Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-28


|fLOOKER.0 in IOWAA
II /
Alton, April 27.-Passengers on the
Milwaukee railroad nave noticed near
Ruthven what possibly can be called a
dove cote, at any rate a great big cage
containing several hundred pigeons.
The building proper must be, say, 200
feet long, built like a hennery, with
glass windows, and in front is the cage,
say twenty feet high, covered on top
and on each side with wire netting and
comfortably full of flying, walking and
roosting pigeons. Apparently there are
several hundred in sight. One who
knows, who says he has been thru the
premises, puts the figure at the present
time at 5000 pigeons there today. The
owners are in the SQUAD business. They
are selling hundreds of dozens of these
young pigeons in the big city markets
at 81 to $1.50 per dozen, and the demand
is much greater thar the supply, the
writer's informant claiming there are
only three SQUAD industries In this
country. Only a few of the readers of
this column have eve seen a SQUAD.
This young pigeon is ready to be eaten
when four weeks old. At that time it is
as big as a good sized mans fist, COW
cred with pin feathers and as fat as
BUTTER In this SQUAD institution they
are fed all they can eat. from the time
they come out OF the shell and open their
mouths for food, till they leave home
for the unsatisfied markets in the east.
The writer wanted to go out to the
pigeonery, squabery or dove cote, get
some facts and figures and write up the
whole business, but was told it would
be a useless trip. No strangers. espe-
cially newspaper men, need apply, SO
that if any clerical errors have gotten
into this account blame the man who
told the Looker-On all OF The above.
Talking the other day with a real es-
told the writer that few realize the ire
mendous amount of money taken out of
Iowa during the, past year by the emf
grafton into Canada and the northwest.
He mentions that in one day, in a little
tOMt VI PCOBlG up SGildod lttt
drafts held by incoming settlers from
here were cashed to the amount of 3d.
600. This was not to pay for the land
they bought or were about to buy. but
to give these visitors Some coin of the
realm" just for pocket money, as 1t
were. He says that anywhere and
everywhere up in that country United
States money. gold, silver and bank
notes. pass current, NJ discount being
OH any kind of money that Uncle Sam
manufactures.
Visitors to Humboldt. Iowa, have no.
ticed the many fine stone buildings
there, but they do not all know that
all of the stone used in building the
largest block in town was dug or quar-
RED out of the cellar or basement un-
der 1t, and the contractors also had ev-
leral carloads to sell from the same
source. Now Humboldt Is to have a new
church built Of stone, and the whole
material used, excepting the window
and door fancy stone trimmings, will be
taken out of the basement. Nearly all
of the stone Is taken on. with the pick,
1t being placed there in layers of two to
three inches in thickness, no occa-
~cionally some blasting is done.
Never before has Iowa been engaged
in public improvements to the extent of
at present. Sidewalks of cement by the
hundreds of miles in toto are being laid
in nearly every town of shy size. Stone
and cement crossings are everywhere
being put in. School houses, opera
houses and court houses are being built
of modern style and convcniences. The
railroads are improving n beautify-
ing their premises with nice lawns and
flower gardens. Every new depot
erected is a model OF neatness and con-
yenience, and with this goes in the
more prosperous town a general fixing |
UP of private residences. The painters
are at work everywhere. The writer
wishes he could say that this painting
houses was a thing OF beauty and a
joy forever, but candor compels the
statement that many a nan or woman
will repaint that house rcxt yea to get
rid Of the present horrible conglomera-
ton of colors used In many instances.
Who says this isn't a free country?
Can't a man paint his house red, his
and door trimmings white and
his fence blue If he has the price?
1.-THE survival Of the fittest' theory is
being applied to many OF our new and
older Iowa towns these days. The large
towns are growing larger almost with
exception, but many of the smaller
towns are growing smaller. Vacant
some of them good ones. are in
evidence. In some towns there are
many vacant houses. Inquire into the
cause and one is told If It's a new town
at was started too close to the older
round about towns" If the older town
is going back, the reason given is that
the three or four nearby new towns
are killing the trade. With the emigra-
ton from Iowa during the past two
years It's a question If all over Iowa
there are as many people to buy store
goods as in 1900.
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