Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-12-22
Discusses Louisiana Purchase
States in General and Iowa
in Particular
SOURCE OF ITS SOIL FERTILITY
Much of the Area Underlaid With Lime
Stone Which DissoIves and Thus En-
riches the soil-Pleasant Reference to
the Pioneer Days of lowa-other
News of Iowa.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Washington, D. c., Dec. 22.-Last
week, when the house was in COMMITTEES
/ of the whole, as the parliamentarians
say, on the state of the union, Major
Lacey delivered an eloquent speech on
the subject of the coming Louisiana
Purchase Exposition in which he said
many things that Iowa people would
have been pleased to hear spoken in
our national capitol.
| The Louisiana purchase, declared the
major, added a splendid galaxy of stars
to our flag. Out of it were carved
Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa,
Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, North
Dakota, South Dakota. most of Colo
RADIO, Montana and Wyoming, and all OF
Oklahoma and the Indian Territory.
The population in 1900 was nearly 49,
100000. Altho the price was deemed
something startling, for s15,000.000 was
a great sum in those days, today there
are but few counties in Iowa whose as
sessment for taxation does not show a
valuation of more than the whole cost
OF the Louisiana purchase, and yet pos
sibly some OF the estimates of value
have been given to the assessors with
becoming modesty by the owners.
Much of the Louisiana purchase is
underlaid with limestone. which is a
most enduring foundation of fertility.
The soil of the state of Iowa, for ex-
ample, nearly all is underlaid by thous-
ands of feet of solid limestone. Lime
stone is not only a source of fertility,
but it dissolves in water and thus re-
news the richness of the soil. In the
floods of the last season the surface
water reached and penetrated the lime
stone.
Tho the rain fell pure and free from
lime, it at once began to dissolve and
take up all of that mineral that It
could hold in solution, absorbing 1t
from the rock itself The water next
to the stone having become charged
with lime to the sahlration point, the
precious fertilizer slowly assembled until
the water near the surface was nearly
or perhaps as highly charged as that
below.
Thus hundreds Of thousands of tons
OF fresh lime, the richest of manures,
is lifted to the soil near the surface,
and when the water evaporates there
the precious fertilizer remains to. per-
petually renew the fruitful soil. With
thousands of feet in depth of this rich
deposit as a base of supplies, we can
face the future full OF hope.
France has had 1000 crops in two
thousand years, because her fertile soil
lies over a similar source of perpetual
renewal.
But I will quote Major Lacey's own
words in regard to this. He says, 4
am not sure that this suggestion of the
elevation by the action of water OF
fertilizing material from beneath the
underlying strata has been adequately
considered by men who have made
special study of the chemistry or the
soil. In the plains Of Iombardy the run
ming water deposits in the bottoms OF the
irrigating bitches material dissolved
from the Alps. The farmers there mix
the sediment with stubble and spread
it over their fields, thus keeping their
lands as good as new.
with such resources the future fer
tility of that part Of the Louisiana pur-
chase is assured.
I like to take a cheerful view of our
future. I am an optimist The state
ment / have made is full answer TO
the pessimist who prophesied the early
decay OF our fruitfullness. With these
prophets of evil have never had any
sympathy.
I approve of the opinion of the old
German who defined pessimist as a
man who, in choice of two evils,
takes both of them.
Tracing the history of the formation
of Iowa into state he showed how
Iowa was carved out of that empire;
she was a part of Louisiana, then of
the district of Louisiana, next placed
by congress in the territory of Mis-
souri,. Had the law remained unchang-
ed the people of Iowa would all have
been Missourians. Then Iowa became
a part Of Michigan, next of Wisconsin,
and finally she was moulded into her
present form by the legislative hand
The memory of the early days of the
whole Louisiana domain will now be
revived in all the states within its bor-
ders.
OF the pioneer days of Iowa he says:
"that the pioneer days of Iowa are ever
a source of pleasure, either in memory
or in history. in all that Is good Iowa
affords the best is the terse way that
her favorite son, Sid Foster has of put
ting in a few words what everybody
recognizes to be true. We all look
back with pleasure upon those old
days"
Thomas Jefferson was an enterprise
ing man; his restless mind was always
boiling with plans. No sooner had the
treaty been made than the Lewis and
Clarke expedition was planned and
started out from st. Louis, and the
long journey was begun. We first find
the word Iowa" in the record of this
exploring party, and it was spelled
'.Ayauway" The voyage up the river
the winter at Mandan, the journey
across the mountains to the mouth of
the Columbia, the second winter there,
and the return to st. Louis read like
the tale of another Jason IN search of
the golden fleece. When these dis
coyerers returned and told their story
OF adventure at Washington, the Amer
leans began indeed to dream dreams
of the future, but those visions were
only feeble suggestions of what the
realities have become.
OF all additions to our republic none
have been freighted with such great
possibilities for the good of the ma