Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-09-20
THE SCHOOL FUND Is In FINE SHAPE
State He's Total of $4.755. 5l985 to Lend-Enormous
Crop of Apples-Inmates of State Institutions
Consume Tons of Meat--Capitol
to Be Repaired.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Corr
Des Moines, Ia, Sept. 1.-THE school
fund Of Iowa, which has been derived
from many different sources-from
fines and penalties paid to the courts
from various sources all over the state
-as well as from taxes, now amounts
to $4,755,519.S5. The money is loaned
to the counties of the state, and by them
loaned to private parties, or used by the |
counties. The counties must pay the
state Az per cent interest and they loan
1t at five per cent. on first class real
estate security. The interest derived by
the state amounts to about 2l5,O00 an
nually, and this is apportioned among
the counties semi-annually, according |
to the number ot,school children in each
county according to the school census.
Some of the counties owe the state Tor
interest more than they are entitled to
receive from the state as their share. The
superintendent is on the basis OF 14.S4
cents per pupil. The smaller counties
are the heaviest borrows, since money
is required for the development Of those
counties and they do not have the heavy
banks that the large cities have to fur
nish money at low rates.
Enormous Apple Crop.
!, The apple crop in Iowa this year con-
tinues to show an astonishing yield. 1t
is far ahead Of any previous year. In
Des Moines plenty of apples of the best
quality can be bought for rs cents a
bushel, and they are being contracted
over the state for from Is to 20 cents q
bushel. The summer apples are all out
of the way and early fall varieties are
coming on. Chief among these is the
Wealthy, an apple which finds great
favor all over Iowa, especially in the
northern half of the state. 1t will not
keep into the winter unless it is put in
cold storage. 1t is one of the most at
tractive varieties, both for table use and
for cooking, and if properly stored it
may be kept in good condition for sew
eral months. Large quantities of Iowa
apples are being shipped south. Grapes
also promise very large yield.
| A Fine institution.
The fall term of the Iowa school for
L
first day of October. Some people have
an idea that this institution is an asylum
or hospital, where children are simply
cared for as charity patients. This IL
very far from the truth. 1t is school
and nothing more The state has pro-
vided this means for educating the chill
dren who are so unfortunate as to be I'M
able to hear. The school is for the free
use of all children in Iowa who are deaf.
Practical instruction is given them by
the most modern methods now known
for teaching this class of children. The
llip-reading method, as we'll as the old
sign method, is used. The teaching 10
thoroughly practical, including house
4 work, sewing and cooking for the girls.
and farming, gardening, printing, car
pentry, shoemaking, photography and
baking for the boys. Henry w. Rothert,
superintendent of the school, will answer
pupils are welcome as visitors, but the
rules Of the board of control prohibit the
institution from offering them any en-
tertainment, not even single meal.
i An Angel Of Light.
The Roadside Settlement house, Of
Des Moines, which is an institution or
ganized for the purpose of providing a
social and intellectual center for poor
people and inspiring them to better
! things and broader life, has for one OF
} its auxiliaries what is known as the
, district nurse. She is a trained nurse
who goes about among the homes Of the
lowly, rendering such assistance as hel
J skill, sympathy and tact suggest with
out charge. She looks up the suffering
and those in need of attention and visits
! them for the purpose, frequently Of civ.
} ing advice and suggestions about how tt
, take care of themselves, as we'll as tt
relieve actual suffering. This work re-
!, suits in great addition to the sum Of
human happiness within the reach Of
this benevolent organization.
Crops in Iowa.
The crop conditions the past weel
have been perfectly satisfactory, al
though the nights have been very COO
for corn; no frosts have been reported
and the days have been bright, so tn
crop has made fairly good progress ant
there is no reason to fear an unfavor
: able result The weekly bulletin of tn
Iowa weather and crop service is as fol
lows: The past week was slightly cools
than usual, the daily average tempera
ture being from one to two degrees be
Il low normal. The state was copiousl,
: watered in all parts, which will insur
:: ample fall pasturage and put the soil Il
1. good condition for blowing. Some loca
: damage resulted from severe win
I: squalls, but the aggregate loss will no
!. be heavy The bulk of the corn pros
: trated came up quickly, with favorabl
:. conditions following the storms. AS
whole the corn crop has done fairly wei
during the week. The progress Of tn
a corn toward maturity has been NOR
g uneven than usual in the same localitie
y and the same fields. Reports from al
Z, sources confirm the previous statemen
e that two-thirds or more of the corn GRO
h will need normally warm weather til
8 the close of September to be safe fror
= damage by killing frost. The more ad
vanced fields show signs of earlier ma
turity. Fall blowing is being pushed
Cutting wild grass and second crop G
It tame hay in progress. Apples and pota
j. toes yield abundantly.
Is Consume Lots Of Meat.
n The state institutions under the d
h rection of the state board of contrc
= consume an enormous amount c
n meat, all of which is bought by tn
state board Of control at its head
/ ntyo rfo tn