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This newspaper page contains 32 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Semi Weekly Herald
Location
Eldora, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Jan 09, 1904
Page
6
A collection of brief tales recalling Eugene Meld and Richard Henry Stoddard in New York, Willam Dean Howells’s first reader recognition in Montreal, and a Texas club scene where English noblemen meet a barroom crowd. The humor centers on diet, fame, and class distinctions with local color.
A report notes rising use of tightly sealed coffins in French cemeteries. A medical expert claims that bodies buried in grass coffins mummify after about thirty years, indicating new burial practices and longevity concerns.
A waterproof cloak costs about twenty cents in Japan, made of oiled paper and lasting a year with ordinary use. In Grisonos Switzerland a law bans shooting chaoniols to protect the chamois, now valued at $50. A Norwegian invents a sardine tin machine boosting daily output from 600 to 15,000–20,000. Moscow to Port Arthur rail time under new schedule is thirteen days at $134, with exclusive three-car trains at $1.03 per mile. A Lewiston, Missouri man jailed for failing to pay poll tax, continues to draw fines daily rising $176 per day.
S C Holst a Wyoming stock raiser claims Dodd's Kidney Pills healed his disabling backache after two years of pain and failed treatments. He says he now works hard, lifts 239 mule loads, and feels healthier than ever, with over a year since the cure. A stray con man joke closes the item.
The advertisement touts Salzer’s seeds claiming New National Oats yield vast bushels across Michigan Missouri North Dakota and eight other states with per acre ranges from 110 to 200 bushels. It lists numerous crops including Potato and Alfalfa Clover Barley Corn Wheat Oats Billion Dollar Grass and sugar canes as profitable for farmers and urges sending a dollar and return postage for a catalog and samples.
Mr Wragg invites contributions of new ideas from readers of this department and offers to answer correspondents seeking information on discussed subjects. Address M J Wragg, Wakera, Iowa.
The Yong Book of the Department of Agriculture reports rapid growth in mule exports versus horses. In 1880 there were 11,201,800 horses. by 1903 2,728,088 remained, with horse value at $1,030,706,959 and mule value at $197,783,827. Average price per mule $72, vs $42 per horse. Imports of horses rose to 4,832 in 1903 from 14,074 in 1892. exports grew to 103,020 in 1902. Horse exports totalled $3,10,048,046, while mule exports rose from 3,966 in 1892 to 27,886 in 1902, worth $2,692,298.
Experiments show oats yield 10 percent more milk and butter fat than bran under the same conditions. At 40 cents per bushel, oats cost $25 per ton, making bran cheaper unless hauling costs under $4 per ton offset the difference. At 32 cents per bushel, oats compare to bran at $15.50 per ton. With current prices, oats should be used sparingly in dairy rations.
The piece explores the cuckoo as a well known nest bird and weather omen. It mentions its rain crow nickname and its seasonal call before weather changes. The text extols the bird and quotes a Wadsworth poem praising its mysterious voice and spring arrival.
A rustic note on a crow described as a blackleg and robber who, in this season, captures many grasshoppers and other crop pests. Observers say the bird eats bugs caterpillars cut worms and spiders, aiding farmers despite its notorious reputation.
Pear growing in Iowa has mostly failed due to cultivator errors, not inherent weakness. Success depends on learning the trade, selecting well drained soils, shaping trees, shading ground, and delaying harvest to ripen properly. Use high, thin soils, prune straggling shoots, mulch with berries, plant deeper, and ripen winter varieties indoors.
A long note reflects on the Belgian hare fad, noting consolidation with poultry papers and a decline in sensational wealth stories. The author recalls warning readers a year prior about rushing into a business craze without proof of lasting viability. As a nurseryman and fruit grower, they warn readers from betting on fragile ventures that may fail, likening it to ruined trees on an Iowa prairie.
The writer recalls fencing a hog pasture with seven barbed wires and tightening issues within two months. Despite solid end posts, the wires slacken after minor impacts as strands tighten around each barb, loosening adjacent sections. They hope barbed wire becomes obsolete, though woven wire remains used for larger animals due to high prices.
The winter short course at agricultural colleges offers eight or nine weeks of instruction in stock breeding crop rotation soil conditions and agricultural chemistry. Hundreds of young men from western farm states can gain valuable knowledge and a practical business education. If possible, they should attend and invest a few dollars to gain this expertise.
The article urges farm families to produce cider vinegar for home use, noting strong demand and low cost. It explains that drop apples can be utilized to make cider cheaply, with vinegar barreled after careful, minimal processing.
In the Ozarks, orchard profits exceed those from other farm products by about four to one. From planting to bearing, three years for peaches and six for apples, ground can be cropped with corn, cowpeas, clover and other crops. Poultry adds greatly to income, with farmers securing substantial revenue from a thriving poultry sector.
A garbled OCR passage references folds wagons and a garden, with unclear phrases and missing context. The text includes partial names and numbers but lacks coherent events or identifiable subjects to summarize into a full news item.
Farmers institutes have started in western states attracting attention. In Iowa and some states committees arrange talks, though methods vary. The piece urges all farmers to attend, bring family, and gain practical instruction for bread winning and improving rural life.
Nearly every farmer desires his son to remain on the farm. To keep him, expose him to country life by giving pure-bred animals to tend. Include occasional gatherings, provide good reading material, and nurture the right character. If he is suited for farming, he will not crave leaving the place of many happy days unless his talents lead elsewhere.
The piece argues against buying cheap breeding stock. It notes cheap boars and sows often yield poor progeny and low-quality offspring, leading to higher overall costs. It asserts that progressives seek quality over bargain prices, since good animals, though pricier, deliver better profits.
The Ben Davis apple drew broad appeal among farmers and orchardists in the Southwest, though its exact origin remains unclear. The fruit is described as pretty and good for keeps, offering pleasing flavor and solid profits for growers.
Hardy wide rangers with clean limbs and small combs are best for the farm. The egg contains nearly all constituents of the human body, so a varied diet is vital. Hens need carbonate and phosphate for their shells and overall health. A well cared for standard poultry line outvalues many neglected varieties. Grain lacks lime and minerals, brain provides nitrogen and minerals, good to mix with grain. A fat duck is a premier table fowl and commands a good price.
The passage notes that more care would be taken if the good done by toads was better understood. It highlights that toads favor many pests including cutworms ants and weevils as well as filer and ice. It states seventy seven percent of foods insects are injurious to vegetation.
John Li Donohue of Rockland Maine shows a long handsewn leather portmanteau presented to General Knox by George Washington. The 1776 bag, used to carry Continental army pay, was prized for its ties to Knox and the Gerry family of Thomaston.
A raven head stamped on a small aluminium pocket piece saved Clerk William J. Weber of the Chicago avenue police station when a bullet fired from his own revolver struck the metal, plugging the hole with lead. Weber described cleaning his revolver at home as the weapon pointed toward him during the incident.
The Department of Agriculture reports Irish harvest laborers migrating annually to England and Scotland. This year nearly 18,000 Irishmen sought winter fund relief, with over three quarters from Connaught and more than half from County Mayo. Ulster workers also part of the exodus.
The piece notes about 28,000 people are employed in demand mines worldwide. It recalls historically up to 60,000 workers in single Indian mines at once, aided by machinery that multiplies a miner’s output. It estimates the total value of all world diamonds above one billion dollars.
A brief exchange centers on a man praised as a statesman rather than a politician. The remark counters the idea of electoral success with a defense of public service values. No individuals beyond the referenced father are named. The item reads like a clipped quotation in a wider human interest column.
A curious freak of nature was exhibited by W P Harmon of Warren Vermont. It shows a large apple with a red dish yellow hue, lacking a quarter section about an inch and a half wide, leaving a vivid rim. The unusual fruit is the only big one grown on the tree and draws attention as a local curiosity.
A quirky note laments a day lacking kind acts. The brief line hints at community spirit and personal reflection, inviting readers to consider simple actions that brighten others’ lives.
A wild collage of ads and quips features Defiance Starch promising better quality and value with an 16 ounce package, plus jokes and snippets about clothing dye, tailoring advice, and humorous restaurant misunderstandings, all reflecting a frayed, humorous tone.
A physician relates personal experience with coffee causing heart palpitations and suggests a switch to Portum tea as a safer alternative. He notes years of coffee use led to severe irritation and near fatal attacks, and recounts adopting Portum and stopping heart symptoms.
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