Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-11-28
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WHY THE CROPS DON'T

scheat..
i AT LARGE IN THE WHEAT AND Con,
FIELDS OF IOwA.--To the Editor o
the Inter-O -Ocean:-The whole talk II
the New York Produce Exchang,
before left was about the great corr
and wheat crops in Illinois, low,
and Minnesota, and the one grea
wonder was why the crops don't com,
forward-why they don't come II
market.
4 "a million bushels Of corn more
than last year in Illinois, and a mill
ion and half more bushels Of whea
IN Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota
and still the grain arriyalsare lighter
in New York this fall than last, said
David Doves, the great provision
king, the day before left.
But where have these $500 600 ex.
ira bushels Of wheat and corn gone
to 2" asked.
"Thc Lord only knows, sir; they
don't come to New York, and that's
all we knw about it. It's great
mystery, sir"
Mr.. Armour, of Armour & Plank.
engton, said ~ know how it is; the
whole country was empty, and the
first. They are keeping and using
the first flush at home" Then Mr.,
Armour looked very wise.
DaI.L R0BNDrREE TELLS WHY THE CRoPs
DON'T GO FORWARD.
This morning, filed with the i'm
portancc of the great question,
opened on the first big corn and wheat
farmer l met. It was Bill Round
tree, who cultivates 900 acres of corn
and wheat up in Bucna Vista county,
Northern Iowa. Bill had on shab-
by suit Of clothes, a muskrat hat, and
in his hand he CARED string of
plow points. Bill Roundtree is
known to have over 5000 bushels of
wheat and 6,000 bushels of corn--all
raised this year.
"What have You done with your
wheat this year, Mr.. Roundtree ~ I
commenced, as Bill deposited his
plow points on the floor of the depot.
Stacked it'll"
"Why don't you ship tito market 2"
"Tain't thrashed."
"Well, what in the name of the ag-
ricultural department are you do
ing? ~ asked.
"Plowin'."
"Plowing what ~
Gland, sir y
"What for?'
"More wheat more wheat"
"But why don't You draw your
present crop to MARKET"
liant got time--teams plowin'."
"'ut why don't you stop plowing,
and draw Your 5000 bushels of wheat
to market p repeated.
"Now ant yon New York II llers
smart?"
"Smart about what, Mr.. Round
tree?"
"Why, do you think we are green
enough to thrash our wheat this warm
weather and haul it to the cars thro'
the mud, when we can stay at home
and plow? Wheat will keep, won't
it? Plowin's got to be done. Got
all winter to thrash wheat in, and can
haul two tons on sled eastern we
can haul ton on wagon. Farmers
gettin' their teeth cut! Gettin' rich
and smart! Don't dry our wheat
around the stove any more. Don't
thrash it by hand and draw it through
the mud and trade it for groceries to
live on. Get an advance on it, pay
off our mortgages, and let her stand
till cold weather."
"But why don't you ship your corn
to market ?" l asked.
"Now, smartyW
"But answer the question, please
The smartest men in New York want
ed me to ask it,
>r-3l.a, -<>l. q G mo rt fallara them
New Workers"
"Yes; now tell me, why don't you
ship your 5000 bushels of corn !"
"Cause faint husked. l tell you,
smart farmers are plowin' now. You
can husk corn when the ground is
froze. An then, again, don't you
know that not q kernel of a smart
farmers corn ever goesto market, ex.
cept in pork and beef? Only green
horns sell corn. l feed mine-every
kernel of it.
"Bnt suppose you didn't feed it,
when would it go to market Z"
"Lord bless your soul! Not BUSH
ell could 60 to market till next May.
Why, you can't shell it till it's dry.
'TwOuldn't keep if you should shell
it. Don't those idiots in New York
know that we never ship corn crop
till the next year? The corn they're
gittin' in New York now is last years
corn, The corn-and we got twice
as much az we ever had before
won't strike Chicago till next June,
and 'twon't strike New York till next
August. They'll be eating it in Liy-
crpool next winter"
"When do you feed your corn Z"
.Well, smart farmers keep their
corn over and feed it in the summer.
I fed my last years corn crop this fall
in July and August. l sent 500
hogs to market in July and got good
prices for 'cm. Then it dOn't take
only about half the amount of corn
to fat hog in clover time as It does
in cold weather. / shan't send any
more hogs to market until next sum-
mer. / tell you farmers is gittin'
smart. A thousand bushels Of corn
fed next clover time will make more
pork than 1000 bushels fed now. No
sir! some of us farmers know it all,
Why, we've got farmers up here in
Buena Vista county who ought to GO
to Chicago among the provision men
and teach school. You hear me ~
And then Bill Roundtree picked UP
his plow points and jumped into a
freight caboose. ELI PERKINS.