Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-01-29
The Stranpile
Farmer Exposed "water witeh.r.

Farmer Exposed "Water Witeh.n
In the current issue Of a Farm and
Ffreside. Fred Telford writes an inter-
estlng little article exploding the claims
OF water witches" There are few
country communities without a man
known as water witch The water
witch is supposed to have the power to
locate the proper place for digging a
well. The witch" first selects a peach
or hazel fork, trims it carefully, and
then holds 1t In both hands. He walks
about and wherever he passes over
water the fork is supposed to be at
1racted. and instead Of remaining up
right 1t turns downward. The more
water below, the more violent the at
traction. Often he claims to find under
ground streams and his favorite device
| Is to have his employer dig at a cross
ing OF two of these streams. Follow
ing is Mr. Telford's account OF how a
snrewd Illinois farmer proved that the
water witch" has nothing but super
stition to back his claims:
The trial was made before a lare.
! number of neighbors and visitors. TIL
witch with a fork from a peach tree
held In the approved fashion, walked
about in all sorts Of likely places In
short time he had traced two under
ground streams. and had marked the
place where he claimed that they
crossed.
Dig there he announced. and
you'u find plenty OF water. You won't
have to dig very deep either"
Perfectly satisfied, the employer was
| preparing to turn over the fee, ten
| dollars. But one Of the visitors who
| had made a study OF soils and who
owned an adjoining farm was skeptt :
cal
"'You wouldn't object IL tested
you further"
Not at ALL
"'Not even If I blindfolded YOU and
tested your
Then came the test. Sure enough.
| the fork turned in the buindfolded
'witch's' hands: but, strange to say. it
turned erratically. 1t turned in places
he had labeled dry. 1t sometimes turned
above the underground streams he had
traced. but usually it did not 1t failed
to turn even once at the Crossing"
+; though the witch was led over it again
and again. And it never turned twice
| in the same place.
This test only showed that there is
absolutely no reason for believing that
| water attracts peach or hazel forks in
a peculiar way
Pig Eating Sows.
The common reason for a SOW eat
ing her pigs is improper feed and care
before narrowing. Sows which have
not been getting enough bone and
muscle building material in their feed
have an unnatural craving and If they
get chance will eat the after-birth
Then the similarity in the odor of the
afterbirth and the young pigs tempts
them to begin eating the young pigs
Oftentimes the udder is congested anf
the bowels are constipated, everything
combining to make the sow irritable
AS result the pigs are likely to pal,
her when sucking. and she will Kill
one or more of them.
1t is rare for sows to commence kill
ing their pigs three weeks after far
rowing time. About the only reason
we can suggest is improper feeding. Is
our correspondent giving enough bone
and muscle building feed in his ration :?
If not, he had best begin to feed his
sows an average daily ration Of half
pound Of tenkese, c- pound Of sci.
pork. One Of our readers writes that
he has cured sows Of the pig-eating
habit by feeding them dead pigs. He
saves all the pigs which die at farrow-