davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06

lot be, just as plentiful in the latter.
ly grown in the other. and what beau
tifles the one garden will prove as
much cf an ornament to the other, If
a little taste is utilized.
a very pretty bed. for instance, can
he ARA nged by placing group Of
Picinus or cator-oi bean plants in
The center of ring of cannas. Both
Of these. plants are easily raised, but
Ilnce the Ricinus is Of rather slow
growth. it is best to start it in the
house sometime in March, to trans
plant to the open ground as soon as
the danger from late frosts is over
It can be raised from seeds, and as
these are inexpensive, they are with
in the reach Of everyone. 1t is stately
in it's growth, and with its picturesque
foliage. produces striking sub-trop-
lcal effect. In height ii ranges from
five to fifteen feet,
There are different kinds of castor
Gil hean plants. but in grouping them,
one should not fail into the error Of
putting the different varieties into one
place It will produce far better
effect as rule, to confine oneself to
one kind only.
In this respect everything depends
upon the effect one desires to produce.
If beautiful, gigantic foliage is want
ed, Ricinus Philippiensis, as it's name
Indicates, variety from the Philip
pine Islands. will answer. Ricinus
sanguineus derives its name from the
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06
BUILD UP WORM OUT LANDS BY KEEPING LIVE STOCK

Why not raise more shespf Ns1o
found that sheep are - coy to yaisDs
as any stock, ana almost indispsnsa.
BILE In building up my farm. Thsy
will improve any land they srasof
upon; will kill the bSiors, keep down
weeds, kill bushes, will distribute their
droppings evenly over the fields. and
put the land in Ono condition for any
crop. II there was no other profit =
would consider that they pay me -
preparing my land for crops. BIT
they will pay in mutton.
We need to keep more brood uaasee
to raise our own horses. We ean1e1
afford to be paying from $500 70 ese1
per pair for horses and mules; svSe1
time you buy pair out Of the 0take
you are making some other farm SisA
and putting money into some other.
mans pocket, and proportionAAa1v
making your farm poor and taking
money out Of your own pocket
We ought to raise more poultry,
chickens. turkeys, ducks-yes.. and
geese, too.
And we must raise more msae
Keep more hogs on the farm and faiso
more cattle. Meat u too expensive 10;
buy. But in order to raise stock you
will have to raise more feed for this
stock, such as your land II best adapt
ed to. II you do this your farm will
quickly show the results. your Land
will get better and better each year,
raising larger crops, thus enabling
you to keep more stock and put more
money in your pocket. To do this
will require time and patience. but y
is the true system of farming.
This kind of farming will build up
any country and make the farmer In
dependent Of any trust or monopoly.
know the difficulties In the way, for
know by experience II you are go-
| ing to succeed in farming. you must
have stock to help you. They will
work cheap, Is hours a day, and pay
/ for the privilege Of doing 1t. What
cheap labor! Yet 1t Is true. Why
not avail yourself of It? Tho ideai
condition is where you see zelda
growing the various crops such ~ the
land is adapted to, with nicely kept
fields with stock of different kinds
| feeding upon the land. This meanA
safe farming. plenty Of corn, meat and
| grain. It also means contentedG
/ satisfied farmer.-W. r. ooo19
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06
LOSS BY LIGHTNING.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars
worth of property is destroyed every
year by lightning. The farmer Is the
principal loser. There is reason.
Lightning seldom strikes in city
because the multitudes of wires, metal
roofs and smok estacks, steel buildings,
etc, are a safety valve on electrical
conditions and few bolts ever dis
charge. Out in the country there is
nothing to equalize the electrical con-
ditions of the air and it accumulates
until it goes to earth with crash,
usually through the most conspicuous
conductor available-a tree, barn,
or wire fence.
Statist 'cs show that far more barns
are struck than houses, and that al
most every building properly rodded is
proof against being damaged by
stroke. Barns are usually larger and
higher than the houses and conduct
the electric shock from the clouds to
the earth The nature Of the contents
make destruction by fire almost GER
ain before anything can be saved.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06

When she was bought at auction
she was living skeleton and the
other one. while fat when brought in
food, for he could neither masticate
hay or grain in sufficient amount to
keep him so. In fact he practically
refused to eat corn either on the cob
or shelled and had to be fed on meal
and grass.
When his teeth were treated he was
able to masticate his food fairly we'll
and did very good work. selling at
public auction after hard work on
the farm for some months, for what
he cost. 81
There are thousands Of horses and
mules, who, arriving at old age, are
still capable of performing hard labor
| every working day In the year. If
they can thoroughly masticate their
food; and the writer would advise
that when horses or mules Of this
class begin to fall off in flesh they be
taken at once to some reliable veterin-
airy surgeon for examination.
If they are past treatment they
should be sold at auction for what
! they will bring, for no animal can
perform days work satisfactorily
when it's teeth are In condition to
prevent the mastication Of its food
properly.
When mule or horse of uncertain
ago is to be bought by a farmer who
Is looking for cheap animals 1t would
be advisable for him to take veter-
mary along-if he, the farmer, can
not tell ages-and have the veterin-
airy make a thorough examination
before a purchase Is made.
The writer has had about thirty
years experience In handling horses
and mules, and can safely assert that
age does not count so much in their
ability to do good work as the condi-
ton Of their teeth; but in order to
do a days work they must be able
to masticate their food thoroughly.
Many farmers do not care to grind
all the grain their teams eat, neither
do they care to take the trouble to cut
UP all their forage and then to sprin-
kle 1t and mix ground stuff with 1t.
but that practice will pay in the case
Of aged animals whose teeth are past
repair.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06

A mistake that we often make Is
that we wean our pigs too young. 1
believe in getting the little pigs start
ed off to eat at three or four weeks
old, and there is nothing better than
4 little milk and shorts to get them
started. Then feed them literally and
by the time you wean them at eight
or ten weeks old, you have big,
strong. lusty pig.
I am satisfied that great many of
our farmers lose all the profit in the
business by the way they handle the
pigs at the weaving time. am
strong believer in raising the little
pigs out in the open. OF course you
must have shelter for them in storms
and for feeding purposes. but let
them have access to the earth; keep
them on the ground and give them
green food, and you will get them to
develop bone and muscle and strong
stomach.
They are always on their feed and
always at their feed. I like to have
them out on clover pasture or on
peas and rape. For later pastures,
rape. gives satisfactory results. OF
course, you must feed the pigs rea-
sonably at the same time.
We all know that for economic pro-
duction mixture Of several grains
fed together will give better results
than any one grain fed alone.
I cannot lay down hard and fast
rule Some seasons oats might be
very satisfactory, but If you get such
q combination as high priced oats 1t
would be foolish to advocate them,
especially when we have to purchase
our feed.
During the winter months in root
growing country believe roots are a
good food, and should compose large
proportion of the ration, and I be-
lieve in boiling the roots and feeding
some grain.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06
Floating Teeth Of Old
Horses and Mule,
BY j. NJ. BELL.

Some months ago tho writer had
occasion to purchase two second
hand" mules to do some farm work
These mules were bought at public
auction, and were secured at prices
tina. might be termed cheap.
They were shipped to the country
and put to work at once, but unfor-
tunately. although they performed
their work faithfully. 1t was noticed
that they fell off in flesh
Upon careful examination of their
teeth 1t was discovered that their
grinders were worn and uneven, and
that consequently they could not
thoroughly masticate their grain OF
forage.
Therefore, 1t was case of either
selling them at loss or having their
teeth repaired.
My mules were shipped to a veter-
mary surgeon and after a thorough
examination of their mouths, he ex-
pressed the opinion that they could be
helped.
1t was discovered that one Of the
mules had boil ulcer in its mouth
caused by the loss of an upper
grinder. The lower grinders having
become elongated, had cut into the
upper jaw, causing liberation and
much pain when the animal attempted
to eat either grain or forage.
These long teeth were sawed on,
but in the attempt the mule became
festive and in spite Of the efforts OF
two strong men. pulled back and the
tooth was extracted Her other teeth
were filed down and put In as good
order as possible. This mule wal
shipped back to the farm and In q
few days began to improve In flesh
healing lotion was used in her
mouth for several days. The ulcer
disappeared, and after that she had
no trouble whatever in masticating
either hay or grain, and performed
her work so well that she was finally
sold at a profit-a few weeks after be-
ing cured.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06
son it should be planted in protected

son it should be planted in protected
places only.
OF late years the Gamma has not re.
ceived as much attention as II should
have received. for 1t is unquestion.
ably the finest bedding plant we pos.
sess. 1t may be raised from seed
but tho roots are so cheap, and, more.
over, yield immediate results, tina,
they are much to be preferred.
The Gamma thrives in every part Of
the country. and does we'll in all kinds
of soil. For the best results, how.
ever, 1t Ia advisable to spade the bee
to a depth Of two feet, and to put ir
a liberal amount Of we'll decayed ma.
nure.
In fact, all Of the foliage plants
have mentioned are gross feeders. and
one can hardly give them too much
fertilizer. Another thing they require
10 liberal amount Of water. Add tt
this sunny situation. and you will
be surprised to see how they respond
to such liberal treatment.
In setting out cannas, do not make
the mistake of mixing the varieties
Conflne yourself to one color only, and
put in your plants In large masses
about two feet apart this will pro.
duce the most striking effect, and will
be In perfect harmony.
There are so many different kind:
Of cannas that 1t is difficult to make
choice. Whether you will prefer the
dark-leaved, the orchid-fiowering. OF
the large-flowering cannas depends
very largely upon your own persona.
taste.
I like the Italian cannas best, par
ticularly Austria" and "Pennsylvan-
la. A very good variety for massing
from Germany, has been introduced
this year, under the name of "Feuer-
meer" "a sea of fre). 1t is of an in
tense scarlet color. medium size. and
is very free Towering.
In conclusion, it may be well to re.
fer to the facts that the roots of the
Gamma must be taken up in the fall
and stored In a cellar; that the
Abyssian banana may be safely win
tered in a tub in the same place, but
that the Ricinus, being an annual
must be raised anew from seed year
after year.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06

acter. In some districts shepherds
carry with them what they call 90
"fly-stone." This IL merely good.,
sized lump of perchloride Of mercury
or corrosive sublimate. The deadly;
poison 10 generally wrapped In . piecO.
of flannel and enclosed in . leather
pouch. On detecting a sheep that tDi
struck with ny, the shepherd pulls
out his pouch, expectorates on this
"fly-stone" and rubs It among the
maggots. There II no doubt about -
killing them. and as we have never
known of any trouble due to It's usoss
or accidents arising out Of possession
of 80 much deadly poison by the shep-.
herd, we cannot deprecato it, use on
that accounts but tho application Of
such q powerful corrosive II unneces-a
sarily severe on the sheep. Il
Perchloride Of mercury 10 spisn.
did antiseptic (probably the best We
have). and IL calculated to keep the
wound healthy after the destruction.
OF the maggots but milder form IL
equally destructive, and quite ~ effic-
lent in respect to producing asepsis.
A popular dressing. commonly
called ny OIL, IL: Psrchlorids Of
mercury, drachm; spirits Of tar. !
drachms: oil of turpentine. In
ounce: boiling water, 8 ounces. This
should be prepared BY . chemist.
The wool should be clipped from
over the part attacked, 10 40 to sx-
pose the maggots. and little Of the
solution poured In among them. care
being taken to involve them all in the
| wetting. After this It IL a good plan
to employ a piece Of pointed hard
wood to poke out tho maggots that
have burrowed, or . pair Of hne for.
ceps may be used for this purpose.
It Is desirable to at once got rid Of
the dead larvae. because they act ~
foreign bodies and retard healthy
healing II allowed 10 remain.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06
CONTROLLING A SHEEP PEST
Preventing the Attacks Of Flies Which Produce Maggos
in Sheep Easy Of Accomplishment. #
BY NJ. c. MILLER.

There exists good deal of differ
ence in opinion as to the particular
fly" responsible for the "maggoting"
Of sheep. 1t is popularity supposed
to be caused by the common blow
fly" or flesh ny" The exact kind Of
fly Is, however, of more interest to the
entomologist than to the sheep man,
and whatever It's name and variety
we know at least something about
the circumstance under which the at.
tack occurs.
We know something, too, about the
method Of preventing attack II we
could always persuade tho farmers to
put it into practice. and also of a good
many agents that will completely de-
stroy the maggot.
Two things that particularly favor
the "fy" attacks that cause such
received in shearing and allowing the
sheep and especially the lambs, to get
dirty behind. Filth seems to form q
congenial habitat for the maggots,
and a damp. fetid patch of wool will
generally be found to be the place
where they are actually at work.
Thus, the rump and region Of the tail
| are parts very liable to become mag
goted. In addition to wounds or cuts
| and a soiled condition Of the fleece.
the length of wool and its profuse Sc
| erection may attract the fly. and leads
to a deposit of their eggs.
Powdering the fleece used to be the
favorite method of prevention, but
dipping or sprinkling with fluid pre-
paration has largely superseded 1t as
! BEING moro economical as we'll a.
more efficient.
Fly powders consist for the most
part Of mixtures of sulphur, arsenic.
powdered hellebore, white lead alum.
cinnabar of antimony, prepared chalk.
lumber, American bole and whale oil,
in various combinations and proper
tons, and some old-fashioned farmers
still cling to the use of such agents,
but they are not nearly so effective
as reliable dip.
The poison bogy frightens some,
but properly prepared poisonous dips
are perfectly safe If the ordinary care
is used, which of course includes rigid
adherence to specific directions framed
to ensure safety and efficiency.
In order that it may be lasting as
wei. as efficient, 1t seems almost nee
| essary that dip should be poisonous,
and such a. dip, by remaining, In the
fleece, will. II employed in the early
part of the season, confer Immunity
from tho fly" attack to a very great
extent, as well as prevent the dsvel-
opment Of the larvae.
Carbolic dips and other preparations
of coal tar, although quite equal to
killing any -yermin which the sheep
may harbor, are certainly very evan
escent, and their odor. on which they
depend for lettering the ny. ID
quickly dissipated. As they are non
poisonous, and do not remain long in
the wool, they do not poison the mag
COTS.
sprinkling is very much akin to
dipping, the same solution being
used. It is practiced when it is not
convenient to dip each sheep separ-
ately, and secures the saturation OF
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06
Prf Also
Be Made 'FRONT.' IS.

The farmer who depends upon one
crop, to support his family and buy
his meat, -four, hay. horses and many
other things, sooner or later will
come to grief, it matters not what, lin
reason. the price Of that one article
is. This one-crop system is what is
the matter with our farmers. We
need to diversity our crops more.
We need to keep more live stock;
to raise our own horses and mules.
sheep, cattle. hogs and other live
stock; to raise more hay, grain and
crops. Those sections
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06

blood-red stalks and clusters Of red
fruit that characterize It.
Cambedgiensis Is an African varie-
ty. and curiously enough its main
stem and leaf-stalks are jet-black In
color. The leaves are large, regularly
divided, and richly colored. AS the
plant increases in size, the foliage as
sumes different shades. Bece use of
this reason, very striking effects may
be produced by planting this CASTOR
oil bean in groups
But the Zanzibariensis, another va
riety from far-off Africa, surpasses
all others. The plants attain great d.
mansions, presenting splendid as
pect with their gigantic leaves. The
different varieties have light and dark
green leaves, and some of coppery-
bronze, changing to dark green, with
reddish ribs.
For contrast. place Ricinus Borbon-
iensis, with its vivid green foliage,
growing to a height Of fifteen feet,
In the rear. and Ricinus Gibsoni, with
its deep-red foliage. that only attains a
height Of five feet, in front Of it. One
with innate taste will have no diff
Guilty In arranging the plants in such
a way that they will be In perfect har-
mony with one another.
I hope you may not think that
gave you these long designations Of
the Ricinus family because I wished
to air my little. knowledge of Latin.
These names are very expressive, and
either show the character of the plant,
or indicate whence 1t was derived.
Thus, Zanzibariensis shows clearly
that the plant came from that part Of
Africa known as Zanzibar, while the
name Gibsoni indicates that the plant
was named after the botanist, Gibson,
who discovered It.
\ Moreover, all these plants are listed
by the scotsman under their Latin
names, and rot Under their English
common designations.
When you come to think Of it. it
is really wonderful where all tho
plants in our gardens come from. A
study of their origin and how they
came to be discovered. would be In
teresting in itself.
For the center of the bed referred
to at the beginning Of this article,
you may prefer to substitute Abyssin-
ian banana. This is truly royal
plant, with enormous leaves that are
all the more striking because Of their
red midribs.
You will find 1t in the catalogues.
under the name Of Musa Ensete. But,
unlike the Ricinus, this is not easily
raised from seed, at least that has
been my experience.
I have even cut off part Of the
hard shell in which the seed itself 10
encased, in order to facilitate germ
nation, but without success You can
do this if you like. Get some seed
from a f1rst-class house and try to
raise a plant before 1t is time to set
1t out in the garden. If you fail, as
you probably will, you can still fall
back upon the nurseryman for
plant.
There is one drawback to the Abys-
sinia banana; its tender leaves are
easily torn by the wind, whereupon
it certainly does not present a pic
turesque appearance, and for this rsa-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06

the fleece at parts most likely to BE-
struck" For sprinkling, sheep are
penned together. and the solution APP
piled to the fleece by the means OF .
watering pot with hose attachment.
but this plan IL not to be compared
with Individual dipping for emciency.
For the protection of wounds, oxide
of zinc ointment, to which 10 drops
of carbolic acid have been added to
each ounce. or q mixture Of flowers
Of sulphur and carbolixsd oil IL vsr1
useful.
There are large number Of agents
that will destroy the maggota. bus
most of them are Of poisonous char.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06
Raising Baby Chicks.

The "baby-chick" business Is get
ting to be a big thing. One firm in
Ohio is said to hatch as many as 50,-
600 chicks In a season. which are
sold when day old. Day-old chicks
can be shipped long distances, need
ing neither food nor water, and the
business is very convenient for those
who do not want to hatch their own
shickA
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06

expect to have manure to go on our
crops. Without manure believe 1t
almost impossible to get our farms
into high state Of cultivation. BY
the Keeping of live stock on our farms.
not only will this live stock manure
the farms, and get the fields in better
condition for growing bette" crops,
but they will pay profit to the own
err. Our waste lands and hills should
be fenced, and well stocked with
growing cattle, horses and sheep, in
stead Of being allowed to grow up and,
In many cases, wash away.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06
DECORATIVE FOLIAGE PLANTS
They Are Easy to Grow and Add Great Deal to the
Beauty Of Farm and City Grounds
by H. ERICHsEN.

One class Of plants that Is unde-
ervedly neglected In farm gardens
comprises the many ornamental foli-
tge plants that are planted for dec
srative effect.
One encounters many moro of these
N the city than In the country. but
here is no reason why they should
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06
Preventing Typhoid Fever.

Proper sanitary conditions, such as
destroying the fly and mosquito and
their breeding places, providing good
sewage disposal, keeping the premises
clean, and prompt application Of
anti-typhoid vaccine where there is
the least suspicion Of the fever, will
prevent typhoid fever. Preventive
methods will save $4,000 lives annu-
ally
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06

The dairyman who sells cream only
should keep good number Of pigs
to consume the skinned milk. They
will mean a handsome profit at the
end of the year.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06

Is your land rich enough. and Is It
producing as much as you wish
This. in my opinion, Is the most i'm
portant subject the farmer has to
deal with. Poor lands mean poor
crops, poor stock, poor farmer-and
poor state.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06

where tho farmers raise their own
supplies, and have some TO sell to sup-
ply the local markets. are the most
prosperous.
We need to fence our. farms. and
must do 80, II we keep live stock:
and we must keep live stock II we
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06

take Of having food left In the troughs.
Pay particular attention to cleanli-
ness have dry beds and give them dry
straw to lie on.
In the winter months give them
wood ashes and charcoal and sod or
earth of some kind. Earth seems to
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06
THE ECONOMICAL FEEDING OF PIGS PROFITABLE

Do not load them up with great
lot of water, feed the roots in rather
a thick batter, and mix In your shorts
and middlings and whatever grain
you might happen to have. For the
larger pigs pulp the roots and feed
the meal sprinkled on. In a section
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06

scald the drinking vessels in the
poultry yard often so they will not
harbor disease germs.