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Newspaper
Muscatine Journal
Location
Muscatine, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Aug 09, 1902
Page
10
A fragmented farm era reminiscence discusses farming life, labor, and land values. It notes the harvest season bringing rewards for toil, advocates Jersey cow testing, warns against corrupt hired men, and argues fertility and transportation as equalizers shaping land worth. It cites broad comparisons with England and stresses practical farming over speculation.
William J. Howard of St. Joseph Missouri recounts a Martinique cave near Mont Pelee where he found a vast gold deposit and a glowing hellish guardian. He describes entering a cavern, observing heaps of gold, a blue green flame, and a horned hairy demon, then escaping in a feverish state.
A brief observation notes that onions require more labor per acre than corn, and remarks on the challenging season. The speaker reflects on wise provisions in nature and comments on young, attractive wives cooking less well.
A historic call for national interest in highway quality over spectacles argues that improved road wheeling will follow widespread public attention to infrastructure rather than prize fights. The remark frames roads as a civic pride issue and advocates prioritizing transportation improvements.
The successful dairyman will never figure on how cheaply he can keep his cows, but rather on how much nutritious, milk producing food he can get them to eat.
A husky dairyworker in overalls operates modern creamery machinery amid farm life. The hard labor of toil and isolation can breed harsh schemes born from toil and nature.
Boarding house keepers and hotel men will continue using oleo by buying and blending coloring matter to suit boarders tastes. The method is deemed unsuitable for ordinary family consumption.
In March 1807 farmers in the corn belt wrestle with the ten cent corn issue. It is unlikely they will face this again as foreign nations have finally discovered the value of American corn.
The agricultural experiment stations of the country are doing good work in analyzing brands of commercial fertilizers and conducting stock food experiments. A lot of frauds have thus been exposed.
In ancient Greece, before formal record offices, mortgaged land carried a stone marker at the corner with the loan amount and lender’s name inscribed, serving as a public notice of the mortgage.
In some states competitive sparrow hunts raise church funds with a bounty on the birds. A church recently netted 1,700 birds earning about $17, reflecting olden times when two sparrows sold for a farthing.
A 73 acre Welsh farm paid a $100 tithe in 1831 when wheat sold for $2.20 a bushel, barley $1.20 and oats 80 cents. By 1901 the tithe rose to $112.50 while prices fell to 90 cents for wheat, 75 cents for barley and 55 cents for oats, explaining why the farmer’s piety waned.
Twelve years ago a friend bought a well bred Shorthorn cow for $300. She has produced ten calves, seven males sold for over $100 each and three heifers kept. Now fifteen full blooded descendants remain in his herd, all thriving as well as the original cow.
The text urges substituting corn bread, corn cakes, mush and Injun pudding for white flour breads to achieve a balanced ration. It argues skim milk and cornmeal, prepared properly, provide near perfect nutrition and support for a family’s cereal meals.
Oleomargarine makers experiment with coloring methods to avoid legal issues. One idea involves feeding steer tallow sources carrots. It may work as with cows, but steers differ in dairy production methods.
It stresses balanced ration for healthy hogs. Grass, clover, rye, barley meal, eats, peas and bran form staples for young hogs, finished with corn as they mature. Only fully grown hogs are used as sires and dams to help prevent cholera.
A superannuated minister sustains his livelihood on three acres of land with a half acre of celery for sale in New York. The crop yields him about 700 to 800 dollars annually, providing comfortable living.
The sugar beet will thrive on irrigated western lands as irrigation drives intensive cultivation. This pairing suits the crop’s needs by enabling robust production and efficient farming practices in the region.
The common skunk or polecat is a pest in a well settled agricultural country. Skunks are real pests in almost every way, and there should be a more organized effort to exterminate them.
A Jersey bull placed at the head of a herd of native cows raised the grade of fifteen daughters, resulting in each heifer producing about 100 pounds more butter than her dam. This crossbred improvement demonstrates the impact of sire selection on dairy output.
A provocative remark argues that farmer wives are no more prone to insanity than other classes and questions why more do not become insane given the difficult husbands they endure. The statement underscores social pressures and gender expectations reflected in the era's discourse.
The text argues there is no profit in crowding hens into winter laying for twenty cent eggs while spring and summer output can fetch 13 to 15 cents. It attributes reduced winter earnings to cold storage affecting egg production profits.
A moral caution warns that if you give a boy a pig or calf and later sell it for profit you must settle with him before attending church. The text suggests unresolved dispute will disrupt family prayers as the boy might misbehave.
A lady maintaining twelve bee swarms prospered until a neighboring distillery began operations. The bees then wandered off to indulge in alcohol, becoming unproductive like intoxicated animals, mirroring the anecdote of a man.
Farmers advised to house cows in a cool, dark basement barn from 9 a m to 4 p m during midsummer heat and flies, allow pasture access all night, and provide a sweet corn patch for midday feed. This method aims to boost milk production by reducing heat stress and improving grazing.
The best soil moisture for plant growth is around 30 percent of what the soil can hold. Less moisture hinders healthy growth while too much moisture reduces air availability, which is nearly as vital as water for plants.
The approach to keeping a son on the farm involves early interest in farm work without overworking him. He should have boyish recreation, receive his own animal or crop, and be urged to study both the scientific and practical aspects of farm life.
The straw stack and cornstalk dairy cow give way to new milk production laws. Young stock and colts take over the stalkfield while old bossy enjoys a warmer barn and improved ration, bringing comfort to the cow and greater profit to the owner.
The article notes excellent crop prospects nationwide and strong foreign demand. Prices are expected to rise, spurring greater investment in farm lands and a rush for unsettled areas in the northwest. Even dry regions are forecast to harvest well, fueling expansion.
Twenty years ago the local butter of the winter region varied in color, smell and strength and troubled merchants who accepted it. It was stored in cellars, shipped to Chicago for little profit, or dumped in the river at night. The introduction of the creamery has ended that practice and that butter is now unknown.
While much has been written about the farmer's wife sufferings the paper highlights the hard life of the city day laborer's wife who manages a large family with scant resources living in reach of social pleasures she cannot partake she buys all necessities including milk and eggs and must visit saloons to find a wayward husband or son amid church bells she is rarely dressed to attend services and deserves sympathy.
The article traces how agricultural communities evolve from grain farming to dairying and meat production. It argues that regardless of origin or soil quality, these towns gradually reduce debt, build new homes and barns, and show clear signs of prosperity, a pattern seen across several states.
A South Dakota farmer sold his farm last winter for 42 dollars per acre after moving to the Pacific coast. He spent three months there seeking a new location, then returned to try to buy back the farm, only to face a price 12 dollars per acre higher. The tale advises renting the old place if a similar fever strikes.
It argues for a steady farm policy choosing one breed of cattle hogs horses sheep and poultry and a crop rotation system. Constant breed shifting and crop crossing are said to be heavy tax on agriculture, causing disappointment and loss when attempting to grow all kinds of stock and crops.
An Englishman is described as a carnivorous animal and top buyer of beef in large joints. He appreciates rare, bloody meat for flavor and is noted as a frequent scrapper and fighter, contributing to his status as one of America’s best customers.
The farmers’ political influence is shown by the passage of the oleomargarine law as lawmakers heard from home and acted to protect agricultural interests, proving united farming power can secure needed legislation.
The agricultural department sent missionaries last year to promote improved highway making. They traveled with a rock crusher and other tools, laying down short road sections. The big question remains how to turn black gumbo soil into solid roadbed when gravel and rock are absent for miles.
Mabelle Ward of Milford Rhode Island, eighteen, attempted a parachute descent at Hoag Lake park Woonsocket during Fourth of July sports. The fall was broken by an electric wire on which her chin caught, causing a leg amputation above the knee after hospital treatment and surgery.
Rose Brady a seventeen year old employed in an overall factory on Mission street San Francisco was riveted by a button shank when a machine drove the button through her finger near the first joint. A physician cut the button out and saved the finger.
In Portland Ind a gray tabby cat fled across railroad tracks while a limited train approached at forty-five miles an hour. A dog named Ponton pursued the cat and narrowly escaped injury when only a fragment of his tail remained after the encounter.
Train notes show B., C. R. & N. Muscatine depart for Montezuma daily except Sunday. Arrival from Montezuma listed with 7:10 pm freight and 6:00 pm connection. C. M. Government Agent noted.
Trains Nos 1 and 12 limited between Chicago and Denver via Kansas City or St. Joseph, Nos 15 and 16 via Kansas City, Nos 7 and 8 to Evans instead of Washington, Nos 29 and 30 through to Kansas City Jamaica City of Mexico and California, with adjusted times from 3:39 am to 11:30 pm and daily or near daily service changes noted.
timetable notice shows Muscatine North and South by Co trains effective April 1992 with southbound and northbound departures from Muscatine Roundhouse Fruitland Grandview Wapello and Birick Jet, connections to B R & N Iowa Central and schedules for Saturdays and Mondays including arrival and departure times and the general agent Charles Howard.
Train listings show No 3 St Paul Express at 8 10 pm daily No 5 Mason City Mall at 11 59 am Sundays No 25 Way Freight at 10 00 am Sundays Going South No 6 Peoria Mall at 2 45 pm Sundays No 4 Peoria Express at 5 36 am daily No 16 Way Freight at 1 50 pm Sundays Coupon tickets to US Canada and Mexico are on sale Contact Geo S Batty Marshalltown IA or L Seeverg Eirick Junction for details.
The steamers Belen 1.AIR and W. J. Young, Jr. operate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The Belen 1.AIR departs at 6 30 a m and Sundays at 7 a m while the W. J. Young, Jr. runs at 7 p m on those days.
Passenger schedule lists north bound departures from Muscatine and south bound trips to Muscatine for the Diamond Jo Line. Steamer Dubuque and Steamer Quincy serve June through September dates with morning and afternoon departures. Travel times between St Louis St Paul and Muscatine are given, with arrival and departure times for each leg.
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