Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-02-16
Spring Exodus to Minnesota
and the Dakotas Ready to
Begin
WILL TAKE MILLIONS NORTH
Large Speculative investments Cause
strinsency in Money Market-Esti-
mated That Wright County Alone
Spent Nearly 100000 in Cheap
Northern Lands Last Year

| Special to Times r. publican.
| Belnond. Feb. 16.-The burning
question before the farmers of this part
of Iowa at present is whether the low
lands flooded by the excessive rainfall
! of last year will drain sufficiently to
allow early farming operations this
spring. The tile drains are still work.
ing merrily beneath the frost in most
places, but there is any quantity OF
untitled land where early blowing wi
be impossible 1t is not likely thai
the acreage of corn will be as great
in the north central counties as in pre-
vious years. Still the price of farm
lands keeps to rate which is driving
the seeker for cheap farms farther
north.
All thru these counties preparations
for the spring hegira to Minnesota AMI
the Dakotas are making. Hundreds
OF families will move to the regions
OF cheap or perhaps it might be more
accurate to say cheaper lands. within
the next few weeks. The amounts 81
hard cash taken out of northern Iowa
by these emigrants is astonishing. It
is estimated that s35O,OOO of Clarion
money was invested last season II
cheap lands; the Belmond estimate is
100000 and with the other banking
towns of the county to hear from the
total should reach somewhere near
million. One Belmond firm of real
estate brokers claims to have sold more
than $4,000 acres in the Dakotas last
wear This is a large amount of money
to take out of one county and has re
suited in n stringency of money some
what embarrassing to those operating
considerably upon borrowed capital.
Where the emigrant has sold his Iowa
farm to purchase a larger tract Of the
cheaper northern soil his place will be
filed by an Illinois farmer and llli-
nois money replace the Iowa cash he
takes into Dakota. A very considerab.
part of the outlay has. however, been
made for speculative purposes by farm
ers who will remain on their Iowa
farms but hope to gaiE thru the ris.
OF northern realty. In these cases tn.
money will not come back. And Incl
dentally many an Iowa farmer specu-
lator will be sorry because it doesn't.
know lawyer-farmer who's.
maxim on all livestock deals is to buy
on low markets and sell on high ones
He buys and breeds horses when they
are cheap: goes into cattle when TIL.
other fellow is getting out and gen
orally tiocks by himself and forsakes
oil ,1,ti
When frightened farmers are disposine
of their cattle and horses at whatever,
price is obtainable he buys literally:
when the average farmer is standing
in Il ring at a sale of livestock and
nodding his head at dollar nod this
man is seller. He simply takes adj
Of the gregarious human in
stinct that drives men to do as others
are doing.
just now the average farmer is ready
10 get rid OF his cattle at a sacrifice.
The wheel has turned and cattle are
ON the under side. Hogs are making
little money for their feeders and every
body wants hogs. The wise farmer will
rot dispose of his cattle at a serious |
sacrifice, however. He will hold them |
theu the furry and come out on them
after the scare is over Cattle will
never go down to stay. With the big
ranges gone there will never be more
cattle in the United States than the de-
nand for beef, butter, etc. will require. !
So far as hogs are concerned it only |
takes twelve months to flood stlle mar
ket with a new crop and the way things |
are shaping themselves this spring it
will take a widespread period of hog
pestilence to prevent an over produc-
lion of porkers for 1904-O5.
Indications are for lively scrap over