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
Mar 28, 1903
Page
2
The text discusses hog and sheep feeding preferences favoring rape over clover, costs to keep a dairy cow at least $26 yearly, and notes dairy goat milk makes fine cheese but cannot be buttered. It also reports Kansas farmers receive about $4.50 per ton for sugar beets and finds bees more valuable when fed to five dollar pork with alfalfa.
Modern inventions enabling electric power transmission reveal France now has over 10 million horsepower development, largely from waterfalls previously inaccessible, spanning mountain districts.
A writer notes a small pile of sawdust from pignut hickory inviting about six bluejays in a cold morning scene. The birds, generally omnivorous, are observed eating wood for the first time in this account, revealing an unusual feeding behavior.
Across the farming regions the main shortage is knowledge of how to work existing land. Three fourths of farms are not half worked and fail to produce half of their potential.
The kernels and tips of an ear of corn may still yield good ears despite some malformation though they vary in maturation time. The main issue is irregular shape which prevents uniform seed dropping by the planter.
An acre of timothy hay costs about five dollars to produce and yields one and a half tons, feeding one cow for six months. Planting the same acre in corn and storing it in the silo costs twelve dollars and twenty six cents and can feed four cows the same period with a better ration. The more agr iculture studies this problem, the plainer it becomes that timothy hay is an expensive dairy ration.
The highway issue remains critical in western areas where soil is black and mucky and there is no supply of stone or gravel for road surfacing after grading. Dirt roads perform well about nine months but degrade to the worst for the remaining three months.
The issue hinges on adequate water. without rain, grass fails. Mechanical moisture conservation helps cultivated fields but not pasture or meadow lands. Growing winter forage in a corn field instead of a meadow gives better crop control.
The piece condemns letting children read trashy papers and urges families to supply good reading material, stressing the impact on youth and the need to invest in wholesome literature for children.
The passage argues farm labor costs for a season total about 42.50 including wages board washing and horse feed. It claims a single hand cannot exploit land to produce 25 bushels of corn or 30 of oats per acre and that larger shared operations reduce profits. It notes milk, cattle, and hog duties yield varied returns while mispricing labor leaves the owner bearing the loss.
Onions and pots are two vegetables which cannot well be planted too early. Renovated bitter has just the same claim to respect that the reformed criminal has.
A forty acre farm with a silo can support as many head of stock as an eighty acre farm without it, implying infrastructure like storage impacts carrying capacity and efficiency.
The Russian government decides the proportion of sugar to be sold domestically and the portion to be kept in reserve. This decision outlines how much sugar may enter markets versus how much is stored for strategic needs, reflecting state control of essential commodities.
Advice on sweet pea planting after frost and deep three inch sowing. Commentary compares a dairy cow to a steer and warns it harms patience in dairy herds. Notes Australia sheep losses during seven year drought may raise wool prices next year. Highlights vast wheat prospects in Canadian northwest versus even greater potential in Siberia as opened by the Russian government.
The article notes cows with high butter records typically yield over 6000 pounds of milk yearly and rejects cows under that threshold for 400 pound class. It also reports on rape value when sown in corn fields, its noninterference with early corn husking, improved feeding value, and prevention of cornstalk disease.
The text notes that current wage levels in the country are higher than ever, yet products of such labor compete with those from the lowest paid labor abroad. It attributes this to brains and machinery driving efficiency and business success.
The piece argues the wide tired wagon is essential farm equipment and its roadmaking benefit would advance highway improvement if used by all by law. It notes consistent performance on roads and suggests a legal mandate would push better roads nationwide.
The St Louis exposition will highlight agricultural and horticultural displays. In the heart of the world’s premier agricultural region, southern cotton, central west corn, northern wheat, and a full range of livestock and produce will create an exhibit sure to astonish foreign visitors.
A student of bird life argues that nest building is partly learned rather than purely instinctual. He notes orioles in pairing are sometimes paired with an alien juvenile that carries the knowledge of constructing their hanging nests, passed from older to younger birds.
A farmer boasts of twenty years of corn on the curtain river bottom field. The land’s fertility has faded and he never exceeds half the past yield. The text warns against continuous cropping on the same soil and notes similar issues in gardens.
A group of thirty farmers bought a $3,000 Percheron sire with notes. When the horse died, payment was refused and a suit sought to hold all makers liable. The court ruled each man is liable only for his original $100 note, not the full amount.
A farmer faced frost damaged a forty acre corn field intended for his silo. Ten days after frost struck the crop looked poor but he cut it up and filled the silo. The decision proved an entire success and allowed use of the damaged field to good advantage.
The text reflects on the cost of changing residence after thirty years in one place. It argues that leaving familiar family ties, friends, and community routines sacrifices valued social bonds and livelihood built through residence and work. It suggests people only appreciate the loss when they sever themselves from familiar scenes and neighbors.
The article urges teaching children practical household skills from a young age. It notes boys can help with indoor tasks and outdoor chores, while girls can learn to harness, drive, milk, garden, and handle town shopping. Such training boosts family efficiency and can improve marriage prospects.
Birds perform a vital, quiet pest control role across farms and gardens. Stomachs of quail, cuckoos, robins, chickadees and doves reveal large counts of pests and seeds, with barn swallows estimated to destroy 10,000 insects weekly, underscoring birds’ farming value.
A western state supreme court ruled bees are wild beasts liable for damages by their owners. A patent medicine peddler tied his team near a farmer hive, resulting in horses dying from bee stings. The farmer claimed negligence due to visibility from the highway, but the court held the owner responsible regardless of location.
The winding up of a thirty five year mercantile firm run by two reputable brothers left only enough funds to pay debts. The investment of about $10,000 a generation ago would have yielded a far poorer outcome, exposing the glamour of farm life versus hard business realities.
A contemplation on how animals and birds forecast severe weather and prepare, contrasting instinct with human science. The author questions why humans often err in weather predictions while creatures consistently succeed, highlighting animals like squirrels, beavers, muskrats, rats, and songbirds.
A farm yard care method uses an acre or so of trees in a fenced area and weekly grazing by sheep for one to two hours. The plan keeps the yard well kept all summer with minimal effort, avoiding lawn mowing.
The presidential commission report on the anthracite strike, dated March 18, recommends wage increases up to ten percent, reduced work time, and arbitration for disputes. It excludes union recognition, noting the union is not a party to the submission, and urges anti discrimination protections and a fixed postwar period for awards. It also calls for enforcement of laws, abolition of coal and iron police, and a framework for compulsory but not mandatory arbitration.
The report cites the strike’s hazards in coal mining and estimates losses: owners 46 million dollars, miners in wages 26 million, transport firms 28 million. A sliding wage scale begins April 1, 1903, boosting employes’ pay by one percent for every five cent rise in white ash coal price above 4.50 per ton, with adjustments cycling as prices move between 4.50 and higher.
Detroit March 21 President John Mitchell of the United Mine Workers calls the anthracite coal strike commission decision a victory for miners. He notes a 10 percent wage increase for 148000 Pennsylvania miners amounting to about 6 million dollars yearly and a sliding scale fixing a $4.50 per ton minimum. Mitchell says formal union recognition was not required to see the awards as honoring the union.
Officials expect train service between Iowa Falls and Des Moines to begin within six weeks, after delays due to the Des Moines terminal track, with work crews advancing the road bed between Cambridge and Des Moines to enable regular traffic. A Waterloo accident killed Mrs. Melissa Knapp and injured Rev. Skinner and Mrs. Skinner, with Knapp visiting from Schoolcroft, Michigan. Separate reports mention G A Raffenbury at Sioux City charged with stealing $500 in a spree, plus related escapades with Camille Poling. Raffenbury’s funds and memory details are outlined. Misc items note Ottumwa remodeling, Jonesville store, Lawler renovation, New London construction, and Dubuque temple plans by local groups.
Des Moines trustees report a $28,000 settlement from the Hinchman estate to fund college needs. The $30,000 indebtedness can be wiped out, with $15,000 from the Baptist Educational society toward a potential $100,000 endowment. An amphitheater at Ingersoll Park, tendered by the street car company for Roosevelt’s visit, will seat up to 5,000 under cover and 20,000 total. lumber for a new loop-the-loop ride has arrived, costing $18,000 and starting construction.
Albert W. Swalm formerly of Oskaloosa and a decade directing U S affairs in Montevideo Uruguay has been appointed consul at Southampton England. Senate confirmed the nomination. The post offers similar pay but is considered more desirable. Swalm will return to the United States after settling affairs and then go to Iowa and England next fall.
In Des Moines a painting claimed genuine Rubens, valued at 100000 dollars, portrays Christ and bears the master’s seal on the back. Owner Joseph Lehner plans to move it to New York for sale by auction after years in concealment amid ongoing litigation. It was exhibited in Berlin recently and even viewed by the emperor.
James Callanan contributed 30000 to the Methodist Hospital association toward a new 60000 building. Work will start immediately, with completion tied to a 10000 city fund. Architects are drawing plans and a committee will visit Chicago to study ward layouts and equipment.
Governor Cummins selected Col W G Dows of Cedar Rapids and Col W B Humphreys of Sioux City to serve as aides to Adjutant General Corbin during the April 30 dedication of St Louis exposition buildings. Dows has accepted. Humphreys will likely. Corbin, appointed grand marshal, requested two officers for his staff in a letter to the governor.
The Hocking Coal Company forms in Iowa to supply coal to Iowa Central and Minneapolis and St. Louis railroads backed by Illinois Central. It acquires White Breast Fuel at Hilton Monroe and mines at Hocking near Albia, with a planned first of month transfer under Berry Rebro cent. Hourly capacity estimates yield about 2,200 tons of screened coal daily, one of the state's largest outputs.
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.