Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-10
Citizens of Radcliffe and Vicini-
ty Adopt a System That
Proves Effective
a. p. THAYER,s OBSERVATIONS
Tho Cabbage Industry at Bristow and
tho Possibilities That It Presents to
low. Farmers-AIfalfa "Fine Cut" or
tho New Breakfast Food for b.
vines.

Radcliffe tho citizens think they have
solved the good roads problem. Some
three years ago the roads leading out
OF town In every direction were gravel
cd for short distances, and we'll round
cd up to allow the water to run on.
Last year and this the system was ex-
tended by the action OF the Sherman
township trustees, the county officials
and donations by the business men Of
Radcliff, and free work on the part Of
the farmers. Now they have about
eight miles Of sraveled road. costing
but little to keep in repair, and re-
sulting in much trade given to that
thriving town. The one man power.
and the paying OF the road tax in cash.
in other words the present road law is
In decided favor in and around Rad
cliffe.
Some time ago I was in Bristow
while their cabbage crop was being
harvested. Wagon load after wagon
load Of cabbage heads were being haul
ed to grain offices, and when weighed
were loaded into cars with false bot
toms In the shape OF an inverted v,
built in to allow free circulation Of
air. st. Louis, Kansas City and Chi
cago were the points to which these
car loads Of cabbages were shipped Up
town, in vacant double store were
racks filled with cabbages awaiting
cars and orders. 1t seemed as tho there
We're more cabbages raised around
BristoW than could be marketed, and
yet after twenty car loads were ship
ped there was a demand for more.
was told that 1t costs no more to raise
an acre Of cabbage than an acre of
cortland yet, after harvesting, the
cabbage crop brings, this year, three
times MS many dollars into the farmers
pockets. The plants are set by ma
chinery. which puts In as many acres
IN day as corn planter. Afterwards
the cultivation is the same as corn.
And when 1t comes to harvest time a
man will fill n wagon with cabbage
heads sooner than with ears OF corn.
practically there Is no end to the mar
ket. as at certain pricees any number
OF carloads are put into sauer kraut.
At glance 1t would seem as though
here Is an industry far from being de-
yeloped, especially If the sauer kraut
could be manufactured where the cab
bages are grown. This would require
mandatory of barrels in the same
town, and the knock-down materials
for kraut barrels can be shipped IN
anywhere and the putting Of such ma
terial into barrels would furnish work
for many mechanics.
90
There liz another Industry coming
much into favor just now. And that is
the alfalfa molasses feed. 1t seems
there Is now concern out In Nebras-
ka. that Is cutting up alfalfa into Zine
cut" and then 1t is thoroughly mixed
with the molasses that comes from tha
beet sugar factories. The result is "a
feed" that cattle are crazy" for. One
farmer told the writer that the third
day after he commenced feeding this
alfalfa fine cut, his cattle crowded
around him so that he was actually
knocked down and now he has to feed
from wagon. The price, however, at
the present time, makes the farmers 60
slow in feeding 1t. Twenty-Five to
thirty dollars a ton Is rich food to give
steers, and mich cows. So that at
present 1t Is only used as an appetizer
much as other stock foods. But here
again, like the above referred to cab
bage, sauer kraut business, 1t is worth
looking into. Alfalfa can be grown
three crops year on any Iowa farm
and there is a tremendous tonnage
each time; It is cut. In the vicinity Of
beet sugar factories there is an album
dance Of molasses, and there
is In the cane sugar belt today an ale
most fnexhaustible supply Of low grade
molasses to be had at a nominal price.
Again, 1t Is possible, we can grow sor-
ghum right here in Iowa, at cost suf-
ficiently low to produce sorghum mo-
lnsses to be used in the manufacture
Of alfalfa fine cut" These things are
worth looking into, and are right in the