davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13

feet wide at top and 2 feet 6 inches a,
the bottom.
This will not require a bottom, bu,
nail two strips of 4-foot length across
the top so as to rest on the two sides
support the inside or core in its proper
place in the center.
In constructing the tank lay a foun-
dation of small stone covered with
concrete grout. This should be from
inches to 6 inches, depending on the
soil. Then set your mold upon this,
leaving out the core form at first, but
having the firebox form in place.
Now fill this with concrete, tamped
in we'll to a depth of s inches. Then
put your fiue in place; this can be
common 6-inch stovepipe and extend
to the end of tank and then UP to the
end of chimney.
After you have this in place cover
with concrete to the top Of same or
more, about 7 inches thick; then upon
this lay you reinforcing rods. These
are not absolutely necessary, but as
they make the permanency of the
work a positive fact it 10 advisable to
USE IncH. lHcSc IOOS can De quarter
inch iron rods and are laid two to the
foot each way.
After reinforcing rods are in place
fill with concrete until our depth Of
bottom is exactly twelve inches from
the foundation. This gives the bottom
above firebox a thickness of four
inches. which is ample, and for usual
purposes three inches would do.
Place the inside form or core in po-
sition and fill to the top with concrete
and allow to stand in the forms until
1t begins to harden.
Then carefully remove the forms so
as not to injure the work and paint the
inside or walls Of tank with a mixture
Of water and cement Of the consist
ency Of thick cream.
Pu this on just like paint and n
or two good coats. This will bond
with the concrete and give a SIN ooth
finish to the wallis. and is an aid to
making the concrete more waterproof.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13

A simple for of fumigating house
which any cheap boarding may he
used. provided it is free from knots
and tongued and grooved so that the
boards may be tightly fitted together.
Shiplap is not desirable. The building
is rendered air-tight by tarred paper
rubber roofing. Great ARE is neces-
sary in constructing the door n win
dows. These should be at least three
layers of board thick and should fit
into the frames very tightly. 1t should
be possible to open the window as Well
as the DOR from the outside so that
the building may be quickly aired
after being used for fumigating pur-
poses.
A more permanent structure and
one adapted to a wider range of uses
may be made Of concrete. 1t is best
to equip such a cellar with ventilators
so that 1t may be used for the storage
of fruits and vegetables. These ve6-
tilators should, of course, be so ar
ranged that they nay be tightly closed
when it Is desired to use the cellar
for fumigation. The most popular
size Of the average farm Is a cellar 10
by IA feet. inside measurements, with
a self-supporting arched roof 5 feet
above the door at the sides and Z feet
s inches in the center. All Of the side
walls are s inches thick. therefore dig
the hole II feet 4 inches by Is feet 4
inches and to the depth desired, US
ually 5 feet. at one end cut out the earth
to a width of 4 feet I inches and slope
it Upward for seven C steps
with a rise Of s inches and a tread Of
10 inches. and for a thickness of 4
inches of concrete back of the steps
proper, arrange for an 1S-inch landing
at the bottom of the stair. Make the
wall, forms Of 1-inch siding on
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13
Feeding Dairy Cows
For Best Production

Different cows have different capa-
cities for converting feed into milk
No mar who has not a full apprecia-
ton Of the wide variation in individual
cows will be fully successful as a
feeder. Some cows may have natural
capacity for producing large quantities
OF milk. and may not receive feed
enough for maximum production. BY
increasing the feed of the highes,
producing cows and carefully consult
ing the milk sheets on which each
cows daily production is recorded, the
skillful feeder will soon find that
some cows in the herd will respond
to the increased allowance and return
a good profit On the additional feed
given. On the other hand, there are
cows that have a limited capacity for
milk production and are very liza bic
to be overfed. BY carefully studying
each individual COW the feeder will
soon ascertain the point beyond which
any addition to the grain ration be-
ONE Improbable.
All animals require plenty Of good,
pure water. This is especially true Of
the milking COW. As water constitutes
more than three-fourths Of the total
volume Of milk. The water supply.
therefore, demands the dairyman's
most careful attention. Stale or i'm
pure water il distasteful to the COW
and she will not drink enough for
maximum milk production. Such
water may also carry disease germs
which might make the milk unsafe
for human consumption or be dan
gerous to the COW herself.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13
KEEPING BOYS AND GIRLS AT HOME ON THE FARM
Club Work is Prc-~g a Wonderful Stmulus-lts Benefits Are Not \
Alone By the Financial Profits of Members.

capita cost of the work based upon
members engaged in proft-making en-
terprises only was $2.02.
The results indicate that the benefit
of boys and girls club work can mo-
be entirely measured by the results in
dollars and cents, or net profit. Ac-
count must be taken, for example, OF
the influence of the club members
work upon parents and neighbors in
increased crop production, as we'll as
in the influence upon the club member
in not only conserving him for rural
life but in making him more efficient
and contented.
One definite Illustration of how the
club activities influenced adults may
be shown by the fact that demonstra-
tons in home canning and exhibits of
the canning-club work by boys and
girls aroused such interest that 26,534
adults wrote to the department and
asked for the children's canning in
structionS for use in their home work.
State cooperative leaders in charge
of the work and their assistants Sc
cured 11.47S local people to assist and
cooperate with them in the conduct
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13

ment and water. Do not apply until
the concrete is thoroughly dry, n as
the gasoline evaporates, leaving the
parafin i~mpregnated in the wall, you
have an absolute protection against
the water soaking into the concrete.
If applied in the above proportions
and then allowed to dry before the
tank is used there will be no erect oil
either the gasoline or wax in the
water.
The best mixture for h walls OF
the tank is a mixture of one part
Portland cement to two parts OF sanu
and three parts Of small gravel. aver
aging about one-half inch in size. Ihls
is best used very wet and "puddled' or
poured in like wet mud. as then the
excessive moisture in the concrete VIII
aid in COMPRISING the concrete or IN
creasing the density. Again, 1t VIII
shrink when dry from two-slxteenths
TO %one-fourth of an inch and thus en-
able the forms to be taken away
easier. For the bottom. i. e., up TO the
floor level, you can use a leaner mix
ture of about /, 2. 4. This VIII 40
very well for that part of the tank and
be fully strong enough for the work
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13
Try to Find Gu;
What the Hens Like

PERHAPS the bes, way to find out
What hers like is t, ask the hens. Al
least thac was the plan followed by
the Missouri Agricultural experiment
Station in recent tests in which "eish-
ed amounts If various 1eeds were
placed before the hens and what theg
left of each kind of feed was weighed
back so it was possible to tell what
kinds of Iced they had eaten and what
they ha. passed by. At the same
time a careful record was kept OF the
number of eggs laid by each hen and
her changes in weight.
The test seems to show that the hen
knows better than many people how
20 select the iood that Will help her
most in laying eggs and keep her IN
the best condition. Some. old ideas
with res I'd to poultry feeding were
proved sound and some others were
i]iscredjtcd by the hens. They almost
all showed a deci.ied preference for
wheat which Is very generally used as
a poultry feed. kafiir stood next in
popularity, foiiowed by corn and corn
meal. but a anc sunfiowers were
not eaten as much as many people
would nave expected, pToDdDly pe-
cause the hen is not able to digest much
food containing a high percentage OF
crude iber. The hens that did eat
sunfloWei seed were seer cracking
them ana eating only the softer por-
tons inside, possibly because they
wanted 20 get rid of the crude fiber
in the st ell.
Bran IL often used in poultry feed
ing but the hens in this test which
could get other feed almost always
chose il instead OF bran. Alfalfa
leaves we're tried but not eaten to any
great extent.
Anima. food OF some kim such as
the beef scrap or SOUL milk is generally
regarded as very necessary for laying
hens bui most of the hens in this test
did not eat much more beef scrap
white LAYING than while not laying.
Two actually ate more Of it when they
were no laying.
Other tests nave shown that the use
of either beet scrap or sour milk makes
the hens z record at least twice as
good as though sh we're fed no ami
NAL feed whatever, and hat our milk
Is slightly better than beef scrap for
this purpose in addition to being
cheaper and easier TO get on most
farms.-H. l.. kempster.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13

Two hundred and nine thousand one
girls made application for membership
in the boys and girls club work. as
organized by the department in CO.
operation with the State colleges of
agric ulture. during the year 1915, in
the Northern and Western States, &C
cording to reports received by the de-
| partment of agriculture.
| The members participating in this
club work are divided into two classes,
the profit making, and the nonprofit
making, according to the nature and
outlined plans of the work undertaken
by the members. Sewing clubs, bread
clubs, farm and home handicraft clubs
are called nonproft making
the things produced are not sold, but
used in the home for the comfort and
convenience of the entire family, while
the profit-making projects provide for
a business marketing or selling with a
view to a net profit on investment as
a result Of the effort of the club men,
Der. Canning clubs, poultry clubs,
corn clubs. sugar-beet clubs. and
OIIlSIs ~ SlIIllloA 49, "S
making clubs.
One hundred and ~twenty-seVen
thousand eight hundred and eighty
two young people who made applica-
ton for the work actually undertook
and carried on a part or all of it dur
ing the season. The balance Of those
enrolling, for lack Of land, time, and
opportunity. were limited to study OF
the subjects and meeting with the club
groups in their regular meetings, and
were not in a position to handle the
work of the home project.
The young people engaged in the
profit-making work sold their prod
ucts at a total value of s509,324.24,
thus giving an average of s20.96 for
each club member engaged in the
work. The per capita cost of the club
work for the past season in the North
ern and Western States was so cents
on the total enrolment. while the per
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13

of the boys and girls work, all of
these without salary or reimburse
ments for supervision expenses. The
regular State and assistant leaders
conducted 1870 canning demonstra-
tons with a total attendance of 156,
$50 during the canning season. Three
thousand and eight hundred twenty
nine field meetings were held. One
group of 3.015 adults who requested
the bows and girls canning instruc-
tons canned 275,S56 quarts Iof fruits
and 270.659 quarts of vegetables.
The following tells of four brothers
successful pig-club experience-not
much likelihood of these boys wanting
to leave the farm now.
Four brothers near Macon, Ga,
Joined the ham-and-bacon project OF
the pig club. This meant raising. rat
tening. and Strengthening a grade pig.
Each brother purchased a pig. and all
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13

started together in the race to produce
the best pig most profitably.
The pigs were weighed at intervals.
Kept free of lice, and fed regularly and
well. The boys wanted cheap gains, so
several times a week they drove an
old mule to town, sold vegetables they
had raised, and brought back the
kitchen wastes Of the townspeople.
These wastes were cooked and fed to
the pigs. A little bran and corn and
green feed were fed. In the fall the
pigs were turned into a field planted in
corn and cowpeas. AS the pigs were
handled and fed under Identical con-
d%itions. the race was always close.
Calamity overlook one Of the boys
in the sixth month. His pig died. The
others continued to grow. They were
shown at the district show and the
State fair. The ace continued to be
close, with not more than 20 pounds
difference in their weights.
Slaughtering time arrived. The boys
killed their hogs, which dressed 500
pounds. They were made up into old
fashioned country sausage. souse. lard,
cracklings, and fresh cuts of pork.
The products from the first sold for
$3.50; from the second for Sails.
and from the third for s45.25, making
a total of $125.S0. All the boys made
a substantial profit. the gains being
put on the pigs at IS cents. 81 cents,
and 3 cents per pound. respectively.
The total cost Of pigs and fced was
$45, leaving a net profit of $80.SO on
the three hogs. A neighbor who had
started to feed his two pigs at the
same time as the boys did. sold them
for s43.40. BY the use of wastes and
green feed, the boys put gains on their
hogs at about half the cost OF gains
ually practiced in their region.
Encouraged by the results of heir
first pig-feeding enterprise, the boys
intend purchasing a start toward a
herd OF purebred hogs. They have
found profits in feeding grade hogs on
a small scale. They are now going to
raise purebreds on a larger scale.
A Colorado farm boy has under
taken to tell parents who wish to keep
their hoys and girls on the farm how
to 20 about the matter. Among his
instructions are the following:
Give the young people good books.
ma gazincs and farm papers to read.
Have some kind of a club for them
to attend.
Let them have a party. entertain
ment or picnic nce in a while.
Encourage acquaintance with farm
work by giving them small tracts OF
land for themselves. and by showing
them how to raise the crops in which
they are especially interested.
Encourage riding and driving. Give
them the use of horses when they are
not otherwise occupied.
When they have finished the courses
of their rural schools, send them to
the states agricultural schools.
Take time to teach them the hows
and why's of farm work.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13

there are stin persons who advocate
the growing Of vines without pruning.
me safest plan, according to knowl-
eose now available, Is to follow mod
crate pruning.
IN training the vines, two systems
are employed. I) the horizontal, or
overhead system, by which the growth
Is spread on an overhead canopy about
I feet above the ground and supported
by posts, and CD the upright. or YER
t1cal; system, in which the growth is
spread over a vertical trellis. Both
have their advantages.
Muscadine grapes shatter readily
ron the stem. When the fruit Is in
tended for wineries it is harvested by
Earring the berries from the vines onto
large canvas sheets. Fruit for table
use should be hand picked. BY care
hand picking, the fruit Of some
varieties can be secured in clusters
and it sells for a higher price upon
the market.
One of the purposes Of the investi-
cations now carried on by the depart
ment is to develop. through breeding
work, varieties in which the berries
will adhere better to the cluster.
Some other aims of the breeding in
vestigations are (1) to originate per-
fect-lowered, self-fertile varieties, to
eliminate the necessity of interplant-
ing with male vines, and ca to origi-
nate varieties having larger clusters
m fruit Of better quality.
The Muscadine grapes are very pro-
and up to the present time
remunerative prices have been secured
for the fruit.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13

hi outside dimensions Of the tank
m 8 feek 8 inches long. 3 feet high
and ; feet 8 inches wide; the walls are
I inches thick, giving the inside di-
nseus3ons of 8 feet long, ; feet wide al
the top and : feet 6 inches wide at the
bottom, with a depth Of 20 inches
farm and car be changed to suit your
Assdk
Tho chimney at end is nodded
II inches square n I feet high This
saA be increased If 50 desired.
For the outside mold Ex boards 10
inches wide and s feet 8 inches long,
fastened together. three of each, with
eaeats, make the two sides. The end
where the dre box il located Is made
Of three 10-inch boards ; feet 10
inches long and nailed to the two sides
at the end.
For h firebox make a box exactly
is inches wide, IL inches high and "a
inches long. Pfoce this at the one end
abutting against the side.
For h chimney make q box II
inches square and 4 feet long. Have
this open on q side, set at the one
CAu III CeHteI. AAV tOen WIN SIX 10
inch boards IT inches long finish I'D
this end by mailing to ends of sides
and to open side of chimney-box mold.
This enables you to hold the CHM
hey with the walls. thus making a
heater and more satisfactory job.
For the inside Of tank cut two 10
inch boards 8 feet long. fasten two of
each together with cleats on inside;
now cut four 10-inch boards exactly 2
feet 10 inches long, fasten two of each
together with cheats.
At n side Of each measure in ex-
actly 8 inches from each end and draw
4 line from that, to the upper corner,
cutting along This line.
This makes the ends in a level or
wedge shape 2 feet 10 inches wide at
the top and 2 feet 4 inches wide at the
bottom These are nailed inside the
two sides, and II you have used 1-inch
lumber you have the correct width, 3
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13

I two parts sand. to four parts crush
ed c A sack Of cement equals one
cubic foot.
Ventilation should be provided.
While building the wall make one or
more air shafts (similar to a chimney
fue) Of s-inch tile, by Embedding them
in the concrete wall. with an opening
inside at floor level and another out
side. well above ground line. BY this
arrangement fresh air il admitted.
Place a tile chimney in the concrete
roof and cover it with a galvanized
iron hood for removing the foul air.
II built late in the fall. protect the
fresh concrete from cold weather by
covering it with clean straw or with
old arpet so suspended as to leave a
dead air a between the concrete
and h covering.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13

The best results are obtained on
sandy loan soils hat are well drained
and contain a fair amount of fertility
and organic matter.
II b important that the subsoil be
well drained. II Muscadines are to be
planted on new land the land should
Be we'll prepared and some annual
crop requiring cultivation be grown
ON It at least one season.
Until recently it was a common be-
Yief that Muscadine vines could not be
pruned without killing them. This
has been shown sto be a mistake, but
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13
no FATTEN

1t lie just a. important to fatten
chickens sent to the market as it is to
fatten hogs or beef cattle. In fact.
when the chicken comes from the
it il in the proper condition to
put on economical gains. Students in
the poultry department OF the UniveY-
sity Of Missouri found in recen tests
that chickens will gain about % per
cent in IL to IA days feeding. That
this gain is economical was shown by
the fact hat the grain required to put
on a pound Of gain was approximately
three and one-half pounds.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13

In about 1900 American cases of
trichinosis. the most frequent sources
of infection reported were raw sau-
sage, 225 cases; raw ham, 2l3; raw
pork (kind of product not s~pecifed).
1856. The most serious outbreak of
trichinosis in the UNITED States in the
number Of persons affected vas thac
of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. four years
ago in California, in which IS cases.
with l death, resulted from summer
sausage made by a farmer and ped
died by him in the neighborhood.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13
SUGAR BEET INDUSTRY.

The production of beet sugar in the
United States has increased during the
past four years from less than 700, 600
tons to approximately 900, 900 tons.
During the past year seven new locali-
ties for sugar beet production have
been developed. But for the existing
shortage Of sugar Get seed a consid-
erably larger increase of production
would have been secured.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13

III it is desired to make the tank alb.
solutely impervious to the water i,
contains you can use the wax system.
RMS is done in the easiest ann by
dissoivlng h paraffin wax in gaso-
line.
For one tank a single cake in a
quart of gasoline is enough. Shave the
wax ur fine and it will dissolve
quickly.
Paint this on the inside walls of the
tank after you have applied the CO.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13

Another outbreak Occurred in Wis
consin about a year ago in which 81
cases. resulting in 3 deaths. developed
in 5 families. Early in December a
hog which had been on the farm OF
the first family for three years vas
slaughtered and part Of the meat
made into sausage. THE next day
some Of the sausage was fried slightly
and eaten. Two of the members of
this family died. There were eight
cases in three other families which
procured some of m sausage immedi-
ately after it was prepared and ate it
or ~imperfectly cooked.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13

The fire box Is built under one end
and is connected at the chimney at the
other enc with the flue| or pipe run
ming the entire length Of the tank.
which distributes the heat evenly and
thus keeps the water at a point above
freezing with but little fire in the
heater.
The heater being nodded with the
tank, is always recdy for use at any
time and can be employed whenever
needed.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13
FOR EGGS.

If you want Eggs during the winter,
don't stuff the birds full at their
morning meal. When the hens fill up
first thing in the morning and then go
back TO loaf on the roosts. you'll get
fat fowls. but you won't get many
eggs. In a short time they will be
cut of condition III you don't watch
out"
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13
PROFIT IN MUSCADlNE GRAPES

1Bcsdfne grapes can be SUCCESS
my grown wherever cotton thrives,
and can be grown on almost any of the
oliabie soils along the Atlantic coast
from the James River to Florida and
from. Florida along the Gulf coast to
Texas, their natural habitat extending
along the sea we'll int the mountains.
They also succeed along the Mississippi
River as far north as southeastern
Missouri and tho Tennessee River.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13
BOOKS FOR FARMERS WIVES.

No home is complete without a few
good books and one or more maya
zines on home economics. AS the long
evenings approach, most women will
have some leisure. Plan a course of
reading for the coming winter. There
are many new things being written
along the following lines which should
be of vital interest to every home
maker: Household management,
foods, clothing and textiles, home san
%itation. are of the sick. invalid cook
cry, etc.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-13
THE ORIGINAL .GOOD-ROR-
NOTHING"

The most deliberate parasite we
have Is the weed. This fellow feasts
on b richest plant food we can pro-
duce, grows high and rank. and never
brings in a cent. He ia the origina,
MISUNDERSTANDING" proposition
He gets sosDethtng a1d gives nothing
In return.