davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-09-29

The new Invention was 2
! from LiYerpoQL
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
BOOK KNOWLEDGE HELPS.

I'm spite of the fact that agricul.
ture is unique among occupations in
that 1t can he engaged In without
ones first attaining any particular ex-
perience," writes Bolton Hall in his
book "A Little Land and Living
there is ample room for the knowl-
edge learned Of colleges-and. more
over, agricultural colleges cannot fall
to benefit both the present and the
prospective farmer.
MANY successful farmers Of tle
present day. however, began farming
with little knowledge. They had. Of
course, to meet the occasional JOS
ing of the country bred. but they
bore this in good part and picked up
kno Wedge and skill with the pluck
of the tenderfoot Of the western plains.
They have not found that an academic
course of study or book learning In adj
vance was necessary for q start as a
successful. farmer, such as Is required
Of the beginner ir law. medicine, etc.,
but still they found that they were
engaged in profession where kno'"l-
edge is power. just as in everything
else.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
BY VIM. STUART.

cent mixture he has sustained a los.
of from 3 to "A barrels. or to 9
barrels If 10 per cent mixture was
present Usually the price of early
potatoes ranges from SO to IS per
barrel, the highest price being OBJ
tanned for the first lots harvested.
Assuming that the first half Of his
crop is marketed at an average price
Of - barrel, allowing 40 per cent of
the gross receipts for production,
package. transportatio and commits
sion charges. the grower has sus-
tanned a net money loss Of $3.50 to
s21.6O per acre.
Comparatively little attention has as
yet been given to the subject Of the
productiveness or unproductiveness Of
certain strains of plants within a
variety. It is believed that this is q
very important factor in the produce
ton Of large yields, as In any variety.
If studied closely. many unproductive
plants may be found.
The superiority OF immature over
mature tubers for seed purposes Is
not as yet recognized by the American
potato grower. The European grow
ers. on the other hand. have long real
lied that, other things being equal,
larger crops can be produced from
immature seed than from mature seed.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
VARIATION In THE COMPOSITION OF MILK

rich milk at one period her milk
will be Of good quality at all times,
unless she is badly neglected or DIS
eased. Feed has a much greater in
fluence upon the quantity of milk pro-
duced than upon it quality.
The first milk given after calving is
called colostrun. It contains large
proportion of albuminoids and is
som ewhat laxative. 1t is not fit for
food. In natural milk small amount
Of albumin is present, but in colo
strun the albumin often exceeds the
amount of casein, and these two con-
stituents may form over Is per cent
Of the milk. The percentage Of sugar
In celostrun is low: the fat is normal.
The composition Of colostrun changes
rapidly, and within a few days after
birth Of the calf natural milk Is given.
After this the percentage Of fat In the
milk from any COW varies more or less
from day to day. even IT her feed. care
and general treatment are always.
alike. The causes of sudden changes
are not always known: in fact. the fat
often seems to increase or decrease
without any cause. Sometimes the
fat content changes 80 per cent within
twenty-four hours. In well-regulated
diaries each COW is MIXED ten months
of the year; the remainder Of the year
she is dry" - - '' &
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
GREAT CHANGES IN RECENT
YEARS.

The last twenty-five years have been
the greatest transformation period the
world has ever knoWn-and have
brought as great changes in country
as In city life. Even on farms remote
from towns and cities, telephone and
telegraphic communication, and the
later boon, rural free delivery, have
come to keep their residents in close
and constant communication with the
outside world These have annihilated
distance for the farmer OF today.
What a difference is there in reap
ing, grading. raklng. binding, and
moving, even in planting, from the
days Of old! The atiquated methods,
to succeed with which a man had to
get up at o'clock in the morning and
work until long after "early candle
light" are responsible for much of the
ignorance Of city people in regard to
the farm life Of this day. What
drudgery used to be entailed on the
women Of the farm, which is now
done away with by all kinds Of modern
Improvements in their work.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19

The proportion Of constituents IN
milk depends largely upon the kind
Of cows used. Jerseys and Guernseys
produce a rich milk, on which the
cream rises quickly and completely;
this is decided advantage to those
who wish to raise cream. If milk is to
be used whole, 1t is not always an ad-
vantage to have the cream separate
too soon. Durham and Ayrshire
COWS give milk of an average duality
from which the cream rises slowly,
and on this account they are some
times said to be good "milkman's
cows Holstein milk usually has a
small proportion of fat or cream, but
some families Of these "black and
whites supply product of most ex-
cellent quality. The Holstein cows
are noted for producing enormous
quantities Of milk.
Although these statements refer to
purebred cows of the d different breeds
nam ed, they also apply to grade AMI
mails having one-half or more OF the
blood Of these breeds. All cows of
the same breed do not give milk of
the same quality; in fact, the compost
ton Of milk from cows Of the sam Q
breed may vary as much as that from
COWS OF different breeds. AS a rule.
however, similarly bred cows, under
like conditions. give about the same
quality of milk at corresponding
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
BENEFIT FROM GROWING LEG
LUMINOUS A Nd NON-LEGUM-
INOUS PLANTS TOGETHER.

1t has long been known that some
plants are benefited and some are in
jured by association. Association
seems to be especially beneficial In
case Of leguminous plants (peas
clover, etc. and cereals or grasses
Recent Investigations throw new light
on the reasons for this beneficial ef-
feet. It appears that the leguminous
plants not only gather nitrogen from
the atmosphere by means of their
rOOt-tu bercle bacteria and are there
fore able to make a large growth. but
that some of the nitrogen so gathered
is passed on to the grain, grass, or
other non-leguminous plant associated
with 1t.
The result is larger growth Of the
nonlegume and also higher content
of protein, or heterogeneous material
which considerably increases it's value
a9 food for stock. Such benefit has
been noted from the growth of clover
and timothy. alfalfa and timothy. and
oats and peas. Other mbinations
have not been studied. The increased
growth OF plants in combination over
that Of single crops, together with the
improved composition Of the former
crease Of more than 80 per cent in the
production Of protein per acre. This
increased value probably extends to
the roots and stems left in the soil
and means much in the production Of
food for stock and in soil improve
ment.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19

II has long been observed that
many young Seeding plants grow
more rapidly and with greater vigor
in tin cans than in ordinary florists
pots. In order to obtain further infor-
nation on this subject and to deter
mine the cause OF the difference In
growth. set of experiments was car
ried out. by the writer. the general
results Of which will be given here.
Young uniform seedlings were plant
ed in 10 cans and also in 10 pots.
Five Of the cans and five Of the pots
were coated with parafflne to elimin-
ate any effect which the containers
themselves might have on plant
growth. The same amount of soil
was used and the treatment as to
watering was uniform and the same
care was given to each. The plants
were as near uniform as possible at
the start. At two months Of age the
plants In two of the pots, more porous
than the rest were 31a inches high.
those In the three medium porous pots
~ inches, those In the parafflne pots
~ inches. those in the paraftlne tins
eN inches, those in the untreated tins
IN inches. The height and vigor Of
the plants showed a regular series Of
gradations, increasing in size as the
creased.
The great advantage Of using tin
cans rather than porous pots seems to
rest IN the fact that in tins 1t Is easier
to maintain a nearly constant moist
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
Dry rot of potato.

IT. weight When planted these are
quartered. as dropped, into four equal
parts. This is done by splitting the
bud-eye cluster in each direction from
seed to stem end. In other words the
tuber Is cut lengthwise. All tubers
showing discolorations of the flesh or
other evidence of disea~e should be
rejected. Plant the four pieces Of
each tuber consecutively in row at a
distance Of from 10 to IL inches apart
in the furrow. BY allowing more
space between each set Of four pieces,
each tuber is isolated from adjoining
ones and the grower can readily OBJ
serve any variation in vigor and uni
form'4y between the various units
planted. All mixtures should at once
be removed. BY marking those which
are most uniform in size. vigor and
type when the plants are growing, the
first step in selection has been accom-
plished.' At digging time the product
OF each unit is separately harvested
and a further selection made from
those which most nearly approach the
size, shape and smoothness desired.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
GOOD SEED POTATOES AND HOW TO GROW THEM
During 1901 ~ Inclusive the Acre Potato Yield Both Germany
Bushels While the United Was Not 90 Bushels
We Much to Learn About PotatoG

Results OF experiments conducted IN
England show gain In favor OF lmma-
ture seed OF more than 100 per cent
for table stock.
Uniformity Of size and shape -
quality which should receive more
thought. and strains Of potatoes giving
the greatest yield Of fair-sized. shapely
tubers should be cultivated. 1t is par
ticularly important at present that
such strains be developed. because
there Is an increasing demand for
fancy table stock to satisfy the re-
quirements Of a large and discrimin-
ating class OF consumers who are In
slsting on greater uniformity in size
and shape and are willing to pay more
for such potatoes.
The simplest and surest means Of
developing high-grade seed potatoes
is that Of the tuber-unit and hill-selec-
ton methods. The tuber-unit method
consists in selecting from the seed bin
a number of the most perfectly
shaped tubers of from 6 to 8 ounces
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
Stem Rot Fungus.

The importance of securing pure
seed of given variety is best appre-
ciated by the southern truck grower
who at the present time is practically
dependent on northe rn grown seed
potatoes for his early crop. 1t fire.
quently haprens that seed potatoes
have anywhere from 5 to 10 per cent.
or even more. of mixture. Generally
this mixture Is Of much later matur-
ing variety. The trucker plants this
seed very early. At this season OF the
year there Is little warmth in the
soil; hence. the later maturing varie-
ties are slower in starting into
growth. The result is an uneven
termination and few, If any, tubers
of the later varieties which may be
included in the mixed seed. are ready
for the early market. The grower
aims to harvest as soon as most OF the
tubers have reached a merchandise
size 1t requires little imagination to
see that the grower IS direct loser in
proportion to the amount Of mixture
in the seed planted. If his yield is 60
to go barrels per acre. with per
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
PARASITIC DISEASES.

Parasitic diseases have caused ser
Ious losses among oUr dom este ami
mails and are often diagnosed 5 some
other malady showing similar symp-
toms. Heavy rainfall serves to con-
vsy eggy and young worms from place
70 place. Animals pastured on low
ground or on infested ground are quite
liable to parasitic diseases.
Medicine is often of little value in
dealing with parasites. AS soon as a
dangerous parasite appears on farm
the healthy animals should be removed
to high ground and allowed only pure
water to drink. Pastures and yards
here Infected animals have been kept
should lie planted with cultivated
crops for seve al years, lnfeste ami
mails should have dry feed at frequent
intervals and access to salt at all
Lines.
Carcasses diseased animals must
b burned or deeply hur:ed.-W. L..
Royd.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
COUNTRY VS.. CITY.

The modern farm house, with its
labor saving appliances, its piano, its
books and magazines, its compare
lively short hours of toll, and its mani
fold interests, Is an unknown quantity
to the city woman, who thinks she is
comfortable in a small fiat, where she
is under the dominion OF the cook and
the janitor.
The average city dweller Is afraid,
perhaps. Of the drudgery and long
hours which undoubtedly prevail on
the farm. But the drudgery on the
farm is not like the drudgery of the
city, which has a twin suffering. 1t is
mistake to think that the farmer
works longer hours at harder work
than the man in the city. There are
thousands Of people in our large cities
who would be infinitely better off,
morally. physically, and financially,
making a living in the country by no
harder work and without the misery
involved in cheap living in the cities,
where good, healthful foods are we'll
nigh beyond the meager allowance OF
the workingman's scanty purse.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
How to Prepare
Spray Mixtures

Arsenate Of Lead: 3 parts Of arsen
ate of soda, 7 parts Of arsenate OF
lead: or take Is pounds Of arsenate
Of lead dissolved in Is gallons of
water. IS pounds acetate Of lead dis
solved In IS gallons Of water. Four
the two together into a third vessel.
Use from four to six gallons OF this for
100 gallons Of water: or. IL desired,
use 100 gallons Of bordeaux mixture
In place of the water.
Paris Green: 1 pound to $50 or 200
gallons Of water, 2 pounds lime, to
ounces to SO gallons bordeaux; 1
pound to 20 pounds as a dry spray for
cabbage. ETC., l pound to 40 pounds
lima dust
Kerosene Emulsion: Il pound Of
soap. l gallon water, 2 gallons kero-
sene.
Dissolve tho soap in water over the
hre. Remove from the fire and add
the kerosene. Stir violently Use one
part Of emulsion to eight to fifteen
parts water.
rl Fungicides.
Bordeaux MIXTURE: pounds cop
per sulphate, Is gallons line, so gal
IONS water; or take 3 pounds copper
sulphats, I pounds limo, so gallons
water.
Dissolve tho blue vitriol. one pound
70 one gallon water. Slack the lime.
Dilute both tho lime and the copper
0ulphato to half tho total mum Der gal
Ions oe bordeaux TO be made and pour
ehs Two through 4 strainer into q
third vessel. Tho product in this third
voDsl Il bordeaux mixture. II the
uslxtur~ turns blue litmus paper red,
add moro lime.
Copper 6ulphate Solution: 1 pound
copper sulphats. IS gallons water.
Ams Sulphur Wash: 20 pounds
seons lime, IL pounds flowers of sui
Dh0F. 20 gnl1ons Of water.
Slack tho linae in . cooking recep-
tadgA With q little water make a
Tim po0ts Of tho sulphur. With about
IN ealions Of water add the sulphur
- he Stacked or partially Stacked
time and boil. preferably by steam
o0s hou1. Add enough water to make
80 OalIous. Strain when putting into
tho spsAy tank Use while warm II
possible Apply In tho fall. winter or
aoglng on dormant trees before the
loaveo appear. This IL the best known
remedy tor scale insects.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
Are There Robbers
On Your Farm?

| Most any farmer knows how to
pillow. plant, cultivate and harvest. but
few seem capable. Of checking the
ravages of a great many thieves about
the farm. .,..
In the summertime tho farmers ~.
low the flies and the impure wa.
supply to steal a big per cent of their
dairy profits: then they wonder why
dairying doesn't make them prosper
Gus.
Weeds fitch away the beat and neat
| appearance Of the farm house and
retard the growth Of crops In the field
by sapping away the life-giving COM
ponents Of the soil. Persistence in
fighting them down is all that will
subdue these noxious weeds.
The kicky COW, the breachy COW,
the balky horse. the chicken eating
hog, and the drone hens are thieves
that many farmers keep and then
seem to expect satisfa ctory results
from farming, with such troublesome
and Improbable pests on the prem
ises- Sell the thieves and turn their
rations into something that will give
you a profit
A poor or weak stand of corn steals
tending and gathering it, since one
must devote both time and labor to all
thin spots the same as though there
we're full and heavy growth OF corn
plants. Proper grading Of first class
seed corn is the great initial step to
be taken in the checking Of the detri-
mental effect Of this common thief.
The LOWEST dairy cow that has
rlI {r In Efn1 ~
cow that gives profuse flow of milk
for six months, then suddenly dries
up-these are thieves that steal from
the herd day by day and cut down the
profits because they consume just as
much high priced feed as those ami
mails that turn in twice the amount OF
dairy products and require just as
much care and attention as if they
were profitable members.
The bad road thief forces you to
haul small loads; drive slowly: wrench
and twist the life out of your horse,
harness and vehicle. often breaking
and damaging the latter until great
and expensive delays are occasioned.
1t also steals your opportunity to dis
pose OF your farm when you wish to
sell, for no man will pay as much for
a farm bordered by a poor road sys-
tenn as he will for one with q vel
kept highway and some will not buy
a farm at all when the road system is
poor The loss of time and money
where the above named conditions
exist makes it. imperative that YOU
open all the drain bitches along tho
road, drag this silent. notorious thief
to death with the King road drag.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
TIN CANS VS.. POTS FOR SEEDING PLANTS

the water runs upon the next water
ing. The roots are thus alternately
exposed to the air and submerged in
water. In tin cans these conditions
do not occur. No water can escape
through the tin. The moisture con-
tent of the whole ball of soil is uni
form and consequently the roots dis
tribute themselves uniformly through
the mass.
When used in growing plants, TIN
cans show quite extensive disintegra-
ton within year. Under the influence
Of oxygen. the soil solution and plant
acids. salts of tiE, zinc and iron are
formed from the can and solder. The
growing tips Of roctlets come in con-
tact with the side Of the can, and are
In position to absorb these mineral
salts. Naturally the salts of the tin
and zinc In tin cans must be in
extreme dilution. Under these condi-
tons tin and zinc are known to
stimulate plant growth to some ex-
tent.
On account of the flaring tops Of
pots, they occupy more space than
tins. The growth Of plants in tins Ia
faster than in pots. for the reason
that uniform moisture content is
more easily mainta lned in tins. We
find in practice that plants in tin cans
will thrive well when watered only
every third day. under conditions
where pots require watering every
day This brings about an economy In
time and labor
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19

Ing better grade Of seed potatoes
than is now generally obtained IRON
either seedsmen or growers.
The question of what constitutes
good seed is a vital one. and possibly
no two persons would fully agree m
every particular upon this point. II
would seem. however. that the follow
ing factors play an important role;
Pure seed from productive plants. not
over ripe. uniform in size and shape
firm and sound, with first sprouts
just showing at planting time. Seed
Of such quality. If furnished suitab Bile
cultural conditions. will seldom fail to
produce a remunerative crop. A con-
sentative estimate OF the increase that
might be expected from the use of
hgh-grade seeds Is certainly not less
than 10 per cent. Such an increase,
based on the average Of the past five
years, would amount to over thirty
four and one-fourth million bushels,
having an approximate valuation Of
$21. 100000.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19

or the many causes which operate
t. produce low average potato
yield in this country, poor seed IS
thought to be a very important one.
The American potato grower pays too
little attention to his seed potatoes.
The European growers. especially
those OF Great Britain and Germany.
pay very strict attention to the quality
and quantity Of the seed they use.
This has led to a differentiation of the
potato industry into seed and crop
specialists. The seed SPECIALIST makes
a business of producing htgh-quality
seed. while the crop specialist pro-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
PROTECT THE TREES.

In sections where rabbits abound It
is never advisa BILE to leave the young
orchard without protection against
these animals. In a single night they
are capable Of doing more DANA ge
than the cost Of protecting the entire
orchard would have amounted to In a
year AS soon as the supply Of green
vegetation is destroyed by frost, then
the rabbits are very liable to turn to a
diet of orchard tree bark, and in a
very short time they can girdle little
tree beyond repair. Protect the young
trees by all means, with wrappers,
paint, or by fencing, and then kill,
trap or poison the rabbits
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
KEEP THE SOIL FERTILE.

/ The fertility Of our soils can only be
maintained by intelligently following
tho practices which long years Of ex-
perience by our best farmers have
demonstrated to be correct. In
modern agricultural practice the fac
tors organic matter (humus) and
lirae are Of vital Importance to the
farmer, and the community at large
as we'll. public prosperity is like a
tree: agriculture Is Its roots: industry
and commerce are It's branches and
leaves II the root suffers the leaves
fall, the branches break, and the tree
dies" This ia the philosophy Of the
Monaghan people who have main
tanned some Of their soils for more
than 1000 years.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19

only the product Of the most desired
units should be retained for the fol-
lowing season. The further conduct
or the work will consist In the null
tlpl1cation OF the selected strains for
ned planting and the elimination of
weak plants. The hill-selection meth
Cd consists In marketing the most
promising plants during the growing
season and at harvest time save only
those which gave greatest promise
Plant on the tuber-unit basis the fol-
lowing season. ss#
AS to the advisability of planting
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19
A LARGE TREE.

The largest tree in the United States
is said to be the "MC Their Of the For
est giant redwood in the Calaveras
big tree grove In California. 1t is sup
posed to contain 14O,619 board feet of
lumber. There are. however, many
claimants for the honor Of being the
largest tree" and the "oldest tree"
and these claims, according to forest
ers, cannot always be verified.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-19

Hasten the growth. Of the young
cockerels by feeding them all they will
eat Keep them fat enou~'7 fer tie
table all the time and they Wiil reach
the required weight for the market
much soone~. 1t is the earlier mar
kets that pay the best price.