Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-11-05
An Average of From Fifty to
Eighty Bushels Of Corn
Per Acre
c. E. WILSON'S RURAL LETTER
Sam BjeIand Keeps Record of Sales
and His Figures Are Astonishing =
Ponds Near Clarion Turned Into
Source of Pleasure and Revenue =
BoIitho's Fancy Dogs.
Special to Times-Kepubllcan.


Clarion, Nov. 5.-"This years corn
crop is the best l have ever seen in
this county, and 1 have farmed here
for a quarter of century," remarked
a Wright county farmer the other
day. as he sorted out some extra fine
ears for seed while his boys were I'M
loading their thirty-five bushel loads.
There is not field in this neighbour
hood that I know Of which is yielding
less than fifty-five bushels per acre"
said he, and further inquiry corrobor-
ated the mans statements. Many
who We're asked as to yields would
say: well, you can figure it out your
self; these rows are so many rods long.
it takes so many of that length to
make an acre; here is box SO many
inches high and it takes so many rows
to fill the box. You came thru the
field and you can see that it is all
about alike" And fifty to eighty
bushel yield was then and there "ciph-
cred" out without the loss of a minute
of the husker's time.
Those who have had occasion to
travel thru this part of the country
for the past three or four years have
seen very little to convince them that
this is much of corn country. Some
of the older residents remembered that
they used to raise big crops, but not
much of the land was tiled and the
later seasons were too wet for corn or
any other farm product, but this year
it is different, and to see the big loads
of bright sound corn, brought in from
every field, is convincing evidence that
Wright county farmers know how to
raise corn, and that they have the soil
that is worthy of their skill in that
line In town, corn exhibits greet the
eye everywhere. One store has an
artistic display in the window and
with the collection are cloth
ing, shoes, undergarments, ETC., with
the price indicated in bushels of corn
at 30 cents a bushel, instead Of in the
usual manner A few days spent in
this locality ought to be sufficient to
impress on any mind the tremendous
Importance of good corn crop to the
welfare of this section OF the country.
Sam Bjelland, one Of the prosperous
farmers of this locality owns place of
some 800 acres of land short distance
from Clarion. He also rents a tract
adjoining his farm. He is young
man, yet, altho he has four husky boys
old enough to work teams. He works
sometimes, and has kept one
man this year, in addition. He has
made a record Of everything sold off
the farm for the last twelve months,
and figures a total Of about $4,000
worth Of cattle, hogs, grain, poultry
and cream-everything of his own
raising. When asked him how he
managed to make that kind of show
ing. he answered.: Wright county
and republican times" He perhaps
might have added: "a hustling farmer,
a steady hired man, and no foafing
around town evenings on the part of
the boys"
While most of the rural population
here have been laboring early and late
for several years to effect the disap-
pearance Of their ponds and sloughs,
there are two notable exceptions to the
rule. Mr.. L. O. BisgroVe has pond
about 32 rods long. 80 feet wide and 5
feet deep, that he is willing should re-
main where it is, and he even intends
to enlarge it's dimensions later on. 1t
is supplied with water by three fine
two-inch flowing wells, and has for
several years been the principal source
of Clarion's ice supply, 800 to 1000
tons of ice having been taken annually
from the pond. Mr.. Bisgrove intends
next spring to stock his bond with
black bass and perch, and thus derive
from 1t additional revenue as well as
pleasure.
Mr.. M. c. Gulick concluded that
ponds are not always undesirable
property, so he employed five men
with teams and scrapers for about a
month, and made a pond where none
had been before. He selected place
for it where the subsoil is gumbo
formation, excavated, and with the dirt