Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-03-24
farmers BUSY DAYS.
The Most Critical Season at
at Hand For the Tiller of
the Soil
INCREASE IN THE STOCK DUE
On Good Care of the Young Stock De-
ponds Future Profit of the Farm
Cattle Feeders Not Discouraged
The Effect of Moving" on the Farm
Values.

State Center, March 24.-The mos
fcritical season in the year for the far
mer is at hand. AT his time come
most of the increase in the stock. TIL,
young calves, pigs and lambs must hav'
the best of care that they may get
fair start. 1t seems to me from obser,
walton, that the average farmer ne,
! elects his young stock. In many yard.
you will find the young running loose
drinking from any mud puddle, eating
everything they come across and seek.
ing any shelter offered. This has {
tendency to make what are known as
Scrubs and could be avoided by pro
per care when young.
sAa
Again this is the season where every
man must prepare seed and he should
be careful to see that it is fertile.
n q great many farmers already test
ing their corn. This year seed corn is
very scarce, last years crop being OF
such poor quality that a great deal .oI
trouble is bound to be experienced with
poor seed. Oats will also give much
cause for concern. Much of it sprouted
in the stack, before being threshed, and
will make a great many that will not
terminate when planted.
Then there is the machinery which
mas stood all winter, some without any
protection whatever. 1t must be gone
over and the parts that need repairing
sent to town n of course what new
is needed must be purchased, which re-
qufres time. With all this, the finding
of the years wood supply. clearing UP
the barn yards, and a multitude of 9th
er jobs to be attended to, the farmer
is just now the busiest man imaginable.
But after the frost is out and he gets
squared away for the summer you will
find him in town once or twice a week
the same as usual.
$50
AS n drives thru the country one
expects to find many young animals.
but is surprised sometimes at the var
iety. At one place where l drew in a
dog came running out, followed by
another and another, until l counted
ten of them. i found upon inquiry that
S'Sbey lliol i ulA lOl
see-simply a farmer who makes a
business of raising shepard dogs. for
which he finds a good market.
go
A person would naturally think that
after the experience all men have had
In feeding cattle the last winter. most
of them would want to drop out of he
business for a while, but this doesn't
seem to be the case for in nearly
every town you will find men driving
thru the country picking up cattle.
AT Clarksville last week vas a man
from Ida Grove who had had 200 head
on the market at a big loss, and was.
securing the country to buy 200 more
to put on the market again this fall.
The opinion seems to prevail that July,
August and September will see high
priced cattle, but from the large num-
bers being fed all over Iowa for the
same time, 1T seems that the supply
would at least equal the demand and
not have a tendency to advance the
price.
eral moving that has been going on in
Ills SpIlIlS. II OplIlOIlS eADEGSS6u
seemed to vary somewhat in regard to
the benefit of h country. One thing
that strikes me in all this moving is
the benefits that are derived by the
town as we'll as the country in the inn
mense mount of building that 1t
When Jones takes possession
perhaps the house is too small. He
a room or two. This necessitates
and carpenters, plasterers and
painters, (but the latter / am sorry to
say are often neglected) which not only
makes the farm better, but gives m
ployment to various lines of mechanics
land of course the benefit is general.
In nearly every case where moving Is
lone this general fixing up is going on.
The cause OF the moving, of course,
is the extremely high price of land and
much said about the better class that
will take the place Of the ones who go
onto cheaper land is a mistake. All
over the counties I have travelled II
not the poor, and shifters, but the
cream of the country, the young
man,, the son of a rich father, the very
nan who should stay. The men who
in here are a desirable class Of
citizens, but the point l make is that
t is not the poor, that are leaving, but
he very best of our citizens. But in a
great many cases they will come back.
The glory as depicted by the land agent
S dispelled after a years sojourn, so
hat while the loss is felt now. the good
viii be permanent. For when they re-
urn they will stay.
GEO. f. THAYER.