Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-19
More Farmers Are Selling Their
Corn Than Is Usual In
Iowa
DUE TO SHORTAGE OTHER YEARS
Most Farmers Have Been Unable to
Raise Many Hogs or Cattle on Ac-
count of the Shortage Of Corn and
With the Good Crop Find They Must
Sell the Grain.
;pecia, to Times-Republican

ed to the method Of marketing grain
practiced by the farmers here is m
pressed by spectacle which at pres
emit is daily occurrence on the roads
leading into the town.
Well-informed men estimate the "a
mount of corn shipped from this sta
ton at three fourths of the entire pro-
duction Of the territory from which 1t
comes. Less feeding is being done here
than usual, the continued shortage OF
the corn crops Of former years having
checked the efforts of farmers to raise
many hogs, financial conditions are not
the best, rents will soon be due, an in
ferior quality Of corn cannot be held
for possible higher prices next sum-
mer, and consequently so far as this
section is concerned the entire market
able portion of the corn crop of the
present season viii very soon be in
other hands than those of the produc-
ers.
Five large cylinder shelters are at
present in operation here within a RAJ
dlus Of a few miles. Each Is Smelling
from 1900 to 2,40O bushels per day and
nearly all Of 1t IS being hauled direct
from machine to elevator. To accom-
plish this, from twelve to twenty wag-
ons are required for each shelter, the
number needed varying with the dis
tance the grain is to be hauled. A load
Is shelled every ten or twelve minutes
and the long string of loaded wagons
occurring at intervals of about half a
mile as far as the eye can reach on
a level stretch Of road constitutes a
procession to look upon which and re-
flee. that all this came from but one
Of the countless fields of the state, one
gains faint idea Of the magnitude of
an Iowa corn CROP
Considering the conditions which
prevail here it is no wonder that the
cooperative plan of shipping grain
extra two or three cents on each BUSH
ell has very perceptdble effect on the
income OF the grain raising farmer,
while those in other localities who
market only an occasional load would
not realize the difference
The extent to which the speculative
craze pervaded many rural districts
in northern Iowa counties during the
years just preceding the last three ls
astonishing. It is a very easy matter
to locate these neighborhoods. The in
habitants Of them are, loud In their
complaint of present hard times. Men
who needed every cent they had to
properly carry on operations at home
undertook to make annual payments
on Dakota and Minnesota land, or
bought shares of mining stock, invest
ed in oil lands anything that gave
promise Of future rise in value. AL
most all this outside property is still
in possession of these men, who
bought it expecting big dividends or an
early sale at profitable figures Those
who engaged in these unfortunate
transactions are struggling along pain
fully conscious Of the fact that even
If the investment does pay out event
ually, and in many instances 1t un-
doubtedly will, the loss at home Will
more than balance the outside gain to
say nothing Of the years Of fnconven-
fence and worry which so many OF this
class have experienced. 1t is safe to
assert that it will be many years be-
fore the evil results Of these ventures
will be effaced from the rural neigh-
borhoods which they have so strongly
affected.
In their desire to construct water
proof highway the roadmakers of this
vicinity have built some very narrow
grades, with the result that the roads
in many places resemble inverted pig
troughs The melting Of the snow has
made the middle Of the grade ALMOST
impossible, except to sharp-shod teams
and those having empty vehicles invar-
iably keep on the side of the roof
Wrecked wagons are numerous, in such
places and about the only kind of ar
outfit that would make presentable
appearance under such conditions
would seem to be team consisting Of
pony and Percheron, drawing rig
with the front wheels on one side anc
the rear wheels on the other.
C. E. WILSON,