Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-07-21
Something About the Greatness
and Extent OF Its Natural
Resources
rs INDUSTRIAL POSSIBILITIES
Pioneer Years Devoted to Development
Of It's Vast Agricultural Resources
tho Industrial Era Has Only Just
Reeun-"As Good as Iowa. Boast of
othor States.
Hive stock WORLDLY

The fairness of Iowa laps over IT'S
own borders and gives wealth ana m
portance to neighboring commonweal-
this. 1t is the proud boast of the man
from northern Missouri that his couh-
try Is "as good as" Iowa. Eastern
Nebraska prides itself on the same
fact. South Dakota's section OF the
corn belt is merely a piece or Iowa
that Capped over" In southern
Minnesota Is another territory OF
similar productiveness, while Illinois
has considerable land "as good as
Iowa. But no other commonwealth In
the Union contains as much productive
soil as the Hawkeye state. Nature
made 1t all good and Father Time, by
the laborIous process OF glaclation and
erosion, prepared 1t for the use Of
mankind very much Us the corn plant
er prepares the seed-bed In springtime.
And what n marvellous development
has taken place since this heritage was
ldhcIT pOSScSSIOl oI n lew uCCduGS
since and Iowa did not even boast an
overland trail. Now 1t Is on the trans
continental pathway and it's pastoral
beauty arouses the admiration OF the
globe trotter. Columbus, In his search
for the hides little dreamed of the
wealth to be developed in the central
part of the North American continent.
Begins a New Development.
Developed almost exclusively along
agricultural lines, Iowa is just awakl
ening to its Industrial possibilities.
With 1000 square miles OF It's area
underlaid with coal measures it is
destined to become the rival OF Illinois
In the sphere of manufacturing. Oven
yet its agricultural possibilities have
not reached the limit, for there are
hundreds of thousands Of acres not
yet amenable to the art OF the cult
Vator, by reason of excessive moisture.
With the subdivision Of farms, intro
duction OF intensive agriculture and
reclamation of wet areas, Iowa's pre-
sent phenomenal production OF agri-
cultural wealth will be doubled, but 1t
is along Industrial lines that the de-
yelopment OF the future will be most
marked. With an increased urban
population, farm lands must appreciate
in value. If land in the corn growing
sections Of Illinois are worth $125 to
$3.50 per acre. Iowa farms must come
up to the same level. And corn land
is scarce. No longer is that grain used
for fuel In the west. The day Of cheap
corn has gone forever and corn land
Is destined to be the most valuable on
the face Of this mundane sphere. Dur
ing the next decade Iowa's progress
will even be more marked than during
the past ten years. Wealth accumu-
lates, but men do not decay In the
strenuous atmosphere Of the middle
West. More new towns have been
founded in Iowa In the past five years
than In any other state, and this surely
is not sign that the process Of devel-
opment has reached maturity. AS the
Vlrginians of early days conquered the
dark and bloody battle ground" so
mas loWa's wealth and energy facili-
tated the development of all that great
region lying between the Missouri and
a Vast Food Supply.
Excelling in agriculture Iowa nro-
s.s' i'ioie Aoou lHaH any Other state
IN the union It's soil has not yet been
taxed as to it's resources, yet the wealth
1T distributes all over the world am
nually is incredible. BY comparison.
the auriferous sands of the Yukon are
representative of poverty. And the
surface of its possibilities has been
merely scratched. Eliminating the live
stock and dairy industry, Iowa in 1904
produced crops, estimated, at farm
values at s30O000,O0O, conservatively.
The actual value was 30 per cent more.
The area devoted to principal crops
last year, according to the state au-