davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11
VARIOUS DEMENT'S AND THEIR USES
By s. b. TTTTERINGTON.

ments firm. 1t can also be used to
mend cracks in iron vessels.
A cement not affected by coal Oil.
and therefore especially useful for
fastening tops on lamps is made by
boiling together one part caustic
soda, three parts resin,. five parts
water. Stir in half the weight of
plaster of paris. This will harden in
about forty minutes
It seems probable that the litharge
cement would mend cracks in a stove
successfully. One method, however,
which is Of proven efficacy, Is to nix
three teaspoonfuls of salt and one
pint wood ashes with sufficient water
to make stiff paste. Fill the crack
with the mixture when the stove Is
hot.
| Wall cracks may be mended in two
ways. Stir whiting into a mixture Of
equal parts Of water and salicylate Of
soda until of consistency to spread.
Apply with a knife, let harden for
fifteen minutes, and smooth off, Or
mix plaster of paris with vinegar in
, stead Of water. 4.
AS 1t will not set for fifteen minutes,
1t can be smoothed off before it is
hard.
Granite ware is difficult to mend,
but several successful methods have
been found. Shellac varnish poured
over thin places in granite ware, and
the vessel held over the fire to thor
oughly harden the shellac, will greatly
lengthen the usefulness of the leaky
dish.
Another way to mend small holes In
tin ware, granite ware, etc., is to
place the vessel to be mended upon a
hot stove; put small piece Of sealing
wax over the hole and let 1t melt-not
only melt but burn into the ware
Cool gradually.
One woman reports mending a zinc
tub in this way. Another woman had
large granite pail which had been in
service eight years. A hole came in
the bottom, the metal foundation
having rusted.
She mixed some plaster of paris
with water. dropped little over the
hole and over each rusted spot. When
this was set, she turned the pail over
and put more Of the plaster on the
other side.
When she reported the matter the
mended pail had been In constant
use for several months. Probably,
however, it was not used as a cooking
vessel. ......
The mending of fine china and glass
has also been solved. One formula
given is as follows:
Take plaster of paris and gum ara
bic. make a thick solution, and brush
the edges Of your broken china with
1t, using small paint brush, and set
it away to dry. after carefully uniting
the broken edges.
It will be firm and strong. With
care. the dish will last for years.
Do not use soap In washing these
mended pieces, but make tepid suds
of good soap and rain water.
Another strong cement for crockery
is lime and the white of an egg. Take
enough Of the egg to mend one article
at time; shave off enough lime to
mix we'll.
Apply quickly to the broken edges,
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR POTATO SEED

| Purity of variety and freedom from
disease are the two most important
factors in determining the value Of
potato seed. These can be secured
only by careful inspection. There are
few simple rules which, If carefully
>observed, will surely result in better
yields, better quality and better prices.
1t Is foolish practice, not to say a
very expensive one to plant potatoes
! that are not up to the standard in
| quality. 1t is a waste of time and
oney and only results in a loss of
| most or all of ones crop.
Now is the time to improve your
| seed potatoes for next year. AS the
crop is growing and as it natures this
year, watch it most carefully; select
the choicest plants and the potatoes
from these for next years use.
The following are few of the ways
by which you may improve your po-
tato seed. By cooperating with your
neighbors in securing pure seed which
can be obtained from the most reli-
able growers. BY planting, this foun-
dalton stock by itself where twill
not be mixed with other varieties.
BY learning the vine and tuber
characteristics of the variety you
plant. By discarding as seed all hills
which do not have these character
istics. .--
BY selecting seed for next year on
the field at digging time this year.
BY organizing the growers dealers
and others in your community who
are interested in the development and
tiny nf re RI ir6
Many people are acquainted only
istics of the different varieties of po-
ties are: Early Ohio: an extra
early and popular market variety.
Also in strong demand for seed.
Early Rose, medium early, vigorous
grower. particularly popular for
sandy loan soils. Triumph, an early
maturing variety in strong demand
as seed for southern truck markets.
Irish Cobbler, growers in many Sec
tons specialize on this standard east
ern white variety for seed trade.
Among the late potatoes. the Rural
New Yorker is leading commercial
variety which is being adopted as
standard in many community centers.
The Burbank is a wellknown variety
which is we'll adapted to new and
we'll drained soils.
The Peerless is commonly known
in western states as the Pearl. This
variety is we'll adapted to sandy soils.
The Green Mountain is another
good late. potato which Is rapidly in
creasing in favor. ra
It is greatly to the advantage of
every grower to learn all about the
stock he intends to raise. Set high
standard and work for improvement
every season. The results will be
gratifying and profitable.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11

Some time ago the writer in an
article on cultural studies OF the
Montreal market muskmelon, showed
that the commercial culture or the
famous Montreal melon Is confined
almost wholly to small group OF
growers near Montreal, Canada. 1t
was also pointed out that. while
large proportion of these melons were
marketed in Boston. New York, Phila-
delphia and other large eastern cities
at extremely remunerative prices.
practically no effort was being made
by American gardeners to meet this
demand More recent observations
have confirmed these statements, and.
in addition, have shown that notwith-
standing the fact that the Montreal
growers have for the past few years
received from ten to eighteen dollars
dozen wholesale for their melons.
they have not as yet succeeded in sup
plying the demand. The writer was
informed five years ago by one Of the
best growers that he had a ten year
contract with leading New York
City hotel, which agreed to take every
first class melon he raised. This par
ticular case is cited in order to dis
play the keen demand which exists
among high class hotels and restau-
rants for this variety of melon during
the season in which it is on the mar
ket.
The high prices which these melons
command, and their restricted pro-
duction notwithstanding the high
prices, are doubtless due to the fact
that greater skill is demanded and
closer attention to details is neces-
sary to success than when other va
rieties are grown. Furthermore, glass
sash and frames are needed. Then
again, the Montreal grower conf
IDENTIFY believes that this particular
sort Of melon can be successfully
grown only on certain types Of soil on
the island of Montreal. This belief
seems to have this much basis in
fact. that while occasionally grown
elsewhere high favored melons have
not commonly been produced save by
Montreal growers; indeed flavor has
usually been lacking.
The crop is a remunerative one,
when conditions favor. From $1,000
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11
BY VIM. STUART.

to $4,000 per acre are not unusual re-
turns. Mr.. U. s. Blair estimates an
average crop at $2,250 per acre, with
operating expenses, including interest
on investment and depreciation, Of
$780, One grower informed the
writer that his average sales from
seven to eight acres was in the vicinity
Of $4,000.
These melons vary greatly in size.
The writer was informed by one COM
mission house that it had purchased
melon Weighing A. pounds; and he
personally saw one weighing %
pounds which had been selected by
the grower for seed purposes.
The average weight Of No. / melons
ranges from to Is pounds, with q
mean weight of about 10 pounds;
that is to say. a dozen melons packed
for shipment, will weigh on an aver
age from 120 to 100 pounds. In ex-
ceptional cases some have been ship
ped weighing 240 pounds per dozen
package. AS rule the larger melons,
those weighing 20 pounds and up
wards. do not possess the quality Of a
perfect specimen weighing from to
is pounds
There seems to be two distinct
types Of melons under cultivation,
one of which is roundish oblate, the
other more or less oblong, the first
type being slightly deeper ribbed than
the latter. These two types do not
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11
Deep Burrows
BY GUM.

During harvest the corner store
discussion of the best way to save the
crop is an excellent example Of how
to waste time.
A moderately stable stomach-ache
Is not too much to pay for all the
water melon you can eat
The weeds growing Justify along
the fence may be good evidence Of
the fertility Of your farm, but what
about the kind of farming?
When you are allowing yourself to
drift with the wind, you may not
know where you are going. but every
one else can guess.
After all it is what you get out Of
the farm that tells whether or not you
are real farmer.
The advantage of the party line
phone is that when talking over
family affairs one is always assured an
audience.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11
THE FALSE TARNISHED PLANT-BUG AS PEAR PEST

however, is the piercing Of the young
pears which later become much
Scared and misshapen. The young
nymph thrusts its proboscis deeply
into the substance of the tiny pear and
on withdrawing it, sap flows from the
puncture. The sap dries leaving a
blackish spot When the fruits have
become as large as filberts they are
conspicuously marked with hard,
granular spots Of irregular shapes,
varying in size from a pin-prick to
one-quarter of an inch. BY cutting
into the fruit one will find hard,
f1inty areas which form cores in the
flesh. Occasionally a number of the
diseased spots may coalesce, produc-
ing large crack which extends deeply
into the pear. Severely injured fruit,
besides being badly deformed, may be
stunted in growth, which seriously af-
fects its market value. The Bartlett
pear, which is one of the most de-
sirable varieties, is especially subject
to attack. ~
Woodland shrubs and weeds, along
roadsides and fences afford very con-
genial surroundings for this insect,
as for many others. The fact that
this pest breeds very abundantly on
wild grapes and to certain extent on
sumach suggests the desirability of
destroying these plants when they ex-
list in the immediate vicinity of pear
orchard.
At the agricultural station of New
York, experiments have demonstrated
that in spraying tobacco extract GO
per cent nicotine) (Black Leaf 40), in
the proportion Of pint of the extract
to 100 gallons Of water, to which has
been added 3 pounds of soap. has
given the most satisfactory results of
any of the various spray mixtures
which have been tried. AS there Is
danger of burning pear foliage by
drenching the trees with lime-sulphur,
treatment with the nicotine and soap
to combat this pest Is recommended
P. ]. PARROT and H. E. Hodgkiss.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11

then hold them firmly together and
the broken piece will soon become
strong.
For fine glass ware dissolve one part
india rubber in chloroforrl, then add
sixteen parts gum mastfc in powdered
form.
Let the mixture stand for several
days. shaking frequently: Apply to
the broken edges of the glass with
fine brush.
An emergency solder which may
help in case of a sudden leak In water
pipes where 1t is not possible to get
plumber in a hurry, is made by mixing
yellow soap and whiting with enough
water to make a thick paste. Apply
it to the leak. 1t will answer tempo
rarily as we'll as solder.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11

TITS sad fact that in this old worlt
~ ours things will wear out and breal
into holes. Accidents will occur caus
ing the destruction Of many valuet
treasure. This Is a cause great los
and inconvenience. But the ingenuity
of man land woman) has devised
number of CLUES and cements rol
mending breaks and holes. and thus
prolonging the life o. many a usefu
and ornamental household article.
First on the list is a handy glue
not This is made from a heavy
earthenware coffee cup. is always
ready for heating and saves many
dimes for repairs.
A few cents invested in f1sh-glue
will furnish a years supply. Place
teaspoonful in the cup, half fill with
water, simmer slowly on the back OF
the range; when of the consistency OF
double cream it is ready for heavy
cementing, such as leather or wood.
BY adding little water. it can be
thinned and reheated an innumerable
number of times 1t is best to set the
little "glue-pot" in dish Of hot water
for heating. :
A sweet smelling glue always ready
for Immediate use may be made as
follows: Take one pound Of common
glue, put in a vessel with one and one
half pints Of salt water and allow to
soften.
Then one-tenth pound Of salicylate
of soda is added and the whole dis
solved together by heating.
This is a cheap gum substitute and
useful for all household purposes. 1t
is a strong cement and remains
liquid.
Add little Of the oil Of cloves or
sassafras to give it a perfume and
keep 1t In summer
Here Is very valuable formula
be used in making or mending aquari-
ums. or things Of that sort. This &C.
ment contai.s nothing injurious to
either animals or plants. and will re-
sist the action Of both fresh and salt
water.
Take one part by measure. say
gill, of litharge; one gill plaster of
paris, one gill Of dry, white sand. one
third Of gill of finely powdered resin:
sift and keep tightly corked until re-
CURED for use. when it is to be made
into putty by mixing in boiled lin
seed oil. with a little patent dryer
added.
Never use it after it has been mixed
with the oil over fifteen hours. The
tank can be used Immediately, if
essary. but 1t is better to give it
three Of four hours to dry.
Litharge is useful in still other ce-
ments. Mixed with glycerine to the
consistency of thick cream or thin
putty, It makes a cement that will join
wood, metal or earthenware. and stand
the action of ether hot or cold water,
as we'll as strong heat.
It must have time to harden fully
never less than a week, and will be
found excellent for fastening loose
lamps, mending leaks in wash boilers,
o. leaky joints in wood.
It will also tighten loose nuts. Sc
cure bolts where nuts ar, missing, and
make Joints of iron or wood imple-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11
KEEPING FOOD IN SUMMER

While people should be careful
about the condition of the food they
eat at all seasons Of the year, they
should be particularly watchful dur
ing the summer months. In hot
weather. bacteria multiply far more
| rapidly than In cold weather and pro-
duce chemical changes In some foods
which greatly lessen their nutritive
value and often make them UNIT for
human consumption. Unfortunately.
there Is no quick, absolute, simple.
practical way Of determining the
presence Of hurtful bacilli in foods or
of obtaining positive evidence Of the
existence Of ptomaines. The average
family does not have the delicate ap-
paratus needed for these tests. nor
the skill to detect these micro-organ-
isms.
The housewife will find eyes and
nose the safest practical detectives Of
Gle has any suspicion of an unusual
odor or looks abnormal, 1t should be
avoided. People eating in doubtful
restaurants should be particularly
careful about meats or fish cooked
with a highly spiced or aromatic
sauce which might disguise a bad
taste or warning odor. Only sweet
smelling, clean food should be eaten
Spotted. green. Shiny. or frothy raw
meat, or meat which Is soft in spots
also should be regarded with sus-
picion. Taste Of course is a supple
mentary test, but one to be used after
eyes, nose, and fingers. A mother be-
fore she allows her child to eat any,
thing, should examine it carefully in a
good light, smell it. and finally taste
1t.
Milk particularly deteriorates rapid
ly under summer heat, especially If
1t already contains bacteria. House
wives, therefore, should see to it that
their milk after being left by the
milkman does not stand for any length
Of time on a hot back porch or stoop
before 1t is put in the ice-box. Milk
bottles should be kept closed. both in
the ice-box and out of it. If there Is
any doubt at all as to the excellence
of the local milk supply. pasteurize
all milk.
All foods should be kept covered or
Of flies, which are deadly carriers of
typhoid. All vessels, pitchers. ETC..
in which food is to be stored should
first be scalded. Food should be
handled as little as possible. The ice
box, especially its drain pipe, should
be cleaned thoroughly and frequently
with boiling water and washing soda,
and given an occasional airing. A
persistent battle should be waged
against flies in all parts Of the home.
uncooked foods as general propo-
sition should be avoided. Children
should not. be allowed to eat the skins
of fruits, especially fruits which have
been exposed to flies or street dirt or
stands or push-carts.
Those who go away for vacation
should not get the idea that every
thing in, summer resort or strange
city is necessarily pure and whole
some. The danger of typhoid fever in
country resorts is very great. Many
Of the cases of typhoid fever recorded
in the fall in cities where the water is
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11
Montreal melon weighing 22.5 pounds

seem to be separated out by any o.
the growers, in fact when the question
was put to a grower as to which typa
he selected for seed purposes his reply
was almost invariably that he selected
from both, provided the qualities oil
netting. solidity, thickness and flavor
Of flesh were satisfactory. AS none OF
the growers interviewed made prac-
tice of hand fertilization of me1on-
intended for seed purposes, It is not
at all certain that either of these
types is fixed.
Interesting information regarding
seed saving was obtained from one OF
the growers visited. This party re.
moves the seed melon from the vine
at about the time it begins to separate
from the stem, and keeps it in an ordi'
nary room temperature In dry place
until 1t is fully ripe. Then. to avoid
the loss of the melon. tWo-inch
square section is cut out, the seeds
shaken out the removed section re-
fitted into place and sealed in with
gum label, after which process 1t !!
ready for shipment. The party tt
whom the shipment is consigned, be-
ing advised that seeds have been re-
moved from one or more melons X
certain packages, is on the lookout
for them and loses no time In placina
them in the hands Of the consumer
The grower receives full price TO!
such melons and thus secures without
loss to himself his future seed supply.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11

| pure had their origin In water or
contaminated substances drunk or
eaten at some summer resort. insist
on boiled water. II you absolutely
cannot get boiled water, make very
sure about the reputation of springs
wells or tap water. Refuse absolutely
to take any water that comes from a
! source near an clubhouse or stable. or
IN neighborhood where fever IL at
all prevalent.
Boiled water can be made .iust as
palatable as unboiled water. The nat
taste which boiled water has soon
after it has been boiled is due to tho
fact that boiling drives out of II tho
air which 1t held in solution: II the
water after boiling is put in scalded
shallow open pans and allowed to
stand for "a hours where flies or dirt
cannot get at 1t, 1t will regain Its air
and have its usual taste restored by
the second day.
Finally 1t is particularly important
in summer that people should not be
misled into believing that the label
Guaranteed under the Food and
Drugs Act" on cans and packages
means that the government has tested
these foods and pronounced them pure
and desirable. The government does
not make the guarantee. The guar
antee is made wholly by the manufac-
turer, and means no more than when
your own corner grocer guarantees
that the sugar he weighs out for you
Is all right. Examine goods labeled
"guaranteed' just as carefully as any
other kind
A possible source Of danger in the
home. but one frequently overlooked.
would seem to be the pet animals OF
the household. The fur of even the
most clearly cats and dogs must come
in contact with many things which we
would not care to have touch our
food In many families where the
animals are not allowed in the living
rooms for fear Of soiling the furnitur".
they are given free range in kitchen
and pantry. where the chances are
they will leave more or less loose hair
and dirt and which may find its way
to food utensils or to food.
A word should also be said regal
ing animal pests. Rats and mice 80
regarded by all housewives as dest-""-
tive and disagreeable In every W" :.
and no one cares to eat food VII !
they have touched. Traces # TO
presence of mice may sometimes .
noted in cereals and other foods 81"
in open boxes and similar contain -
in markets and shops which are CO."
less in such matters. This susee $
another reason for keeping surr
foods In glass jars or tin cans "r
similar receptacles in shops and =
the pantry and astorerooT. In az =
ton to the food which they destrn"
and the pecuniary loss involved, rHff
and mice are a menace to health.
they are known to be carriers Of q :
ease. Bubonic plague. diDhthe y
and many other similar diseases n'y
be communicated by rats.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11

responsible for serious injuries to
young pears The destructive activi-
ties of the insects occur during the
period coincidental with the conclu-
sion of pollination and the formation
of the fruit. -
In it's attacks upon pears. this in
sect apparently shows preference at
first for the tender leaves, attacking
those that are unrolled along the mar
gins of the fold. The tissues about
the points of injury turn black. and
if the punctures are numerous. more
or less extensive areas along the mar
gins of the leaf shrivel and become
dry. The dead portion later becomes
detached from the healthy tissues by
the whipping of the wind, which may
cause the affected foliage to assume a
ragged or frayed appearance.
The principal injury by this insect,
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11

During some seasons, pears in New
York and other Eastern States are
affected ~ a diseased condition char
acterrzed by the cracking open Of the
skin in small spots and the formation
of protruding granular areas. Fruits
seriously injured are usually much de-
formed and understood. Investiga-
tions have demonstrated that these in
juries are caused by sucking plant
bug-hygus invitus. The damage is
done by the nymphs, which attack
both pear fruit and foliage.
The insect has five nymphal stages.
The nymphs of the first two stages are
pale, fragile creatures which are very
active and subsist largely on the juices
of the tender foliage. In the older
stages they are more sedentary and
attack both leaves and fruits. The
habit of feeding in restricted areas Is
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11
NOTES OF THE POULTRY YARD.

The richer the fowls ration in pro-
tein the more water will be required
in digestion.
Grit enables the gizzard to prepare
the food for digestion.
Abundance without variety will
wear the breeding stock out quickly.
Good feeding sometimes consists
more in utilizing waste products and
cheap feeds than in getting larger re-
suits.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11
NOTES OF THE sHEEPFoLD.

Whenever a farmer can be induced
to take pride in the animals he pro-
duces he is on the right road.
When the lambs are weaned the
ewes should be kept on nutritious ra-
lions in order to prepare them for the
next breeding season.
Some farmers follow the practice OF
allowing the ewes to shift for them
selves after they have weaned their
lambs. This results In perturbation
ot breeding time.