The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-01-14
JoTTiN0s FROM THE
GAGE OF EVEN PINES
Multiplicity Of Matters Treated In !
Most Entertaining and
Philosophical Way.

nails on telephone poles for the con.
venience OF automobile travel. are
progressive, and serve as q lesson to
legislatures as to the improvement OF
our common roads. The auto car sys-
tenn is far in advance of our common
highway government.
G. Walter Barr kindly sends me
Water Power Bulletins 2 and 8, and
these complete my list Of the bulletins
issued to date. These publications are
ct great value as affairs of history,
and are fine In artistic and literary
composition. A set OF them Is a COM
| pedium of mechanical information
and models of picture scenery.
J. P. Huston, who moved from Mont
rose to Wayland, last summer, tells
me that his sales of fruit trees and
ornamental plants in our county was
larger last year than In any previous
year, by great per centage. Mr.. Hus-
| ton and family are located In our coun-
lty as special salesman for the Mont
rose nursery company, and thus our
citizens will be served with first class
trees.
1t is well to have several good air
castles in view for easy entertainment,
and expect the castles to assume real
form and character The good Rev.
Dewitt Talmage said that 1t is we'll
to possess a few castles of this order.
provided good foundations are placed
under them. One little fancy have
Is of geographical, geological, scien-
/ tific, historical composition, and one
of enlightenment to the public. Along
| in May I should like to begin a voyage
on the Des Moines, the post Of depar-
iture being the city of Des Moines.
The means of transportation would be
a good, capEcious row boat, with tent,
some scientific instruments, and an
old Des Moines river boat pilot and
captain for company. have an ac-
quaintance OF this class, and he Is
qualified with years of river expert
ence dating before the civil war and
up in the sixties. Some two or three
weeks would be devoted to the voy-
age, and daily history made OF the
| journey. All along the Des Moines are
affairs Of Importance to the general
people, and these records should re-
ceive attention and some order of
preservation.
The tri-counties of Hancock, Lee
and Clark are to be congratulated as
having in their territory so valuable a
publication as the American Bee Jour
nal, which is now located in Hamilton.
This is a reliable and able paper,
Astounding in information on the sub
ject of bee keeping in general. To
read the American Bee Journal Is a
delight, and is an interesting and re-
filming study. include bees with the
birds. II only one colony of bees are
kept on the farm, the owner should
have the Bee Journal.
The Country Gentleman magazine
has good motto 1t Gays that bird
in the orchard is worth hundred in
cages.
| At present there is great calm In
| the political zone, and the uneasy
politicians are taking a rest. Some of
them are taking Offices, also. The
| little sputtering asteroids, LaFollette,
| Bryan, Debs, Roosevelt and smaller,
| luminaries have become less volcanic.
A few bright and sensible comets IL
Illuminating the sky Of craftsmanship
would be relief and solace. Oh.
I fDr 80
lotto American statesmen OF the char
acter of John Adams, George Wash
Eington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Frank
! lin, Abraham Lincoln style.
Our country is now on trial to sus-
tain itself in certain commodities,
especially certain lines of food sup.
rlies. For years the American pro-
6ucers rested easy In the knowledge
that yields of the chief bread grains
We're in excess OF home requirements
Gradually new conditions came on
and demands became heavier Cities
and towns outranked the rural battal
ions, and the farmers are now under
orders to hurry forward every supply
available. The United States depart
ment of agriculture reports that of all
4 the states eSst of the Mississippi riv-
er. only one state, Delaware, produced
its own bread. The great empires of
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wis
consin and Iowa will be forced to Inn
port wheat. The statement is that for
four years Iowa has grown less wheat
than it consumed. Thereupon is the
necessity OF the United States being
compelled TO ask largely for commod-
titles from certain foreign countries.
The soap-bubble claim OF getting
alcng without the aid or consent OF
foreign nations, must have sailed
away to the higher clouds.
Good democratic authority. Mr..
! Underwood, states that as soon as his
party gets in good working order,
they will revise the tariff ard reduce
duties on everything from agate to
zinc. Well. that's a battle which will
require the valor of King Leonidas or
j Alexander of Macedon character. Mr..
Underwood will find the forests and
prairies we'll populated with protection