Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-18
Wilson Finds Two Kinds OF
Farmers Along the Mail
Routes
GOOD FARMERS AND GOOD TIMES
The Effect Of Ordinary Harrows on
Country Roads Suggests the Value
Of the Road Drag-.Days When Hired
Men Ride and Employers Walk =
Solid Comfort.
Special to imes-Republican.


Manly, April IS. = Doubtless every
one whose work requires his presence
among the people of the different
farming communities in northern Iowa
is impressed by the widely different
degrees of material prosperity that he
finds in different localities. For in
stance, in travelling over certain rural
mail routes, hardly man is met that
is not, and for the past two or three
years has not been complaining OF
hard times. On others the people APP
pear prosperous, and contented. In
many cases the difference in the quail
ity of the land does not by any means
account for the variation in general
conditions. But one fact may nearly
always be noted. The most prosper
Gus communities are those in which
the people market the most livestock
and the least amount of corn and oats,
and the Weather residents of the less
favored localities are not those who
haul the largest number Of bushels of
grain to the nearest elevator, but who
empty the contents Of their cribs into
their own feed lots. So universally
true is this that one can hardly mag
inc why so many men will continue
year after year to persist in a method
that so seldom brings any considerable
degree of success.
go
The difference in financial prosperity
is not the only feature that distin-
guishes the more exclusively grain
raising communities from those in
which livestock products form the
chief reliance. 1t is generally true that
the latter class places more stress on
neat and comfortable homes than does
the former. The other day I talked
with farmer who was on his way
to a nearby town. Asking him where
he lived, he replied: Just mile far
Their west. Fairview is the name Of my
place. You'll know it when you get
there Anybody could have judged
by that answer TO which class he be-
longed.
Driving along the county roads oc-
casional evidences of the effects of good
roads trains, and other like agitation
may be noticed. Once in a while 4
farmer, instead of loading his harrow
on sled made for the purpose, and
going with it to the field across lots, "
bitches his horses to the implement
and harrows the road as he goes to
the field The beneficial effect is so
apparent that it is a safe prediction
that the practice will become more
general until there is systematic work
in this direction.
Those of whom an opinion is asked
regarding the other subject about
which so much has been said this
spring-testing seed corn-generally
reply that it would require a great deal
of time to follow closely the plan adj
vocated, but that 1t would perhaps pay.
Many are adopting it in part.
That spring work on farm is not
all roses" could be plainly seen dur
ing the cold. blustery days Of last
week. A day spent in riding on a
seatless seeder or on the none too
comfortable seat of a disc, back AMI
forth thru a stalk field, would perhaps
convince the most skeptical that there
are unpleasant features in other oc-
equations thar his own. When a far
mer and his hired man are at work in
field, one riding, the other afoot, it is
usually a safe guess that the pedestrian
is the hired man, but for some reason
the rule wouldn't work last week.
One scene, however, was witnessed in
which all concerned were certainly en-
joying the acme of comfort. Passing
the home of young German farmer
shortly afternoon one windy day, he
was found on the sunny side of an out
building taking an after-dinner smoke.
A great big Maltese cat lay stretched
out on the ground and near by with
one of his paws resting on the feline's
body was an intelligent looking
Scotch Collie dog. 1t was clear case
of absolute contentment.
G.. e. WILSON.