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About The Falls City tribune. (Falls City, Neb.) 1904-191? | View Entire Issue (March 5, 1909)
■■■I ... IIIJI1I—I II WHU -~~-——^ Snap Shots and Observations From a Richardson County Farmer So tar this has been a winter of varied and marked changes of weather. The mercury has several times dropped thirty or forty degrees in 24 hours. From beautiful sunshinev weather when it was too hot to wear a coat at work, it has gone down below the zero mark and (lurries of driving snow have given the stockmen some concern. The last of January we had territic wind storms that swept the windmills down in countless number and there would have been positive disaster in the feedlots if the weather had not at once moderated and allowed the installation of gasoline en gines or the repairing of the mills. As it is, the putnp, engine ana mill men have not yet caught up with the repairing of the dam age. One little firm in our sec tion had 05 calls to replace blown down mills in 4* hours after the storm. No great damages resulted to livestocK in any one section, but two or three lighter storms have swept the state and some losses have occurred. The whole state has been well supplied with hay and rough ness and feed has not been short in any section and the conse quence is that in general the stock is in fine shape. The hogs are pretty well out of the country now, and we no tice that the weights are pretty good at present. A goodly num ber of the shipments go into the heavy weight class and are bet ter finished. CHOP PKOSPKCTS AND CONDI TIONS. Wheat is not reported winter, killed from any section, but the fierce winds and insuilicient snow have given the growers some fear that damage might re sult. The few farmers that have wheat on hand are now market ing it at the SI.00 mark, many saying that in all their history it is the first chance they have ever had to sell wheat at one dollar. There is a growing sentiment that the order oi the agricultural department in putting a ban upon the bleaching of flour, was a mistake and that it will be re scinded. The clover has stood the win ter in tine shape and it will de pend upon future weather if it results in any detriment to it. There has been a wonderful lot of work along the line ot corn improvement this winter and a lot of people who never tried a seed plot are going to do so this spring. There is more fancy seed corn being bought than ever before. It will be well to give a few words of caution to those who have bred a certain strain of corn on their farms lor years. Do not make a complete change ot seed. Perhaps the corn you are growing is better adapted to your farm methods and soil than some lancy scoring variety from a distance. Plant seed tests, but do not discard your old varieties berore you have tested the newer sorts. Talking over the oat problem with several of our best farmers recently, it has been the general decision that it has been weather conditions and not soil deterio ration or the running out of our oats, that has caused the great depreciation of that crop. Even on rich soil they have not yielded well, with good plowing and drilling the results have been unsatisfactory. Various degrees in the quantity of seed sown has shown no marked variation, in fact we are not in the oat zone, or at least have not been for several years. One of the best farmers I know of, said that for our soil, a sandy loam, double discing was as good a way as he knew and that from two to three bushels of seed per acre, about the right quantity and that he was going to continue sowing that way. THE SUKKP ('OM)N'(l INTO FAVOR. Unheralded by any blasts of trumpets, the sheep is coming rapidly to the fore on the farms of Nebraska during the past year or so. Many farms where sheep were not known are now supporting small docks of sheep. This right in the face of high priced hogs. It is possible that the farmers are gaining some belief that the hoof of the sheep is golden and that sheep can convert some of the roughness of the farm into wool and mutton. We heard a farmer who owns a quarter section, say that he was going to drop out of the hog business largely and raise sheep. It did not take the large amount of grain to fatten them. With hogs we must keep cattle or the hay and stalks are largely wasted. With sheep we can get rid ol both roughness and grain and send a finished product to the market. THE THEE HETCHER AT WORK. There are many old orchards in this section, orchards that have been established for twen ty years or more and they have been neglected until now that land has become valuable, they are not a paying proposition and we see many instances where the owner has gone at them with axe and saw and has trimmed them most unmerci fully. One orchard we passed on our way to town, bas all the wood removed except the top branches. The owner will have to get an extension ladder or become an expert thrower to get apples from those trees. Now if one wants to convert these old orchards into pas tures, or kill them out that is all right, but to cut out in one year, the surplus growth of fif teen or twenty years, and to cut all of those limbs that shade the trunk and larger limbs, is to destroy the future usefulness of the trees. In our climate the trees will sun scald every time. Then it is like cutting the arms and legs all oil a man at one time, there is too much of an operation and the shock is too great for recov ery. Better trim a little severe ly this year, but not too much and continue the good work for several years and also use a little fertility. Cutting out the center tops of the trees and leav ing the side and lower limbs is better than removing them and leaving a bnnch of limbs on the summit. FARM LAND STILL OLS IP WARD Nebraska lands have been go ing up by bounds and .eaps, but a farm in Richardson county, several miles from town, lately sold for $165 per acre and the buyer bought for legitimate farm purposes. It was not wanted for dairying or some special purposes as some farms near town often are purchased lor; but tlie owner expects to raise corn, hay and stock on it. A farm at that price, would have to rent for more than $10 per acre, to pay a six per cent interest on the money and the taxes and even more than that to keep up the improvements. In fact we believe it will have to yield an income that would enable the owner to clear about $12 per acre to pay interest, taxes and keep up the improve ments. But we are not certain that prices are not going higher yet, in fact the $200 mark will not be surprising for good corn land, in that case the owner may reap a good advance on Lis investment. But to clear $12 an acre on common farm land, above expenses, is a hard thing to do in ordinary times. Horses are going upward as well as land. We thought they had reached the high mark last year, but at every sale they are forg ing ahead. At a mule sale the other day, two teams sold for 1500 each and several others went near that figure. Surely the young farmer who is start ing out now, has to have capital invested. At those figures there is $1000 in a four horse team and that he must have. Plugs will not do on the heavy two-team machines of the pres ent day, they must be big strong horses to pull the gang, disc of two row plows. AN INDIAN STORY H. E.Lemmon Writes a Little of His Experience To The Tribune: 1 read the de scription of ‘The W ayfarers' visit to the home of the old chief of tlit* Sac and Fox Indians with much interest ami pleasure, as it remind ed me of a visit I made at a later date to his home on the bank of Lost Creek near its eutrance into theGreat Nemaha,in company with George G. Stumbo who had lived near the Indian village at the falls «if the Nemaha for several years prior to their moving to Lost Creek, arid who could talk their language with considerable fluen cy, and the Indian would vis t and trade with him rather than with others on that account. The ob ject of Mr. Stumbo’s trip was td buy or trade for a dug out canoe belonging to the old chief Mine, (Curiosity,) ltwasa bright warm day early in June and as we drew near the belt of timber on Lost Creek we saw the old fellow in a little field of o or 1 acres wielding a large hoe among ttie hills of corn and beans with much energy. Up on being hailed by Mr. Stumbo tie waived his hand and said "Go down to the wick-e-up and I will come when done with my hoeing." I remarked to Mr. Stumbo that that was the first time I had ever seen an Indian work, but he in formed me that the old chief was the most industrious man in the tribe, and that the efforts I had i seen were not unusual. While waiting for the old fellow to come we went to the stream and looked the canoe over, and I 'must say l never saw a better boat, builders considered. It was 20 feet long, hewu out of the body of a huge cottonwood tree, and was so smooth and unique it rode the water like a duck. On returning to the house the old chief soon arrived,and we were invited to seats on a raised plat form in the yard over which an arbor had been built for shade and negotiations began over the canoe. After some bargaining the chief finally said that his young men needed the boat then as it was fishing seasou and he could not let it go, but if Mr. Stumbo would come down about the time the streams froze over he could have the me of the canoe until spring for nothing, which answer caused me to think the old fellow v.as something of a joker. Dinner was now served, which consisted of boiled bacon and beans, e :n bread and coffee, and just as we were about to commence, the Id chief motioned us to wait, and calling t<> his sqaw, she came with a small tin pail from which the chief poured a generous portion of milk into his coffee, and passed the pail to Mr. Stumbo, with the remark “that he was beginning to live like white men and put milk in his coffee.” Mr. Stumbo look ed at it and said he used sugar instead, and with a merry twinkle in his eye passed it to me. “What is the matter with it?”said I. ‘It is buttermilk,” he replied. I also preferred sugar. The squaws often went to the settlers’ homes adjoining the reservation for the purpose of bartering, and that is where the buttermilk came from. After dinner was over, by the aid of Mr. Stumbo,! told the chief I had heard that Indian names often meant some animal and ask ed if his was such, he said ‘‘yes, his name was Mah-son-ah quet (accent on second syllable) and it meant a bear sitting tip in a tree. I also commented on liis energy and in dustry. and he said it was a good way, to work hnrd in summer and have plenty to eat in winter, and tried to show his young men how they should do, and intimated that we might profit by his example. With a warm invitation to come again, we departed for home, hav ing had a visit I will never forget n. F. Lemmon, K. F D. No. 1, Falls City, Neb. Announcement! Millinery Millinery A New Millinery Shop All women who wear hats, and quite a number do, will be in terested in this announcement. From this you will learn that a New Millinery Shop is to be opened in this town. From this you will learn that this shop is going to be a Strictly Up-to-Date Shop where you will get Style and Fashion, where all that is the Latest will be found, and where nothing but the verv latest will ever be sold. Along with other things you must note particularly that Prices Will be Reasonable I do not intend to sell shoddy, cheap hats. You will find noth ing but good goods in my store. Mut whatever the cost, whether $2 or $20, the hats will have Qual ity, will have Real Value, and the Prices will be Right. Remember my opening day. Drop in and see what is the latest. I respectfully solicit your patron age and hope our relationship will be pleasant always. , Opening Day, Sat., March 6th Miss Hannah Anderson Maddox Building Falls City, Nebraska WANTED!! Horses, Mares and Mules For Eastern, Southern and Foreign Markets As 1 have bought and owned more horses and mules in the last twenty years than any other one country buyer in Europe or America, and as 1 buy horses and mules for eight or ten different markets, 1 can pay you more money than any other man in America for any kind of a horse or mule you have for sale. Falls City, Saturday, March 6th Now if you have an extra draft horse, trotter, or pacer, chunk, or southern horse, don t sell them until you show them to me. I want mules from fourteen hands high to as big as they grow; from three to ten years old. I'm coming to buy, not to look. % You'll Get the Same Square Deal that I’ve Given You for Years W. J. OWENS Most Extensive Dealer in the U. S. Wait for Me—I'm Coming