Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-04-24
Politics, as Well as Crops, o.
cupying Their Attention
This Spring
UNANIMOUS FOR CUMMlNs
Only One Out of Large Number Inter.
viewed in cerro Gordo Was For Per-
kins-Women Also Interested-Prac.
teal Results From the King Road
Drag-Wison's Rural Letter.
Special to Times Republican.

extent among the people dwelling along
rural mail routes. The man who men,
tons political matters to those at work
on their farms usually receives the
information that the less the farmer
bothers his head with politics, the bet
ter off he is; that the men elected to Of
flee do as they please anyway, and
that it makes little difference who is
elected. One is almost led to the con-
clusion, sometimes, that in the minds
of his neighbors the farmer who evinc-
@s desire to participate actively in
affairs of government is performing
an act that merits only the contempt
of those who. give little thought or
attention to such things.
But this spring it is all different
Everybody is talking about the present
political campaign. Township, county
and state issues all receive attention,
and the most remarkable feature of it
in this part of the state is the unan-
unity of the opinions expressed. OF
the four or five hundred men living on
lone individual announced his antagon-
ism to the candidacy of the present
chief executive. Il am standpatter,"
he declared, land | am willing to give
my reasons for being one. don't be-
lieve any man ought to be governor of
Iowa for seven years." When asked
how long he thought a man ought to
be in congress he said: That's diff
ferent He ought to be left there so
long as he does what is right. What
power has the governor anyway?" ex-
claimed he. What has Cummins ever
done for the people? No, sir, I'm with
the other crowd
One farmers wife interrupted her
husband who was telling about the
governors speech at Clear Lake, say
ing: Il shook hands with him, and l!
told him we had driven nine miles thru
the mud to hear him speak and that
l was glad we had come too" we
pumpkin rollers don't get stirred UP
very often" said another man. but
we're wide-awake this year" Many
others tell with evident satisfaction OF
attending caucus regardless OF the
rush of work occasioned by the late
spring. 4
Ever since the ground thawed out
this spring the roads south OF mere
have been almost impossible. Even
where there We're very respectaoie
grades, they seemed to be tliled win
water. After floundering thru the mud
for a couple of miles the other day.
we came to the home of ME-. l.. H.
Cook. where the grade suddenly became
smooth and perfectly dry Inc Jaoee
hronchoes at once volunteered nVely
trot. the mud ceased to fly ana travel
for the moment became a pleasure. Mr.
Cool, had been using road drag on
the highway that bordereo his ial .,
That was the sole explanations VI 'Ae
different conditions
Out i'm the middle of a fielo olle oas
last week a man was observed sloyei-
ing dirt into a wagon. 1t looked ike a |
strange proceeding to remove the sur
face from the ground where crop was
to be planted, so an expia,iaelol wa,
sought Quack grass hao op'aiileu
possession of few patches Oh iaiio On
tha farm and the owner was lfyliis W
era dictate the pest in the beginning. IL
has GAINED quite a foothold on several
f,rn,s in the vicinity and is hard to |
check when once it gets s' a, ABOVE |
the ground it looks not uiiiine soui.s
oats. but the roots form mat eA.eiio
ing in every direction at d uep.h ol
three or four inches. fio"ihs ollls
aihA
makes matters worse, anu apout .he
only immediate method OF obstruction
;s TO remove the roots altogether from |
the land as the man above mentioned |
was doing. He did not know how the |
o,hnoyious grass happened to invade |
that section. but a farmer living near
Aclxlev who has had some experience
i'm that line. explains the matter by say
mo that where auack grass appears the |
grouna ;s usually seeded to timothy in |
an effort to get rid Of it, and the tim
othy is sometimes cut LUZ SEED inc
seed sold to dealers, VINO ulicoiisclously
sell other farmers a nuisance tAal VIII
reauire years of hard WORK 10 destroy.
A good many farmers here are try
ing to do all alone all the work of Gull
tivatine 100 acres or more of land. In |
ono case a man was farming 240 acres,
and in another two, who were working |
together on three quarter sections, and |
raising very little stock, cropping all
most the entire $50 acres. They are
those who expected to hlre man and |
have been unable to get one. One man,
referring to the situation, insists that
the time has come when about the best
thing a Young farmer with limited cap
ital can do is to buy tract Of four or
five acres where he can keep horse,
COW and chickens, raise hog or two
for his meat and work on nearby farms
by the day or month Such a man
would own his home, be just as indie
nendent. and make more money than if
he rented or bought land enough to
emnloy all his time. The hired man
Question would be settled, there would
ba less tenant farming and land would |
receive better cultivation than is now
rossible. It was all very Well, he said,
to farm that way where land was cheap
hut thai if means inevitable failure in |
Iowa on farms valued at the figures it
now commands. c. e. WILSON.
EASTERN EDITOR TO SPEAK.