£6iit&ifte all Official News
Vol. XL1—No 14
FARMER BEN'S
COLUMN
My paper says that another big $10,
000,000 minin' ,and development com
pany out in Montana has gone bump.
They've ben sellin' stock to 6uckers for
six years andi the suckers, most of them
from Chicago, hav sunk $650,OoO in ab
solutely worthless assets. The money
was spent in extravagant equipment,
expensive offices, glowin' literature
and junkets of prospective inspectors
manager
$
I've ben studyin' over this too much
rain prop for the past month and it
looks like Russ Shepherd used to be
hammerin' on just the correct idee and
projick when he talked up tilin' for our
Mower county lands. It looks like if
the too much rain could run off quick
from the land the ground would stay in
right condition for good sure crop6 and
where the water was run off out of the
ground you couldn't drown out your
crops. That is just what tilin' the land
will do. It just puts a whole lot of
sewers under the surface and the wa
ter seeps into 'em and off it runs quick
and ceaseless. I've ben readin'upon
tiles and it looks like when the right
outlet was given to run off the surplus
rain we never would be danger of a
flooded farm. Somehow the tile sweet
ens up land wonderfully Jlettin' in the
air from below and encouragin' the
roots to come down to a deeper depth.
The man who has his farm tiled this
wet spring is in clover you bet.
I see that the Texas gross earnings
law for taxin' railroads has been de
clared unconstitutional by the U. S.
supreme court and I spose the Minne
sota roads will combine with the big
citieB up here and figure to have our
state law upset. I alwus liked this
gross earnings law because the tax
money went into the state treasury for
the common benefit of the whole. Now
if this is knocked out and we go back
if a gross earnings tax is a tax on in-
terstate commerce whv the other tax
0
owcr County
the business. Gf course, it would look
bad to see the name of powder trust,
and lumber trust and whiskey trust of
ficials on a campaign fund for a mis
representative from a farmer's dee
strick. And so congress turned down
the publicity proposition.
O
The price of the stock was boosted boy and rose to be country editor by
from ten cents to S3.50 a share thru his own exertion and his lyin' roman
ialse reports of what the mine was icers hav exaggerated and ballooned
turnin' out but onlv five cars of ore I this idee until he looks like a big man
were ever shipped out and that was to some blind partisans You never
punk. Sow comes the collapse and the hear of what Johnson ever has done
It makes me tired to see this poor
boy gr?at man notion worked to a fool
extreme. It's all right to rejoice that
a poor boy in this country can rise to
be president but let every tub set on
its own bottom. The great reason why
some folks voted for Johnnie Johnson
for governor was that he was a poor
and prospector is in parts un- but it's simply the poor boy racket
known and the Chicago suckers are:that elects him. Now I've got liiore
wonderin' where they're at. I can tell admiration for one Rco^evelt than ten
'em. They're in the hole same as all thousand Johnsons all in the same bag.
who bite at such schemes are. The I And Roosevelt wasn't a poor boy but a
manager is the only one who seems to I thoroughbred. He„wlthstood the in
have ever made anything out of the tiuences of high birth and high breed
lake. It's the same old story. There's
& sucker born every minit.
But, say. How about the Rube jokes
in the light of these Chicago suckers?
The city papers alwus delight in pokin'
fun at us innocent farmers when we
come to town and to judge by lots of
lhe cartoons and jokes the hayseeds are
the biggest gullies in the world. I
Bhould think they'd quit such pisrep
resentin' after a while. So fur as I
can discover the townies are the big
gutis who are misled and fooled by
every fake project. Look at the Min
neapolis loan fakirs and insurance com
panies. Who bit on these? Not the
farmers you bet your sweet life. So fur
as looks go I'll turn out a hundred
of Mower county farmers right on
Nicollet avenue with a hundred of the
best business men of our metropolis
and I'll warrant you can't tell 'em apart
by their dress or carriage or looks.
When I've ben to New York and Lon
don and Berlin I've alwus noticed that
the farmers are the best lookin' and the
best behavin' and the wisest on the
street.
in' and he has turned all his splendid
advantages of eddication and breedin'
and genius and ability to the highest
ends. Why ain't he entitled to as
much praise as the poor boy fake?
Minneapolis and St. Paul and Duluthj ^ddigmtanea of »I1 degrees, met in a
where all the.ra.lroad property is pretty ™"'6'6"06,
mir.h will get the tar and us out-, ??•14
siderscan whistle. I'll take mychan h®" of the natural resources of this na
ces on gettin' more in the long run!t,on' Water-ways, agriculture, trans
out of the present gross earnings than P*Jr
out of the old way and 1 can't see how1
wouldn't be because the equipment *00?
locally is used for interstate commerce,
I don't wonder that the graftin' con- "'I' ""T""!'
gressmen refused to make a law re |though "T
quirin' publicity of campaign (and ""ss-roads that has not pa,d .ts toll in
contributions, when it com* send- i',fe'lb'rty ™d happraess to the
in' into one congressional deestrlck|devastatwnofrteMloon^
$25,000 of trust money to buy votes to I
reelect a hirelin' congressman who has Bern In Iowa.
proved traitor to his constits and who 9wr family were all born and raised
in Iowa, and have used Chamberlain's
has sold his honor and soul to the mon- colic, Cholera, and Diarrhoea Remedy
opolies who own him, no wonder that (made at Des Moines) for. years. We
such don't want publicity to the source, know hew good it is from long exper
of his campaign boodle. I can tell you }®n™
... in El Paso, Texas, the writer's life was
this, any campaign contributions that
FARMER BEN.
NEW TOWNS IN WASHINGTON.
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul By.
Five new towns to be established
this month in Whitman County, in
the productive Palouse district of
Eastern Washington. Great oppor
tunity for business men and invest
ors to invest their money profitably.
For lots in Seabury and Pandora,
sale will be held May 25 for lots in
Kenova and Palisade, May 26 for
lots in Maiden, May 27. All sales by
auction. Further information from
F. A. Miller, General Passenger Agt.,
Chicago.
Important to Subscribers.
Under a construction of the postal
laws, and an order issued by the Post
master General, no subscriber to a
weekly paper can be carried for a
longer time after his subscription has
expired than one year. Otherwise his
paper must be excluded from the mails
at second class rates. Under this rul
ing publishers can no longer extend
credit beyond a year, and subscribers
must have their subscriptions paid up
as the additional postage for delin
quents will make too heavy an expense
Our subscribers will save us a lot of
unpleasantness by paying their sub
scriptions now. Look at the date on
your printed label today and remit so
as to save us expense and trouble
When you send in, better make it 1909
For Sale.
Houses on Water, Bridge, Railway
St. Paul, Winona streets and Oakland
ave., also town lots and farms near
Austin, and in the northern part of the
state. Call and see me.
G. SOEFLATEN.
Office 223 N. Main street, west of
Court House. Sept. 3ft
MARRIAGE LICENSES
Marriage licenses were issued
Chas. E. Gilleece and Charlotte
Scholl of Austin to Fred J. Freund
and Anna Heimer of Adams town.
Conservation Congress.
4
to the local property tax then just 4" ,.arR.®
number°fG°vernors
a
la 88111
a."d
°'h6r„
e'e
and
W
h"6
House MaT
15' c°n8lder
0,6
U*"'
conserva-
ocfc raising, spec-
manufactories,
8ubJ«cte.
a
were con-
'onpervation nf man-
woma"h.°,od a"d
"m6a
^hood, rad
na
save
are clean and necessary don't need to We are now engaged in the mercautiie
fear publicity. It takes some money business at Narcoos see, Fla., and bav«
to run a legitimate campaign and the
niw,kf
honest maa who profits by it ought to fy growing in favor.—ENNIS BROS
he willin' to let the noontide in on all This remedy is for sale by all druggists.
l°n'
1rom
de"
vastation of the liquor traffic, was too
al"
8„D6,U,6r
a
haml«
U8e when
by the prompt use of this remedy.
the
re™e.dv
J*fre* has
proven very successful and is constant-
$-Vl
Austin, Mower County, Minnesota, Wednesday, June
DRAFT H0R8E BREEDING.
It Pays the Farmer to Raise Good
Draft Colts. ... ...
Our most progressive farmers are
reading the signs of the times and
keeping mares to do their work and
also raise colts. The mares are bred
each year. Such farmers realize that
the greatest profits are not made from
some one crop, but in conserving
small profits from every crop, and
not the least profitable is the colt
crop.
A pair of mares handled properly
will do a good season's work and raise
colts in addition. By their labor they
can be made to pay for their feed,
and also that of their colts until a
year old. At the end of the year one
has as his profits the colts reared,
which have cost him only the actual
service fee of the stallion.
I fancy I hear some one say that
mares suckling colts will not do as
much work as geldings. I will grant
that is true, but a good pair of mares
suckling colts will do all the work in
a day any farmer Ought to do. Where
brood mares are kept to do the work
is a good plan to keep a larger num
ber of them than would be necessary
were geldings used. For instance,
iep five mares to do the same work
Which would be expected of. four geld
ings. This will permit exchange of
mares in. the teams at foaling time.
This plan of keeping an extra mare
will be found to be a profit by the inr
creased value of all the colts reared.
A pertinent question is, What is
the best type of mares to select for
breeding and farm use? This ques
tion must be answered somewhat ac
cording to climate, topography of the
land, the size of fields and the nature
of the crops grown. Where the fields
are large and comparatively level and
the cultivated crops grown are not of
a small, delicate nature, such as must
^•^29OTSw.
Brood 1,500-Pound Farm Mare.
be grown close together, larger mares
can be used more conveniently. For
some work a more active team is de
sired.
By some it is thought that larger
horses do not stand the warmer cli
mate as well as smaller ones. This,
I believe, is due more to the previous
or early treatment of the horses than
to that of size. A great many large
horses are not reared up in such a
way as to produce hardiness. During
the past decade or more the larger
the horses the more valuable they
have been on the market.
I believe there is no horse that can
be produced so cheaply and with as
much profit to the farmer as the draft
horse, says Prof. R. C. Obrecht of the
University of Illinois. The size of the
mares chosen must then be determined
by each individual for his own use on
his own farm, but it must be remem
bered that the larger the mares the
more valuable they will be to, raise
draft colts, which return the greatest
profits.
There are some general'points of
type and conformation that should be
observed in selecting any brood mare,
no matter if large or small. Always
select mares with good, large feet,
good, heavy boije with quality, but
don't sacrifice quality for quantity of
bone. A deep, roomy barrel and fair
ly closely coupled is preferable. The
shoulder should be long and rather
obliquely set, the chest deep and capa
cious, the back short, broad, and well
muscled, the croup long and muscular
and neatly joined to a well-muscled
loin. Last but not least, select mares
with a feminine head. This one char
acter to the trained eye perhaps por
trays more of the mare's real value as
a breeder than any other.
The care of brood mares used for
farm labor is an important matter, and
one which may greatly influence prof
its. They should be gradually hard
ened to work in the spring by starting
at light work with short hours and
gradually increasing the amount until
they are well able to stand a good,
hard day's work. The time necessary
for this change should not be less than
three to four weeks.
They should be handled carefully
by a kind driver, who should see to
it that the collars are properly fitted
to the shoulders so as not to gall or
bruise them before they have suffi
cient time to become hardened. As
they shrink in flesh, which they prob
ably will do after being at work for
some little time, the slack in the coir
lars should be taken up.
The feeding Is important, and should
be governed according to the Individu
ality of the mare. When feeding mares
in foal, In order to provide for the
proper development of the foetus, they
should receive a liberal supply of pro
tein in their ration, together with
feeds rich in bone-building substances.
Wheat bran, being rich in phosphorus
and ash material, l^an excellent food
for tfeis purpose. A ration composed
of three parts corn, two parts oats and
One part bran, fed with clover hay,
will prove quite satisfactory. If clover
is not available use mixed hay of
clover and timothy rather than use
uure timothy. With such a ration,
iiiere should be no difficulty from con
stipation, as the bran and clover hay
is quite lposening.
The orchard may makfe a good pas
ture, but it is not a good plan to make
a pasture of the orchard.
FOUNDING A HERD.
Individuality the Cornerstone of Thif
Breeders Ideas.
By C. D. BELLOWS. Missouri, before
Shorthorn Breeders' association.
The most powerful enemy of prog
ress is self For those who
wisb to advance it is absolutely neces
sary that tliey be honest with them
selves. It is therefore best for us to
face the truth, cruel and harsh though
it may seem, and admit that nonsense
has Jjeeu and is yet a factor altogether
too prominent in the Shorthorn breed
ing operations of this country. Any one
doubting this statement will only need
to travel through the country *nd note
the per cent of quintals which lack in
dividuality. type and character suffi
cient to distinguish I hem-from scrubs.
Some of these nondescripts and mis
fits are doubtless the result of careless
ness and uiKpialified ignorance in
breeding. It might not be admissible
to charge all the ills of the breed
against the account of nous^nse in
breeding—in fact, it is no easy task to
draw the line sharply defining where
sense ends and nonsense begins.
Nonsense in breeding implies wanton
violation of natural laAv ami departing
from all lines of procedure suggested
by the plain, uuvarnished principles of
plain common sense.
Things Not to Be Dene.
On the lisl of nonsensical things uo(
to do 1 would print in big letters tin
injunction. Never mute animals willi
common defects or weaknesses.
I consider it folly to buy ami use a
bull simply because he happens to
Ik
of a certain color or breeding, of the
so called straight this or straight that
or anything else exempt a straight goo'"
one.
1
I further deem it nonsense to use
bull that is not typical of the kind of
cattle you aim to produce and bred
from ancestors of known merit. It Is
certainly nonsense to pay more atten
tion to the thirteenth or tweuty-«I*th
great-grandmother than to the makeup
of the pedigrees of the first four sires.
Lastly. I. think it worse than non
sense to'rely wholly upon the pedigree
of an imported animal and turn down
a well bred American one with well
recognized individual makeup, backed
up ly a line of breeding that has stood
the test.
I don't want to be understood as dis
couraging pedigrees and the careful
study thereof, but I do want to im
press upon you that it is individuality
first, coupled with -good breeding, that
makes the meritorious animal.
—The £clipse Lumber Co. is noted
for. its square and honest business
methods. When in need of lumber or
mi ft
wiM
3, 1908.
MAIN STREET, AUSTIN, MAY, 1908
We give a view of the east side of Main street looking south from the
Opera House. For the informatisn of those who hav^ not been here for years
we give the present occupants of the stores
'x
First on the left is Guillemin's restaurant in the Parry block,
hen come W. J. Urbatch & Bro., hardware F. P. McBride, Grocer,
pd J. Ei Malloy, drug store, on the corner. Across Mill street
the corner is Decker hardware then F. O. Hall's Grocery. The
ext two the Owatonna Fruit Store and E. A. Dalager's grocery are
the old wooden building to be replaced this summer by a subtan
jjtal brick block. South of Dalager's, come Frank Raymond's harness
Sjihop L. P. Nelson's harness shop Chas. Huser's cigar store F. E.
Gleason's jewelry store Mrs. J. M. Thomas's millinery and the
First National Bank on the comer. Then comes the Court House
square, On the corner south of the cburt house is W. R. Earl's
furniture store.
P*7 you to see them, They
will use you right
T_./
Alt golfers Are.
Scotch Caddie (after listening to a
good deal of swagger from total stran
ger)—Man. I dinna ken what sort of a
gowfer yo(i are, but you're a maist in
teresting spectacle!—Scraps.
T^S^./'His Natural Bent."
May and December.
"Yes, madam, I am going to marry
Watkins,"
"Why, he is old enough to be your
father!"
"I know he is, but unfortunately he
doesn't seem to care for mother!"—
Meggendorfer Blatter.
Stomach Troubles.
Many remarkable cures of stomach
troubles have been effected by Cham
berlain's Stomach and Liver Tablets.
One man who had spent over two
thousand dollars for medicine and
treatment was cured by a few doses of
these tablets. Price, 25 cents. Samples
free at all druggist's.
Terms—$1.50 Per Annum, in Advance
IS
A SEED CORN TESTER.
One by Which the Seed Can Be Tested
in the Garden.
Place two 12x16 boards together
Making a separate block two inches
thick. Bore two one-half-inch holes,,
one in each end as indicated in the
accompanying illustration and fit in
two short bolts with washers on each
end. Then bore 25 three-quarter-inch,
holes 1% inches apart. Letter each
horizontal row and number each per
pendicular row as indicated.
Then take out the bolts and slip the
top board over to the right until each
hole has a bottom. Bore the two end
The Seed^T,,^
r*aiSiBS
c-
holes through lower board again
and insert t1^ ^its with the washers
on each
,UP this tester, says the Prairie
'm' take It to your seed corn crib
tai each hole with three to five
from each ear to be tested1.1
Stoare the ears in the crib in such a.
"saanner that each ear may be found.
as A—1, D—5, etc. When filled
carry to the garden or other suitable
place and prepare a large flat smooth,
seed bed, just about a week before
planting time. Lay the loaded tester
at one corner of the bed remove the
end bolts, slip.the top board back to
the origingCl position and tap it gently,
^fhe seeds will thus be evenly dropped
just as you have them recorded in the
crib. Cover the ae^ds with old ,vcar~
pet or sacks and keep always damp.
MAKING ALFALFA HAY.
Some Comments on the Most Success
ful Methods of Handling.
""V
The first cutting should be made"
when about one-tenth of the plants
are in bloom. This usually comes in
May or early June, and at a time
when it is difficult to cure the hay.
Start the mower in the morning of
whftt promise^ to be a clear day, as
soon as tLe dew is 'off'
'n the afternoon, if the weather
ha§ £een favorable, rake the alfalfa
and put into small cocks. These
should not be left standing more than
two or three days without moving,
or the plants underneath will be par
tially or completely smothered. If
alfalfa is exceedingly green when
cocked, or rainy weather sets in, It
will heat, unless the cock is opened
every day or two.
In favorable weather no more
difficulty will be experienced in cur
ing alfalfa than in curing heavy
growths of clover, aays the Farm and
Home. The leaves are rich in nitro
gen and fall oif readily when dry,
therefore the crop should be
cured with the least handling pos
sible.
Evefy alfalfa grower in districts
where rain is frequent should pro
vide hap caps. These may be made
of light cotton duck one-quarter to 1%
yards square. Hem the edges to pre
vent raveling and make eyelets in the
corners for strings. Cut heavy wire in
18-inch lengths and make a loop on one
end in which to tie the strings at
tached to the pegs. These wire pegs
can be either run into the ground or
pushed into the sides of the cocks of
hay or alfalfa. Alfalfa cured under
hay caps is of much better quality
than when cured in cocks or in the
windrow.
"Jointed" Wool.
One of the defects in wool which
the buyers very carefully look for is
what is known as "jointed" wool
which means that there are certain
portions of the wool fiber which are
weaker than others. This can be
usually detected by breaking a sam
ple of the wool in question. The pres
ence of weak portions in the wool
fiber generally means that at some
thM er other the sheep experienced
sMmess or the growth was stopped
for the time being. To prevent this
condition the-sheep should be kept in
a constantly growing condition and
sickness prevented as much as pos
sible. •'-.•
Austin 5tepm Laundry.
Patronize home inBtitutrons and
have your laundry work done at the
Austin Steam Lanndry-in the highest
style of the art. chemicals used
Laundry delivered free ot, charge
Oiveus a trial.
T- BurnhAM. Proprietor.
If