Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-05-18
FAVOR THE N|ERURBAN
Farmers and Residents of Small
Towns All Eager For Its
Construction
c. E. WILSON'S RURAL LETTER
investigation Reveals That the Cues
ton of Farm Economy is Not the
Simple Subject it Seems to Many -
Effect of the Rapidly Changing Con-
dition on This Problem.
special to Tlmes-Republlcan.


Ferguson, May 1S.--One of the very
Interesting subjects that occupy the
attention of those living on farms and
in small towns in this part OF the
state, is that of the electric railway.
The recent rapid development OF the
rural mail service and rural telephone
versal confidence in the success of 9TH
er like ventures, and almost without
exception the people express them
selves favorable to the 'interurban."
The idea appeals especially to those
living in or near towns not favored
with first class steam railway facilities.
One often hears questions like these
asked:
"Will electric lines seek short, direct
paths between terminals. or will they,
like mail routes, traverse only the more
populous places?'
ITO what extent will they be util-
ICED by the mail service?"
Are they to parallel the public
highways"
Occasionally liveryman is asking:
What effect will they have on my
businesS?
1t is said that when farmer living
along the line running from Colfax to
Des Moines finds himself out of to-
bacco while working in the field. he
bitches his team to tree, halls q
passing car, makes the desired pur-
chase and returns to his work by the
q; Ia;
Colfax merchants telephone orders to
Des Moines for goods to be sent on
the next car, receiving them within
two or three hours of the time the
order is given.
A statement often made is that the
average farmer allows too much that
he raises to go to waste. That he
ought, like manufacturing concerns,
and railroad corporations, to utilize
everything. A little investigation,
however will convince anyone that the
subject OF farm economy is rot a sim
pie one. Conditions are changing so
rapidly that the economical plan of
today would be considered a wasteful
one tomorrow, and former methods.
now viewed as wasteful, in the ex-
treme, were adapted to the times In
which they were used; and SO 1t Is
generally safe to conclude that where
a farm product is not being utilized It
is because its utilization would not be
profitable.
In almost every rural neighborhood,
however, certain wasteful customs,
for which 1t is difficult to account, may
be observed. For instance, allowing
buildings to fall into decay, for lack of
a coat of paint, or from neglect to
attend to loose or broken boards. AL
lowing expensive farm machinery to
be exposed to the weather when not in
use. or stacking hay in the fields where
it is cut and finding half of 1t unfit
for use eight or nine months later
on.
Judging by his efforts to avoid trudg-
ing over the soft ground after har-
row, that work Is considered by the av-
erage farmer as being, to say the least.
very near the borderland Of drudgery.
Here are a few of the methods the
writer has this spring noticed men en-
ploylng to evade the tiresome job. One
man was seen riding a pony, ahead OF
which he drove O. four-horSe team,
hitched to a harrow. Another had
neatly contrived frame attached to his
sulky pillow, to which was fastened
harrow section. An extra horse was
used on the plow, and when the last
furrow was turned the field was har-
rowed three times. There We're no
clods to be seen in that field. Another
combination observed was that of six
horses drawing disk to which was at
tached ten-foot harrow. Many ars
using a cart made specially for the
purpose, and in just one instance man
was seen planting corn in one part OF
the field, while in another part an in
dividual clad in a blue calico dress was
urging on three horse team which APP
peared to be far more fatigued than its
driver, who WAS doing the work in the
good old fashioned way.
c. f. WILSON.