davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01

o~roadcasted wheat resulted IN o,
average loss Of almost three bu.b.la
9 acre. while narrowing drilled
wheat resulted in a loss of nine-tenths
OF q bushel per acre."
inc results from rolling were o M
elusive. In no year did it fail ito give
an increased yield. the average in
crease being 81 bushels per acre"
me rolling was given early in the
spring, soon after frost was out and
about the time gre with started. Har-
rowing after rolling was not as good
as rolling alone. probably due to
loossnins up the plants again after
the roller had pressed them firmly
into the soil. ~
Early spring rolling of winter
grain pressing the earth as it does
nrmly about the plant roots, produces
900 results. When frost comes ont
IN the spring 1t is very apt to leave
n soil filled with small cracks ~
checks especially around the plants.
If these checks are closely examined
II VIII be seen that a large number of
roots are thus exposed, and il the
weather continues dry they are killed
or ut least injured. If the soil is not
wet at the time of rolling it
should never be rolled when wet
rolling aids In no small degree to form
a surface mulch.
The Nebraska experiments, there
fore, point quite clearly to the con-
clusion that under ordinary conditions
OF normal seasons in humid regions
winter wheat is sufficiently benefited
by rolling to make the practice profit
able, while narrowing is not to be
recommended under such conditions.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01
LOW GRADE FERTILIZERS ARE EXPENSIVE
A Favorite Food Of tho Pine Mouse.

should be subjected to inquiry by the
merchant or farmer who L. ready to
buy. .
An authority from the Missouri sta
ton says: One ton Of good fertilizer
costing $50 will contain over $50
pounds more Of total plant food than
two ons of low-grade fertilizer cost
ing $50 per ton. The one ton OF high
grade fertilizer contains So worth Of
plant food more than the two tons Of
cheap fertilizer, making q great sav-
ing to the farmer, who has only one
half as much to haul from the station.
Mr.. H. D. Haskins, of the Massachu-
sets station. says. It is evident that
too many farmers select q fertilizsr
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01

o.a--A .%. -,. N.%eA -,
80 -~n - ...-
ms.e- 80 ~.,- ..en..1 h@.ss~
!. - 49,. .,>sas-h 49, -
s"....s ~ No.
...sa 80. w,ss,a 49, -ssnase-~
80" .nS ~.
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49," .s..1,. -
vop as
"p-A
from snsiF
tnickets pine naioe 1HvsoS oeso.s
cnaros' nurseries ooofyssus. = -
dens, passlns AWAY snsO.1s suo
sroun unwav AAv'aS u o1A
ment neltner 49,
.n1Ay ~ ~.S-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01
ROSES IN

Where the climate is too hard for
the tea roses they may still be had
with a little trouble. Simply get a
lot of sawdust and mound around the
plants deeply. The part of the plants
above the sawdust will get killed but
that does not matter with the tea
roses for the harder they are cut back
the better and the sawdust mound will
protect the roots better than any
thing else.
Many h~alf-hardy plants will come
through the winter under sawdust
batter than with any other protection
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01

The different species Of field mice
or meadow mice that are found IN
all parts Of the country, are almost
entirely responsible for h a damage
done TO plants Of various kinds, the
blame for which Is partly bestowed
upon moles and shrews. or late
wears mice seem to have been multi
plying abnormally in some sections.
Serious damage has been done In or
chards, gardens, potato fields n
other places. h mice nave slroieu
many young fruit trees In some OF
the finest young orchards. Mulcneo
trees, or trees growing In orchards
where cover crops are used, are most
liable to injury. Damage to straw
berry plantations and to various KINDS
of garden crops have been reported
from numerous localities. Irish pota-
toes and sweet potatoes have been
especially subject to attack.
OF about 165 known living species
and su species of "microtus' (mice)'
seventy eight are found in North
America, covering practically the
greater part of the northern hemts-
phere outside the tropical zone The
common meadow mousse Of the United
States occurs over at least twenty-five
states.
While the food habits of the various
species of short-tailed field mice are
remarkably similar, their breeding
and general habits differ greatly. The
variety Of habitats is most striking.
some< species prefer high ground,
while others live in low, moist places.
Occasionally the same species inhabits
both sorts Of localities. Some species
live in forests. others in the open
prairies. Some lurrow under the
ground like moles, while others make
smooth paths or trails upo its sur
face. Il
Except in cold weather, nearly all
species can temporarily adapt them
selves to moist surroundings; but q
few seem to be almost as aquatic as
the nearly-allied muskrat.
The nests of field mice are compact
punches or globes. composed of grass
blades and other dry vegetable fbres.
They are placed in depressions in the
ground, in shallow burrows, or sup
ported on grass stems above the
ground. In brush piles the writer has
found them nearly a foot above the
ground. Sometimes they are placed
under flat stones or logs or under
shocks Of grain. The structures are
so slight that a days sunshine will
dry them out after a storm, and yet
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01
RAISING DUCKS BY THOUSANDS
Duck Rdnx H. Been Developed within heLa Last Tweayie Years 1no a F1ouhhins 1duHy-P
N That Time the buck Was Not Considered a Profitable Fowl to Raise But Now 1t IL
Recommended to Farmers asa profitable Source dRewnus

| along, not too slow and not 50 slow
as you would drive market ducks. We
keep them moving and when we get
them half way over W. or three of
them will break down and flap their
wings, and they cannot walk. These
ducks are left right where they are.
It Is simply the survival Of the ~f1ttest,
and when we get to the breeding pens
there will be ducks strung all the way
along where we have been driving
them. 1t Is only the ducks that have
strength to walk this distance. being
urged all the time, that are put in
the pei. Then W. go back and clean
up the ones that are left and they are
put into the marketing pen. It does
not matter how nice a duck they are,
because 1t is strength we are after.
I'VE put from 100 to 200 ducks IN
a pen. and there is no shed or any,
thing for them to run under. It Is
Just simply a wood lot. It would be
just as well to have them u in q
field, provided they had some artificial
shade, but decidedly you have got to
have some shade for ducks. If you
put ducks in a hot field in the summer
time there IL danger.s I have seen
full-grown ducks get sunstruck and
lie down and die.
I'VE feed them there for I'VE months
on light food. We do not want to
fatten them. If there are n ducks
get of their feed they are taken right
of; they are not kept. We keep q
lantern burning in the trees on dark
nights to keep them from getting
scared. .r
"a peculiar thing about ducks IL
that they will run and trample on
each other and Jump in the corner Of
the pens if they get scared on a dark
night. If it Is a bright moonlight
night we do not light the lanterns.
1.-THE feed for these ducks is four
parts bran to one part of flour and
one part corn meal and 1870 beef
scrap. For green feed we use four
parts clover. The clover should be
about one-third or q little more than
one-third of the entire feed. You can
feed them all the green feed they will
eat. A good indication is to watch
their troughs, and after they have
eaten their feed If they leave a little
clover in the trough you know they
are getting all they want, and may be
a little more; and If they clean this
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01
SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF MICE
DshuchveH ns Mice in Buildings Gndns and Fields Are Well Known and By the MhdAb o.
These Species Other Animals That Are So Unfortunate to Be MoueHke n
@-~ Appearance Ar All Tut UnvanyC Condemned
BY f. e. BROOKS

they are so compact that the animals
pass the coolest weather snugly housed
in them under the snow. Trails,
often Of great length and worn smooth
by constant use, lead to neighborins
feeding grounds.
While most surface nests are for
shelter only. sometimes the young, es-
pecially Of swamp species, are pro-
duced in item. However, the young
Of most kinds are born In underground
nests and are rarely seen unless un-
covered by accident. They are at first
hairless and blind.
The common meadow mouse OF tho
United States Is n Of tho mos
prolific Of u species. Estimating
the normal increase 1T six young. with
four litters In a season, and assuming
that there were no checks upon the
increase, the results are appalling. A
single pair and their progeny in i've
seasons would amount to nearly
/, 900. 900 individuals. This calcula-
ton is under mark, since It Is based
on the assumption that the young do
not breed until about q year old. The
animals, however, mature very rapidly,
and the spring young undoubtedly
breed in the fall Of the same year.
In summer the principal food of
these mice Is green vegetation and
unripe seeds OF grain and grasses. As
the season advances, ripe grain and
seeds take the place of the immature;
and in winter Dubious and other roots
are in part substituted for stems and
leaves. When convenient, and green
vegetation Ia lacking, the bark Of
trees and shrubs becomes a staple food.
It il mainly in winter that the apple
orchards and young forest reess suffer
from attacks Of mice.
The quantity OF green vegetation
eaten by q single adult field mouse in
the course of a year has been cal
culated 1t from "a to Sc pounds.
When one considers in connection
with this estimate the great numbers
of these animals in our meadows,
swamps, and forests, tho total guam
tity of food consumed by them ap-
pears 80 enormous as apparently to
exceed the productive capacity of the
soil. A thousand meadow mice In .
meadow would require at least IL
tons Of grass or other vegetation to
maintain them for a year.
The common meadow mouse 10 es-
pecially noted for long winter excur-
sicns from its summer abode, hiding
it's movements under of deep
snow. The journeys Of the animals
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01

In the corner and Y the egg and
cover 1t up and when you go through
in the 1orning you have to be careful
that you do not walk on the eggs. We
have a short stick and dig in these
little hol-s and get the eggs out.
Sometimes you will find a dozen eggs
in one hole, six inches below the top Of
the ground. A good house for this
climate would be such a house as I
spoke of for hens, except that you
would not want to have so much light.
I'm our country we do not have
very much snow, and we do not have
any shed; they simply run out the
year round. If it thaws a little they
enjoy 1t, just as much as they do the
rain storm.
IT would not keep them from going
out Of doors If they wanted to. If you
let a hen have liberty, the fertility of
the eggs will be so much higher, and
If you keep ducks confined you will
find that the fertility of the eggs won't
compare with h eggs If they are let
out. The laying houses should re
about five square feet to each duck.
There is no particular arrangement;
just simply, If you have more than
one pen in the yard the fences should
be about two feet or two and q half
feet high.
I'VE breed from a pullet, we never
breed fro q yearling duck. A duck
will take IN fat YER easily, and if you
keep them over the second year they
get too Eat, and they will not lay as
early, and the eggs are not fertile, and
We cannot get good results.
I'VE mate one drake and i've ducks.
We start these In October, and as the
season advances, say about the first OF
March, we watch the ducks, and If
we see tive brakes getting to fighting,
we catch n of them: we catch the
poorest and put him in a pen by him
self. Whenever we see any lighting,
we take out a drake, and when there
Is nc fighting, we leave them alone.
and they balance themselves up.
Sometimes you will find they will
run fo- a long time and there will be
no fighting; then, there will come a
rain storm, and there will be puddles
Of water in the yard, and If you go
out you will find dozens Of them fight
ing. and they will tear each other to
pieces. They will get the blood
started and your FIVE brakes will get
after one and fairly a him. I have
seer it when we would not have moro
than one drake to ten or twelve ducks.
and we would get just as good eggs
rs we got in the winter"
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01

trough up they haven't quite enough
to eat. II they have too much to eat,
they pick the green feed out and leave
nothing but the mash, and then you
know they haven't enough green feed.
I'VE feed them WEI mash; mix It a
little more moist than you do for
chickens. These ducks must not be
fed all they will eat, because II you
do, they will get In good condition.
You must only feed them what they
will clean up, and II they do not. you
must go through and clean II up.
They are not to be starved, but you
must keep them Just a little hungry,
and they will 80 out In this one or
two acres of land and eat more or
less green feed, and they will run up
and down the pen and It will give
them muscle.
and n Of those market ducks. you
will notice all the difference in the
world between them. The market
ducks are Just like a chunk Of lead,
and the breeding duck will flap and
flutter and hit you On the arm with
his wings, and sometimes hurt you.
"The reason WIZ we feed them In
this manner Is to get strength. We
keep oyster she'll before them all the
time. We do not use any sharp grit
for ducks, because 1t does not give us
good results. We would rather have
tho smooth grit, and we go to the lake
and to the sand pit and get the gravel;
about the size of wheat IL the right
size. We keep plenty of 1t before
them and there is no necessity to give
them oyster shell at this time that I
know Of.
I'VE keep them in this nj until
they are five months old. and then we
change and put them in permanent
quarters. Most any kind of a build
ing will do for a duck house. 1t does
not require very much light, but If
you want eggs all the winter you must
have 1t warm enough 80 that the eggs
won't get chilled. If you go through
pretty often and take up the eggs they
will not get chilled. You must not let
them out, because they will lay on the
NOW bank If you do.
I'VE do not have any nests in our
duck houses. we simply bed them
with shavings. We did try nests, but
we could not see any great benefit
from them. They will dig a hole
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01
FENCING IN THE HOGS.

To build q good hog fence first
get q solid corner. / dig holes for
the corner posts az feet deep and 10
Inches cross 1 fill up around the
post With concrete. s parts sand to /
apArt cement, to 3 inches above
ground 10 that water will drain off.
- good height for the fence Is the
s9o-inch with mesh at the bottom that
lakes them pig-tight. If a pig Is
kept in while he is growing he will
give n trouble when grown,
provided there Is enough to eat. I
not found q barb wire at the
'AOttom q bsneflt.-Roy M. Price.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01

for tn low cost and without nsucA ~
gard to the plant food which thsv aro
getting. The object in buying . ter
tilizer should be to set the hSysso
amount Of plant food In the propeS
form and proportion for the lsaSs
money. The h~igh-grsds goods -.
proach ~ ear this ideal ~ 10 poA3bls
In case of factory-mixed faftttssGA
It costs just ~ much to freight cart
and handle the low-g1ads - Il doo0
the high-srade. Nttroesa ord potash
in low-grade fertiiisesD cost from .
third to = han mors than y obtained
from high-gTade goods. Tho faSznse
can not afford 70 buy loW-gEado ts1s
tilIser1I -.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01

lures a. many suppose. Treat them
we'll, and a. . rule they will return
the same treatment.
True, they sometimes sting when
they are disturbed. Wouldn't you.
especially II you thought you were
being robbed7 Besides, they are often
pinched in the operation.
When removing the supers aim to
never hurt a bee; smoke down II
necessary. Rub honey over the
hands before commencing to work
with them and when q bee alights
intending to sting the honey SO tickles
his palate that 1t settles down - sat.
ing and forgsts its rage
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01

r.. w. Curtiss. Of Ransomv1lle, N. T..
who raises about 10000 ducks a year
and makes big profits at the business,
says It 10 harder manual work to raise
ducks than chickens and the business
requires patience and good judy
ment. He selects eggs from the
strongest birds and sets them in in
cubators and proods them until they
are eight weeks old when they are
fattened for market.
Before these ducks are fattened
We tort out our breeding stool at the
age when the ducks are old enough
10 that We can tell the sexes. l CO.
rays Mr.. Curtiss, Through q large
number Of ducks and perhaps I might
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01
GOOD FEED FOR BEEF CATTLE.

Silage will be one of the greatest
factors in the future in reducing the
cost of producing beef. 1t Is only
within the last - years tina silage
has been fed ~ >attle. At the In
diana station All experiment includ-
ing a ration of sixteen pounds OF
shelled corn. three pounds of cotton
seed meal and thirty pounds of Stage
was compared with a grain ration
containing fifteen pounds Of silage
and five pounds of clover and also
with a third ration containing ten
pounds Of clover but no silage. The
price per steer was as follows: S21.50
for the full feed of silage, $3.50 for
the half feed Of silage and s12.79 for
the lot receiving no silage.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01
ROLLING VERSUS NARROWING WINTER WHEAT

others put in with a press drill. Some
of the plats were narrowed in both
fall and spring, while others were
narrowed only in the spring. while 4
third set was rolled. .
1t vas quite evident from the results
that no benefit was derived from tho
narrowing. In fact "harrowing
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01

Emo. on her first visit to the
country. saw a number Of chickens
from the front porch Of a farmhouse.
The child watched the fowls for some
time. as they industriously scratched
around. Finally she turned and ran
to her mother. .A @
"Oh, mother" she cried. excitedly.
come out on the porch and see the
chickens wiping their feet on the
grass."-Selected. @ a
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01

For several years comparative tests
have been made by the Nebraska ex-
pertinent station Of narrowing and
rolling winter wheat, the following
account Of which is given by Mr.. e. G..
Montgomery: '"'.
Plats were seedsd to Turkish red
winter wheat, some sown broadcast,
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01

are not suspected untii the saow ~
appears. when the trails IN b
traced to great distances. They reach
wheat, rye. clover, and timothy dsad0
and often extend into orchaPdA NJ.
series, lawns and gardens. all Of which
are injured by the animals. Ha1s
stacks or shocks OF corn aro 1ss -
suffer II left out over v1nteH.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01
IL YOU WANT PEOPLE
TO LIKE YOU.

~ ,JJIAN 1OU.
Don't be inquisitive. .
Don't be disconnected with what
you have. Discomfort shows in your
face.
Don't find fault.
Don't contradict people, even
though you know you are right.
Don't repeat unpleasant things. AL
ways be cheerful. ".z''
Think first Of the comfort and
pleasure Of those about you.
In all things obey the golden rule;
and happiness will find you.-Ram's
Horn.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01

Do not place eggs under the turkey
hen the first days she shows signs Of
Better wait a while be-
she L. apt to change her mind.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-01
The Belgian Hare
@....- as a Food

The Belgian hare is one of the best
rabbits for table use. 1t weighs more
than most breeds, develops very
rapidly. and the quality Of the meat
is superior to all the others. The
Flemish giant is a Belgian hare bred
Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1916-04-06

With Richard c. p. Thomas, OF
Bowling Green, First District; S. w.
Hager, of Owensboro, Second Dis
trict, and Robert T. Caldwell, of Lex
ington, Third District, announced as
members of the Workmen's Compen-
sation Board, to administer the work
mems compensation law for industrial
injuries, the board will organize with
out delay, elect a secretary and begin
getting ready for business when the
law becomes operative August |. A
vast amount of preliminary work is
to be done, and before many weeks,
possibly days, a test suit will be
brought to determine the constitution
atty of the act. This may be brought
about by the simple expedient of de-
handing to be assigned Offices in the
Capitol, provided under a section of
the act.
Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1916-04-06
CONCRETE FOR FENCE POSTS
Farmers Are Finding It Profitable
Substitute for Timber, Which/De-
Gays Quite Rapidly.

Where cement is easily obtained
and proper aggregates are available.
farmers are finding it profitable to
substitute concrete posts for posts Of
wood. Wooden posts are temporary
at best, and in some localities decay
within very few years.
Concrete posts are indestructible,
keep in better alignment than wooden
posts, and. under normal conditions,
cost little more II as much as the lat
ter. In some sections of the country
they can be made cheaper than a
good wooden post. Their fireproof
and everlasting qualities make them
especially desirable. A simple type
OF post can be easily made on the
farm. A farmer may make his own
molds, or he can purchase them from
one OF the various concerni that man.
ufacture molds on a large scale.
Farmers sometimes club together in
purchasing factory or metal molds,
thus reducing expense to the individ-
ual. This is a very good plan as metal
molds do not warp or decay.
Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1916-04-06

Kn xville. Tenn. - Mrs. Mamie
To. q. of I02 w. Main Street. this
city. says: II you had seen Inc,
before | began to take Cardui, you
would not think | was the same per-
son. Six doctors failed to do me
good and my friends thought !
would die. coulj hardly get out
of bed or walk a step. AT last an
old dy advised me to take Cardu',
and now | can go most anywhere.
All ailing women need Cardui, as a
gentle. refreshing tonic. especially
adapted to their pecu lar ailments.
1t is eliable, vegetable remedy.
successfully used for over 80 years.
You ought to try it.-Advertis>-
ment.