Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-12-21
GAS IN FARM HOMES.
Farmers in Vicinity of Glidden
Enjoy Benefits Of a Natural
Gas Well
USED FOR HEAT AND LIGHT
GraveIed Roads in and About Glidden,
Carroll, Colo and Ames-sussestion
for State Road-siome Comment
on Corn statistics-rhayer's Letter
General Iowa News.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Nevada, Dec 21.-Telk about the
pianos being sold to the farmers in
Kansas and the furnace heated farm
houses going up all over Iowa there
is one neighborhood near Glidden that
has them ali skinned" While riding
along a mail route out Of that town
la few days ago noticed galvanized
iron pipe running. parallel to the road
and as 1t continued for q long ways
l inquired Of a farmer, what it was
flowing gas well a couple Of miles be-
You'd ana. that all the houses around
mad piped in the gas. These farmers
hight heat and cook with 1t. The only
trouble they seem to have with 1t is
that they have put the pipe on top Of
the ground and there Is enough water
IN 1t to freeze in winter time. but
some day." the farmer said, I'VE are
going to put 1t under ground" One
man thinking to keep his cellar warm
had a large jet put in. He let the flame
come too near a rafter and the result
is he now has new house where the
old one burned down.
There is a marked similarity between
the territory surrounding C. & N. w.
towns in Story county and that along
the G. & N. w. In Carroll county.
Both are fiat and require vast amount
of thing, and In both places land valu-
ations are about the same. Underlying
the soil are gravel beds. From Colo
to Ames, 16 miles, very level, is graz
vel road, and from Glidden to Carroll
there is almost an identical piece OF
road. There has been considerable talk
and agitation for state road to ex-
tend across Iowa. Why not connect
up the links that are already built
along the G. & N. w. railway and have
one? The main gravel road running
from Colo to Ames passes thru Me-
yada and practically all business COM,
ing into this town comes over the one
road. A man hauling a. load either way
who does not, live on this strip, makes
the shortest cut possible to reach it,
and in good many places they are
building branches to the main thor
ougnlafe IL looks to- me as though
they had arrived here, at the correct
solution Of the good roads problem.
The size of the cora crop has been
discussed more this fall than any time
for years, and 1t is hard for. person
whose observation is limited to the ter
ritory lying between, his house and
town, to form any adequate opinion OF
the extent Of the crop in the whole
county, much less the whole state Of
Iowa, which is only small part Of the
corn producing area. Yet men will
read reports of the crop conditions such
as the estimate of 346000O00 bushels
for Iowa and say that it is all lie.
The benefit which they should derive
is lost. Crop statistics are not always
correct, but are nearly so, and 1t strikes
me as / ride along over miles upon
miles of territory that If farmers would
look more to statistics, comparing them
with former years, they would be in a
better position to contract their corn,
and other products, /. e., If the produc-
ers would give the same careful study
that the buyer does there would be
more satisfaction in doing business.