The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-12-21
TYPICAL STATE
Of FROZEN
NORTH
Native of Iowa Describes Its Re-
sources and Beauties for
Southern Readers.
Editor Pensacola Journal:

EQlJOT Pensacola Journal:
Being from the north, I thought
that possibly your readers might be
interested in an article relative to
iowa, the state in which I live.
Iowa is noted for the richness Of
lis soil and for the abundance of its
crops. IL is almost a purely agricul-
tural state, its chief products being
corn, oats. barley, fax and grasses.
timothy and clover grow there in
great abundance. It is not so gOoa
for wheat as some of the other north
ern states, although quite large
amount of wheat is prO4uced by the
state every year. The corn crops of To-
wa are simply immense. A field that
does not average fifty bushels 10 the
acre is considered poor. many fields
averaging from seventy to eighty
bushels TO me acre. Before leaving
home number of farmers told me
that their cat crop yielded from forty
five TO fifJy-five and sixty bushels per
acre. This viii give you some idea
on the abundance of these cereals
produced in the state.
In a certain sense Iowa is not
6ood fruit state, no winter apples nor
peaches being raiseI there. excepting
la its southwestern counties. Small
fruits of all kinds, however, includ-
ing strawberries, blackberries. rasp-
berries. etc. grow there in great
abundance.
The climate of Iowa is somewhat
vigorous during the winter months,
as your Pensacola readers will readi-
" admit when I state that it is no un-
common thing for the mercury to go
down to 30 and sc degrees below zero
and occasionally TO 40 below. In
February of last year, on the 18th OF
the month the government thermOme
ter in my home town registered 81 be
low zero. This. however, was some
thing unusual for so late i'm the sea
son. Myself and family left home for
Pensacola on the 18th of this month
and two or three times before We left
It was as low as 6 degrees below
zero.
Il may be a matter Of conjecture to
people who have been born and rear
en- in So mild a climate as that of
Florida how we who live in so vigOr-
Gus a climate as that Of Iowa can en-
dure ii, but I assure them that We
suffer no inconvenience from it, for
we are prepared for it, Our homes
are built with reference to warmth
most Of them having and walls sheet
eG on the outside of the studding with
tcngued and groOved lumber which is
overlaid with thick building paper
ard then weatherboards. mis- makes
a floor and wall almost imperviOus to
cold. All of our homes are heavily
plasteTed. many of them being back.
or double plastered and papered on
the inside. Then we have a great
abundance Of fuel, there being coal
enough under the soil of Iowa to sup
ply the needs of the whole United
States for centuries.
After such a statement as this It
may seen strange to say that coal in
Iowa is no cheaper than il is in Pen
sacOla. except in the immediate vicin-
ity Of the mines. When it is once
loaded on the cars and hauled by the
railroads few miles, one must paw as
much for it as il costs in Pensacola.
The snow storms OF Iowa are some
times something terrific. the drifts in
many places being seven or eight feet
deep. This condition prevailed with
us last winter, when we had more
snow than usual. OF course. at such
times men must hustle with shOvels
and other appliances to keep the
roads open and the sidewalks clean.
but such work puts vim in men and
makes them glad that they are alive.
In such a climate ample provision
must be and is made for the protec-
ton of animals AGAINST the weather.
Every farmer has large warmly
built and COmmOdiOUs barns and sheds
for his stock, and these aud much to
the beauty of rural Iowa The eve
OF man never rested upon a more
beautiful and inspiring scene than
thar presented by the country dis
Ticrs of Iowa toward the close of the
month of June. At this season of the
year these districts are covered with
every variety of growing crop indi-
geuoUs TO them and furnish as glori-
Gus picture as any that the earth
ever presents.
| wish that the people of the south
would make summer tours 10 the
north. as we OF the north make winter