davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01
Care of Farm Poultry

During summer We should provide
an abundance of pure water, grit and
charcoal for the farm flock. Keep
the houses cool at night and we'll
ventilated at all times when the fowls
are kept inside. Wheat oats, and .
mash feed once day makes an ex-
cellent supply Of feed during the waru
weather. qs tti@
Feed no musty and fermented feed.
A sour mash Is highly Injurious. Sour
but no more should be mixed at one
time than the fowls will clean up at
one feeding.
Allow no feeds to accumulate in the
feed troughs. Feather eating among
hens is usually prevalent during sum-
mer. In some cases the feathers are
almost stripped from the neck OF the
birds and the flesh IL lacerated with
the beaks and burned by the sun.
This habit Is invariably caused by
lack Of proper substance In the feed.
Prevention is better than cure and
perfect health and vitality among the
flock should do this.
Old hens intended for the market
should always be sold early be-
lOfe they begin to moult or else you
will be compelled to feed them three
or four months before they have COM
pleted new set of plumage and look
fit to be sold as market poultry.
I have found nothing better than
to feed them sparingly with nitro.
genous feeds until about the first week
in September and follow this with an
abundance Of wholesome stimulating
feeds 70 encourage the growth of
plumage.
A little flaxseed meal or linseed oil
meal added to their feed helps tho
growth of feathers and gives bright.
healthful and glossy appearance to
their plumage. The care of the birds
during summer has wonderful in
huence upon the number Of eggs the
older hens will lay during the winter
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01
Because fApp
PlowdUn dHA dIgeS
That's Just OefN A1yU

when fed with some grain or dry
fodder Corn or barley meal are
found to be good mixture to feed
with alfalfa hay.
Another thing to remember is that
alfalfa u not we'll suited to stand close
cropping and the tramping of stock
will injure 1t. 1t should not be pas
tured the first year and never so late
In tho fall as to force the plants to go
through the winter with the crowns
exposed. because In this condition they
are apt to be winter killed.
The exact date of seeding alfalfa is
not Of 30 much Importance as the
preparation Of good seed bed and
Che proper incubation Of the soil, the
presence of nitrogen-fxing bacteria
being of the utmost Importance in the
growing Of alfalfa.
New seedlings should be clipped
often enough to hold the weeds in
check, but usually not more than two
or three times during the first season.
The narrowing Of alfalfa during the
first two or three years after seeding
is not advisable, but old stands that
are thin and weedy are frequently i'm
proved by this treatment The better
methods Of making alfalfa hay are
quite different from those commonly
practiced in the curing Of mixed hay
and should be given considerable
study on the part Of the inexperienced
alfalfa grower.
The profit from the entire farm
will be Increased if alfalfa is reseeded
in a new field every four to six years
as compared with leaving the same
field seeded for any definite period.
The best plan for rotation Of crops
including alfalfa Is the short rotation
Of the annual crops inside the long
or complete rotation.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01
Deep Burrows
BY GUM.

The grass may grow under lazy
mans feet but that Is about the ex-
tent Of his crops.
The magnitude Of the growing boys
appetite should be a source of pleas
ure to his parents instead of worry.
It is about this time that the last
spring graduates begin to be sorry
that their school days are over.
BY putting up lots Of vegetables you
can come very near having your gar
den all winter.
One advantage of a bad road in
front Of your farm is that you will
not be bothered much by the dust
kicked UP by passing automobiles.
The loafer has lot of time in
which to see things he would like to
have but can't get without working.
It is quite disadvantage.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01
STORING CLOVER HAY.

Where clover hay is put into the
cock, it is advisable to open up the
cocks and permit them to air short
time before taking them to the stack
or NOV.
II the hay 10 pat into a stack, the
stack should be started upon bot
tom Of poles, brush. straw. or old hay.
Where 1t is placed directly on the
ground there is bound to be moro or
less spoiled hay in the bottom. Clo-
yer hay oes not shed water, and 1t
is advisable to top out clover stacks
with rather green timothy, prairie. or
slough hay, putting on enough hang
ers to hold the top In place.
There are q few variations In the
methods of making good clover hay.
but the real secret no matter what
the method, Is to cut It at the proper
time and cure 1t I'm the shade" as
much as possible. being careful to
avoid hasty drying up Of the leaves
and overcuring. Properly cured clo-
yer hay will sweat in either the stack
or the NOV, but unless it Is unevenly
packed and loose. no alarm need be
felt If 1t gets warm.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01
Alaskan Forests

The difference between forest types
In different parts Of Alaska are as
sharp as those between the topog-
raphic and climatic. and. OF course,
depend upon them. The coast for
ests of southern Alaska are the north
ernmost extension of the coast type
Of Washington and British Columbia.
The interior forests are an extension
of the interior Canadian forests.
On the coast Of southeastern Alaska
trees grow to large size; In the In
terror the timber is much smaller. The
higher mountain areas are completely
above timber line. Climatic conditions
in the region adjacent to Boring Sea
and on the Arctic slope make forest
growth altogether impossible. SO there
are great stretches Of tundra whose
vegetation consists chiefly of moss,
sedges, and few shrubs. Moss may
be said to be the garment of Alaska,
and layers OF it IL to 1s inches thick
are not at all uncommon either on the
coast or in the Interior
Making reductions for some barren
areas, it is estimated that the total
forest and woodland area Of Alaska
is Approximately 1O0,000,0O0 acres.
or about 81 per cent of the land sur
face of the territory. OF these, about
20 million acres may possibly bear
timber OF sufficient size and density
to be considered forest in the sense
that much of it can be used for saw
timber, while the balance, or 80 mil
lion acres, is woodland, which bears
some saw timber, but on which the
forest is of smaller and more scat
tered character and valuable chiefly
for fuel. There is not sufficient in
formation upon which to base any
satisfactory estimate Of the total
stand of timber in Alaska. 1t has
been estimated, for instance, that the
coast forests contain rs billion feet Of
merchantable saw timb Der, but this
estimate might. we think, be much
exceeded were both spruce and hem
lock closely utilized. Much Of the
black spruce is too small for CONNER
cial purposes. so that it is impossible
to give satisfactory estimate of the
total stand.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01

Aside from its value as soil i'm
proven there are three important
places that alfalfa may occupy on the
farm: Seeded alone as hay crop;
seeded alone as o pasture crop for
hogs and under certain conditions
for other classes Of stock, and for
mixing with the grasses and clovers
for meadows and pastures for all kinds
of stock. Under soil conditions fav-
orable for the growing Of this crop, 1t
is generally advisable to use alfalfa
for all three of these purposes.
good stand Of alfalfa may be expected
to produce more hay than any of the
grasses or clovers and the annual risk
and expense of seeding is largely done
away with. Every general or stock
farmer should seed q small acreage
near the barn as a pasture for hogs.
A western man, writing about alfalfa.
said: "A pig in an alfalfa field is sure
to make a hog Of himself" and this
Is certainly true.
On many farms a portion Of the soil
is only fairly well suited to the grow
ing of alfalfa, besides some Of the
grasses should be seeded to produce
hay for tho horses and to avoid the
danger Of bloating when used for pas
ture. so that it does not seem prac-
ticable to devote all of the seeded
area of the farm to alfalfa, as good
as it is. Even under these conditions
alfalfa, If seeded with some of the
grasses and clovers usually proves to
be very valuable part of the mixture.
The seeding alone of large acreage
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01
Curing Pea Hay

A plan followed in Eastern Texas
where much pea hay Is put up ls 10
stack in the field as soon as cut and
the leaves have wilted but not dry
enough to shatter.
Four posts ten or twelve feet h1sn
are set in the ground, forming q
square of not more than ten feet.
The green hay Is piled up between
these to depth Of four feet then
rails or poles are nailed or wired from
one post to another and other poles
are laid across these, forming q plat
form on which the hay is piled to a
depth Of four feet again, then another
platform made until the top Is
reached, making tho platforms four
feet apart.
It is topped with timothy hay or
has stack cap of canvas put over 1t
to protect it from the rain. When
the hay settles it will be about three
feet deep on each platform, leaving
an air space above of foot between
the hay and the rails It will cure
out nicely and will not lose any OF the
leaves.
If the posts are cut from tho tim
Der it would be we'll to leave numer-
Gus little forks where the branches
are trimmed so that the rails OF poles
may be more easily fastened to them.
In hauling out to feed 1t Will be
more convenient to take one tier at
a time, throwing the cap over it until
the next is needed.-H. Grensed.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01
RAISING PHEASANTS.

Ringneck pheasants are very hardy:
they live in zero weather In an open
field without shelter, and each hen
averages eighty-fve eggs a season.
Eggs are Matched and raised by
chickens, and the birds mature in
six months. They weigh about three
pounds at maturity, are free from
most diseases, and live on one-thenth
of the amount required by chickens.
Pheasants are farmers friends:
they live on insects and weed seeds.
Pheasant eggs hatch in about twenty
three days, and the birds sell at
dollar pound In market. They are
much easier to raise than chickens.
Every law for the protection Of game
should make it lawful to keep In cap
tivity any bird for the PURPOSE Of rails
ing birds Of that kind, and provide
that any person who matches birds In
captivity may sell, ship. or otherwise
dispose of them.
England long ago saw the wisdom
of such laws, with the result that
twenty-four firms known as re
Farmer Associates were repo,
the Shooting Committee Field IS
Guild to have had in the season Of
1884 in their raising pens 5000
pheasant hens, no account being made
of males.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01
Depth Of Tile Drains

In putting in a system Of tile drain
age we must consider the type of the
soil to be drained as we'll as the fall
Of the land before we decide upon
the size of the tile and the depth it is
to be placed.
On a coarse soil, whore the object
Of the drainage system Is to remove
the soil water from around the roots
Of .he plants, the tile should be laid
three or four feet deep. but on a
clay soil. believe that the tile should
be laid as shallow as Is consistent with
the climatic conditions and the fall Of
the land.
On clay soils the chief object Of
tile drainage is to remove the surface
water as rapidly as possible after
heavy rains before 1t ruins the grow
Ing crops.
TO do this It must have an easy
access to the tile and for this reason
they should not be put down more
than two or two and q half feet deep.
On = clay soil 1t requires longer for
tho tile drainage Vstem to become
efficient after it IL installed, because
Il takes longer for the watercourses
% form through the cracks, dscayed
root passages and anima' burrows,
hence We viii secure better imme-
disao results from q shallow system
Of drainage than whsn the tile are
placed dssp.
II has required Q number Of years
~ segne OF the systems Of drainage
70 become emeisnt In clay soils and
xow 1nxn0rO can afford to wait q
Aumbag e6 years for results.
On one Of our farms the tile drains
Wers Installed twenty years ago and
ere doing far better work today than
they did the frst ten years they we're
put IN. These drains were put In
from three TO four feet deep and for
the nrut few years they did very poor
ooEYjoA
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01

To awaken in the small hours of .
February night and hear the mocking-
bird singing in the moonlight among
blossoming orange trees while tho
fragrance streams into your open
window, suggests one Of the charms
of the orange grove.
takes a strong hold OF the imagina-
ton. 1t interests city people; 1t ap-
peals to the business man who must
rest and get into the country; it grips
the rich man who, building fine
home in delightful climate. wants
something to do. The poor man who
can buy only ten acres of land, denies
himself, and economies for five or six
years while his trees are growing,
and then has an income Of from $1,000
to $4,000 for the rest of his life. II
his grove cost him, after six years,
$3.50 an acre, it is worth $1,000 an
acre, so that he has made good in
vestment. Many have grown their
own trees from the seed, budded
them, planted them, cultivated be-
tween the rows to vegetables, which
made ends meet for some hard years.
and then gone to live on easy
street.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01
WElITEWA9H.

10 make excAllent whitewash that Is
easily applied. get . sack Of ordinary
hard wall plaster and slit out the hair
with . piece Of window screen then
mix with cold water and apply at once.
Make It thick or thin. Is you like but
do not mix more than you will use in
an hour or 20 at one time. You can
use Q whitewash brush, but q kalso-
mine brush Is better If you can afford
1t. and II you have much Of it to do.
will be cheapest in tho long run.
Wash your brush thoroughly In clear
water every time you stop for noon or
night and 1t will last long time.
This is equal to tho package finishes
that sell for high prices.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01
ORCHARD NOTES.

A young apple tree does not re-
quire much pruning until 1t Is four
or five years old and the tree can be
shaped better at that age than when
early pruning is resorted to-.
The orchard that has been properly
cared for requires very little pruning
after it comes into full bearing.
Never prune heavily in any one
year but do the work gradually from
season to season.
Young trees should be watched
carefully and the open spaces in the
ground about them which has been
made by the wind swaying the trees
should be we'll firmed down. This is
particularly important just before
winter sets in.
The fall is a good time in which
to plant trees because at that time the
growing season is over and they will
be little affected by the change from
the nursery to the orchard.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01
VARIETIES OF RAPE.

While there are numerous types Of
rape, including many hybrids and
cro1es. yet all may be grouped in
two classes: annual or summer. and
biennial or winter rape.
From the seed. an oil is extracted
which Is used Tor lubricating and
lighting and the refuse or rape cake"
II highly priced a stock food and
fertilizer
The biennial or winter rape, Of
which tho Dwarf Essex 10 a leading
variety, 10 the kind commonly grown
In this country for forage. This type
produces seed only In localities where
It can Withstand tho winter. Most Of
the SEED used in this country Is i'm
ported from Europe.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01

increased from year to year until the
desired acreage is secured.
Alfalfa is leguminous plant, and
closely related to the clovers, cowpeas,
beans, ETC.. and like them Is able to
take it's supply of nitrogen from the
atmosphere It thus improves the
soil in the same way clover does.
However. after the alfalfa has been
seeded in the field for several years
and the nitrogen content Of the soil
increased by the decay OF roots,
nodules, stubble and leaves, the crop
will feed on the nitrates made from
this source and will take a smaller
percentage of it's nitrogen from the
atmosphere. The alfalfa then does
not do as much to build up the nitro
gen content Of the soil after 1t has
been grown for several years In
field as it does during the first two
or three years after seeding. 1t Is,
therefore, not advisable to leave one
field seeded for an indefinite period
Of years. or as long as it produces
satisfactorily as is commonly done.
but to seed a new field which needs
building up and to pillow up the old
field, which should be in excellent
condition to produce very satisfactory
yields Of corn and other crops.
Alfalfa makes an ideal pasture crop
for hogs and poultry, and if properly
managed, is satisfactory for horses,
mules, sheep and cattle" and some
farmers have had experience with
bloating of cattle and sheep as we'll
as other classes Of stock. The exact
conditions which cause this trouble
have not been we'll determined, but
the danger appears to be the greatest
when the growth is rankest, when no
other feed is given to the stock. when
the stock are turned in when hungry.
and when they are allowed to eat
all they want when the alfalfa Is wet
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01

A cotton field In tho Imperial valley
mot an experiment but a staple crop.
II 10 only a question of learning how to
plant and irrigate cotton to make it
probable In this section.
established in this section, the short
staple upland cotton producing good
commercial fiber. and the first plant
ing by men knowing little Of the in
dustry producing bale and a half
per acre. Something has now been
learned about irrigating and planting
the seed and excellent results are ex-
pected from this new industry. The
growing season lasts from March to
December and the cotton is uniform in
staple and color. 1t is believed that
the dryness of the air will keep the
boil weevil out Of the Imperial valley.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01
HOW TO MAKE LIQUID MANURE.

To make liquid manure, procure a
good molasses or coal oil barrel and
have a spigot put in it near the bot
tom. Put fresh manure in bag
made Of sacking, and suspend 1t from
the top. Pour in enough coal oil to
form a film on the water to prevent
the mosquitoes from breeding. Draw
the liquid manure from the spigot
when needed.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01

with dew or rain. It is we'll for farm
ers to be cautious about turning cattle
alfalfa.
To avoid danger Of bloat, an ex-
cellent way to feed alfalfa Is to NOW
it and allow It to wilt a short time
before seeding. When fed in this way
there is larger yield Of forage and
no loss from bloat Alfalfa has
laxative effect, especially when fed
green or If wet with dew, and for this
reason it always gives best results
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01
Growing the Orange

Some one. who evidently knew what
he was writing about. thus describes
an orange grove. Part of the fas-
cination of the south Is orange grow
ing. 1t is a clean. compact beautiful
and profitable kind Of farm life. It
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01
Imperial Valley Cotton

Cotton has been tried out very fully
for several years In tho Imperial val
ley Of California. There were 1900
acres planted to cotton in 1910. From
the results since that time 1t is now
certain that . new industry is fully
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01
A Good Feed Rack

I enclose photo of sheep feeding
rack that has proven very suc-
cessful in feeding sheep In keep
ing the chaf and dirt from the
wool. enabling us to get two cents
above the market. as there was abso-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01

Enough corn is wasted by throwing
it into the mud to produce-how much
shall we say?-Well, millions OF
pounds of pork every year.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01

at the first attempt is not recon-
mended, as the risk Of failure in the
hands of the inexperienced grower Is.
too great, but the alfalfa seed should
be mixed with the regular seeding
Of clover and should also be seeded
alone on a small acreage and this
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01

The COW that has to spend two
thirds of her time fighting flies can
not count for much at the milk pail.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01

The good dairyman finds satisfac-
ton in the excellent quality Of his
product as well as in the money It
brings him.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01

II a few old rusty nails are buried
under hydrangeas, the pink flowers
will turn to a beautiful blue 1t is said.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01

Burn up all refuse from fields
where corn smut is prevalent.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-01

Clean the poultry house every day.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-03-31


 Captain Thomas s. Baldwin, Sixty-three years old, the old est active air vOyageP in the world and the father of dirigi- ble baIIooning in America, has become chief instructor of the Connecticut Aircraft Company of New Haven, Conn, by a five year agreement signed. This company is capitalized at S500,- 900 to build passenger. carry ing dirigibIes. A five passen- ger nonrigid dirigible will be in commission by July 15, Cap tain Baldwin said, and six others will be turned out as rapidly as possible. These will be of a new type recently invented by Captain Baldwin. The dirigibles will cost $60,- 0O0- each. They will be equip ped with wireless and travel forty miles an hour. Passen- ger carrying trips will be made this summer between New York and Albany, Captain Bald win said. The company hopes to establish a regular service within year or two.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-03-31
HoMER H. BENHIAM.

The funeral of Homer H. Benham, who died on March 25, after a. pro-
 tracted illness, was held at his late residence in Fairfield on Saturday af- ternoon- He had resided in Fairfield for 20 years and the large attendance at his funeral was an attestation of the high esteem and affection in which he was held There were def- egations from several lodges to which he be1onged: P. T. Barnum, K. of F., of Bridgeport, and the U- B. of c. J., No 647, and the Hook and Ladder Co No 1 of Fairfield. The Rev. Frank s. Child, pastor of the Fairfield Con gregational church. conducted the services at the house and the Knights Of Pythias at the grave. MT. Benham had borne his long suffering with a wonderful patience and fortitude- His widow, Annie c. Benham, survives him.