of heat through
tho walls, but the air spaces were 20
deep that circulation Of air from the
top to tho bottom Of the wall was
quite free and readily transmittsd heat
from wall to wall in this manner.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02

and then add the proper amount of
water-for potatoes 200 gallons of
water, and for peaches 800 gallons. 1
Arsenate Of lead is a com bina ton
of arsenic and acetate of lead and is
better than Paris green, because it
sticks to the foliage, better, will mot
burn the leaves, and remains in sus-