Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-09-26
Iowa Farmers Who Speculated
In Land Beginning to Rel
ceive Some Returns
DON'T WANT TO LIVE THERE
Many Who Invested In Farms In the
Dakotas and Minnesota May Be Seen
Returning From Trip of Inspection
and Observation-Disclosures They Think
About 1t.
pecfa1 to rimes-Hepublican.


east or south bound passenger train
during these days there are to be met
Iowa and Illinois farmers returning
from a trip to Minnesota or the Da-
katos. If you ask them about the
crop outlook in the northwest they Will
generally reply that it is exceptionally
good, and in many cases Will produce
a small packet of bright, plump Wheat
and an ear or two of corn few days
ahead of the average OF the Iowa crop
If you are interested enough IN the
matter to make further inquiries, 70.
will learn that a very small per cent Oh
these men made the trip, with a view
of purchasing land, that part OIL ei's
business having been attended TO- l"o
or three years ago. and the pfesens
Journey being made for the purpose %
looking after their interests there.
Not one of them evinces any dlssat-
isfaction with the results OF MS spec
uiative venture, yet in nearly every
instance his land there is for sale. he
is a renter here as often as he is q
land owner, and renter or owner IL IS
very seldom that he expresses the ln>
tention of residing on his northern
possessions. After talking with sew
eral Of these farmer land spectators,
one is led to the conclusion that IN
most cases those who so invested their
money feel that while as a get-rlch-
quick scheme the plan was failure,
yet they will realize a good rate OF IN
terest on the investment.
Here is word to the man who does
not believe there is such a thing as
luck" in farming. One week ago
there was scarcely any corn cut fos
fodder in this vicinity. During the
night of the 18th inst. a slight wind
prevailed here until nearly morning,
and the frost which gathered on veg
etat ton during the latter part of the
night did not remain long enough to
do any damage. Since that time hun
dreds of acres of the finest quality or
fodder have been put up in this los
cality, two machines having been no.
ticed In several instances in operation
on the same farm.
Had the wind subsidized here early
in the evening as it did in many parts
of the state, permitting an all night
deposit of frost, 80 per cent of the
fodder which has been put in such ex-
cellent condition would have been
hardly worth the cutting and shocking.
There is a 1860 acre tract of land
a few miles north of here, where far
ming operations are being conducted
on pretty large scale. 1t is known
as the Shannon Ranch and is owned
by Chicago man.
From 1000 to 1900 head of cattle
are usually fed each year, tho the re-
cent partial crop failures have cur
tailed operations temporarily. 1t is
said that a few years ago $4,000 worth
of fat cattle were marketed from thc
place at one time, also that in the fall
of 1899 there were 10000 bushels OF
corn in the bins and cribs.
This fall there are 500 head of cat
tie in the pastures, 300 Of which will
be fed this season. The sight of all
these animals grazing in a bunch re-
calls the days when large herds were
common on the then unbroken prair-
les of western Iowa. Three hundred
and fifty acres of corn, cut by three
binders is being shocked by seven or
eight men. When they finish that job
a fifty acre field of heavy sorghum
will be in condition to receive their at
tention. Nearly 100 stacks of timothy
hay dot the meadows of this immense
farm, one stack being twenty rods in
length.
There are two tenant houses on the
place, and several families occupy the
main residence, which is very large
one.
Mr. II. Grill is the manager and his
fitness for the position is attested by
the fact that he has been employed
in that capacity for the last ten years,
There is also a foreman who superin-
tends the work of the eight of ten men
who there find employment.
Mr. Grill has novel method Of hfr-
ing help. He divides the year into
periods of one to three months in
length and pays wages to correspond
with the kind of labor peculiar to the
different seasons. The plan seems to
work we'll judging from the serious
time the T.-R. man had getting some
of the men to stop shocking corn long
enough to furnish part of the infor-
nation necessary to the writing of this
C. E. WILSON.