Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-12-25
LIFE ON THE FARM EASIER.
the West in n GeneratiOn-Uses
of the Telephone.

It is difficult TO realize the great
change which has taken place in thu
west, particularly in the region ly-
ing between the Missouri river and
the Rocky mountains. Unless M
has lived through these changes and
witnessed them they are almost be-
yond belief, says the New York Sun.
This great change is well illustrat'
ed in the experience of j. c. Norton,
a farmer who lives near Moran, Allen
county Kan. Mr.. Moran settled there
with his parents 81 years ago.
AT that time" he said, lone could
get on a horse and gallop for miles
in any direction and never see e
house or sign of man; now every
spot of land about here is occupied
and under fence.
Eight long-distance Telephone
wires pass my house, and right by my
own desk is my own telephone. When
] have produce to sell / can telei
phone to town and get the price be-
fore | leave home.
"Once recently | decided / needed
a new suit of clothes to attend a wed.
ding the next day. | telephoned into
town at eight o'clock in the evening
and the clothes were delivered at my
door at nine o'clock the neXt morn.
ing. When my wife needs some gro
ceries in a hurry she can telephone
to town at eight o'clock in the morn
ing and they will be delivered to her
an hour later.
Every farmer now burns natural
gas in his house. l have five stoves
and 10 lights in my house and have
three torches to light up the yards
when necessary. | have also four
places on the farm to thresh, so |
can burn gas in the engine on any
part of the farm, and last harvest
we threshed my wheat after dark by
the light of a large gas torch. We
elevate our water with gas, light the
hog sheds and keep the little pigs
warm"
A farmers wife made a note of the
advantages which were secured by
the farm telephone recently. Here
are some of the itSms:
Before breakfast the farmer dis.
covered that some of his cattle had
broken ont of a pasture and were
missing. He began telephoning to
his neighbors and within five min
utes had the strays located. Without
the telephone he would have put N
two hours looking for them.
A few minutes later n half bushel
of peaches which had blown from
the trees during the night were
brought in, and it was evident that
they must be put up right away in
order to save them. The housewife
had not a sufficient supply of sugar
1t required only a minute to tele-
phone to town, five miles away, and
the rural delivery carrier brought
the sugar out two hours later.
The farmer intended to cut hay,
but before doing so he telephoned to
the post office, where the government
weather report was received daily by
telegraph, and asked what the wealth
err indications were. He was told
that storms threatened. As a consc-
quence, he did not cut his hay and
probably avoided a considerable loss.
A bunch of cattle were driven past
the farm and were noticed by the
farmer. Fifteen minutes later a tele-
phone message announced that some
cattle had been stolen the night be-
fo-o 49,, -, 41n ,,nx4 ,n,,r+,, Tbn ,1,
scription tailed with those the farm
err had seen. Within two hours the
thieves had been captured and the
owner of the cattle notified by tele.
phone where he could find them.