Des Moines Column Seeks Reader Ideas and Queries
Mr Wragg invites readers to submit new ideas for this department and offers to answer inquiries on discussed topics. Correspondence should be addressed to M J Wragg 300 Good Block Des Moines Iowa.
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
This newspaper page contains 39 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Semi Weekly Herald
Location
Eldora, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Jun 03, 1905
Page
3
Mr Wragg invites readers to submit new ideas for this department and offers to answer inquiries on discussed topics. Correspondence should be addressed to M J Wragg 300 Good Block Des Moines Iowa.
A reprinted exhortation argues the world posts a universal demand for a “Wanted A Man.” It calls for a balanced, self developed, practically minded person who seeks growth, discipline, and character in all professions. It notes many jobs sit empty while many remain idle and urges readers to seize opportunities and strive for the right kind of worker.
Farmers, pressed by daily labor, need to study the living problem. The text argues that a busy man who cannot live a Christian life will eventually be forced to face death. It urges readers to consider the many factors in how to live.
A farmer notes thirty rods across a wheat field revealing eighty four skunk grub holes and many harmless snakes aiding rodent and insect control. He observes a toad eating insects and urges not harming these beneficial creatures.
The text argues for increasing land productivity by expanding cultivated area and doubling crop yield. It suggests that a farmer producing thirty bushels of corn should aim for sixty by applying more efficient methods and resources to maximize output.
A clipped rural pastiche argues that true happiness and religion are scarce, noting that pessimists are often hairier and critics abound when effort is seen as insufficient. It mocks the idea that wealth guarantees contentment and remarks on shifts in gender norms and social perception with a wry, folksy tone.
A report from Ontario station notes Japanese plums thrive as far north as Georgian Bay. The favored growing strip runs northeast to southwest, starting near Chicago west of Lake Michigan. This explains limited profitability in northern Illinois and Iowa. Export dynamics push Argentine wheat and corn, with U S farmers facing shrinking markets as prices favor other nations. No autumn export prospects for American wheat appear.
The mole’s diet centers on angle worms. It hunts in gardens in wet weather when worms come near the surface, making its burrowing activity more visible than in dry conditions.
An 18 inch long wooden device with two 5 16 inch bolts forms a horse mouth speculum. It can fit different mouths by adjustable holes and straps to the halter. The contraption lets four people examine a horse safely without injuring a handler.
A friend installed an acetylene gas plant in his country home. The $125 setup includes generator, piping, and fixtures. He reports average monthly lighting cost is under $2 and claims the system fully lights the house as needed. Only maintenance is adding carbide twice a month.
Early cultivation adds value to horses and shows trustworthiness. Manure should be well rotted before garden use. Pigs stay thrifty for ready markets. Young horses need time to build stamina. Potatoes plant deep where soil allows. Haul out and scatter manure as it’s made. Cows require ample feed but not all have high capacity. A tree in floor soil draws strength from the soil. Sawdust and rotten chips in woodpiles have manure value. Alternate fattening and starving won’t stretch meat yield. Pruning grapes aims to reduce fruit but raise quality and speed ripening. Breeding from immature stock risks degeneration and reduced vitality.
A scientist emphasizes steady soil moisture between 40 and 50 percent of saturation to maximize yields. Prof. Kind notes effects on corn, oats, apples and other crops, detailing water use per acre and per day, and showing moisture’s key role in releasing soil nutrients and boosting dry matter production.
The excerpt urges farmers to keep few bee colonies, noting bees provide pastime education and fine honey. It praises beekeeping for its intrepid yet intelligent, industrious nature and adds that a housewife benefits from honey when entertaining guests.
A short discussion on thinning fruit suggests it pays with peaches since crowded clusters prevent marketable size. The author notes thinning, via dropping extra fruit and selective hand thinning, is worthwhile when fruit may not mature. occasional use with plums is also possible but benefit for other fruits varies by market and variety.
The article argues rape seed as a forage crop is underused by farmers. It suggests continued experiments to gauge its value and notes it can be sown in any spring or summer month, producing ample feed for cattle, horses, and other stock.
The Iowa Supreme Court ruling upholds state law banning oleomargarine colored to resemble butter. A Chicago company challenged the statute, but the court said coloring in sufficient quantity to imitate butter renders the product illegal even if color came from natural ingredients. The decision notes the original aim was to make oleomargarine indistinguishable from butter and that the state could prohibit its sale if desired.
If cockleburs or other noxious weeds are expected to trouble corn this year a surface or knife cultivator kept sharp can help. Used generously and kept sharp they are a great enemy to weeds and reduce erosion while improving stands.
The United States government operates one of the world’s largest acetylene plants at the Chickamauga battlefield post near Dalton Ga. Sixty-five street lamps illuminate the avenues across six and a half miles of mains. The system, first tested at Fort Meyer Va in 1903, was adopted for Chickamauga in 1904 and later expanded to Indian schools and other government facilities.
Two Wesleyan deaconesses have begun missionary service in West Africa, joining efforts to support local churches and social outreach programs. Their assignment marks a continuation of the church’s international mission, with focus on education healthcare and community development.
Dealers say that as soon as a customer tries Defiance Starch it is impossible to sell them any other cold water starch. It can be used cold or boiled.
A witty remark notes that even well meaning friends can be unaware of the cost of everyday comforts, suggesting humor hides practical knowledge. The line plays on social observations about price awareness and cheerful ignorance among good fellows.
A mother urges use of Jor Caldwell's Syrup Pepsin to ease her sick children. The product is praised for quick relief of pain and fever and described as never harmful, with a call to try the laxative.
A pithy saying notes that universal wisdom would halt the gold brick trade, implying fraud or greed would lose viability if people acted wisely. It frames wisdom as a cure for deceit in markets.
J. W. O'Brien of 3282 Third Ave West Minneapolis writes Jan 6 1900 that Piso's Cure is an exceptionally effective cough remedy, praising its benefits and recommending it to others.
A man lost in the South Australian bush wandered for four days until he found a telegraph line. Exhausted, he broke the wire to brace himself and wait. Repair crews following the line located him in time to save his life.
Judge Spencer R. Atkinson recalls early career when a Southern client faced a sub hundred dollar case tried in a justice court. Seven juries disagreed and a note from the justice of the peace warned no more juries could be drawn. The case Beckham versus Lyles remains unsettled with no new jury forthcoming.
In Piney Flats Tennessee May 29 a resident D 8 Hilton credits Dodd's Kidney Pills with curing two years of rheumatism in two days. He says pain vanished after the first dose and never returned, attributing relief to the pills which he claims purify the blood by healthy kidneys removing uric acid.
The line notes how people face harsh glares from hardship and muted amusement from luck, highlighting the common human humor in tough times and the quiet resilience developed among those who endure.
Dun’s review paints a steady Chicago trade in late May with labor troubles easing, strong wholesale activity, and growing farm production. Grain shipments dip 7.4 percent year over year, cattle and hog prices mixed, wheat and corn rise, hides and lumber stay robust, and overall market tone remains positive despite temporary shifts in transport and stock levels.
At Brighton Beach during a Boer War tableau titled the Battle of Paardeberg more than 800 men were on the field when a charge by the New South Wales lancers and Highland brigade trampled spectators. Three men Charles Stewart James Thardner were seriously injured and a fourth, John Barlow, may die, Piet Gonner also hurt.
Frosts hit Germany on Tuesday and Wednesday nights with temperatures down to 6 degrees below freezing. The cold damaged fruits and vines, especially in the Mosellio wing district surrounding Berlin.
Gessler Rosleau, convicted of dispatching an Infernal machine to the Umbria's pier in March 1902, received a state prison sentence of from three to five years.
Baltimore on May 29 reports a deadly trolley crash in West Port when two crowded cars collided from behind. One man killed and fifty injured as emergency crews rushed to the scene.
Gustav A. Posner committed self harm by leaping into the Mississippi River in St Louis Missouri on May 29. Local authorities report the death as a suicide by drowning and are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the act.
Albany resident James H. Wallins says he was cured of locomotor ataxia after using Williams Pink Pills. He describes initial knee stiffness, unsteady walk, pain, and incontinence, then gradual improvement after six boxes and full recovery within months. Pills available at drug stores.
The article describes railroad rate setting as a strategic game balancing benefits for communities producers and shippers. It notes carriers often let the shipper influence rates and emphasizes mutual concessions reducing freight costs, contrasting U S rates with higher European and Australian government operated systems. It mentions eight thousand trained carrier pigeons in the German army.
The Garfield report on packers business methods faced sharp criticism yet its figures remain uncontradicted. Critics cite sensational claims such as forty Iowa banks closing in 1903-04 due to the Beef Trust, but Chief Clerk Cox of the Iowa Banking Dept refutes the magazine account. He notes banks fell to unwise speculation and reckless banking. Suspend judgment until charges are proven.
A period ad promotes Allen's Foot-Ease powder as a cure for painful and smarting feet and ingrown nails. It claims comfort in new shoes and sweating feet, touts 25 cent price, and offers a trial package free with address in Le Roy New York.
A reflective line notes that both men and women reveal their true nature only when they choose kindness, contrasting behavior with inherent temperaments.
We want people to find what they are looking for at NewspaperArchive. We are confident that we have the newspapers that will increase the value of your family history or other historical research. With our 7-day free trial, you can view the documents you find for free.
People find the most success using advanced search. Try plugging in keywords, names, dates, and locations, and get matched with results from the entire collection of newspapers at NewspaperArchive!
You can also successfully find newspapers by these browse options. Explore our archives on your own!
Browse by location and discover newspapers from all across the world.
Browse by date and find publications for a specific day or era.
Browse old newspaper publications to find specific newspapers.