Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-10-31
FARMING THAT Pays.
Hardin County Land Owner
Who Takes a Right View of
His Tenant
MAKES RENTING WORTH WHILE
Fine Buildings, Some Machinery and
Other Objects to the Prospective
Renter-Good Dwelling Houses on
the Farm-c. e. Wilson's observa-
tions in the Country.
to UNDERSTANDINGS.

Special to Times-Republican
Alden, Oct. 31.--Ira Kinney, one Of
the prominent farmers of Hardin
county, has rented his farm for a term
of years and will begin next spring the
task of converting a tract of wild land
in newly settled country. into a
farm. There is nothing very remark
able in the matter of leaving, the I'M
usual feature of the case being the fit
ting Of the farm for the use of the
tenant, who will occupy it during the
coming three years. The place Is fairly
well improved to begin with. but "a ST.
200 barn is being erected in addition to
the one already built, fences are being
put in shape, and when the new man
comes there, he can begin work under
the most favorable conditions. The
manure spreader will be left for his
use free of charge, and he is to be al
lowed annually one bushel of clover
seed, which he is expected to SOW
thinly with his oats, pasture, tn, re-
sultant growth after harvest, and plow
under what is left in late fall. Mr..
Kinney's motives in this way of doing
business are not altogether philan-
thropic. He expects a good rate Of in
terest on the extra investment. He be-
lieves In giving his tenant some chance
of paying his rent without borrowing
or drawing on the gains of past years,
and at the same time he will receive a
larger rental than other landowners of
the locality get off their rented farms.
The tenant-to-be has doubtless fur
nished satisfactory evidence that he
has the disposition and ability to take
good care of the place. Comparing this
case, which, while exceptional, Is of a
kind met with occasionally, one natur-
ally reaches the conclusion that If more
men followed the same plan, land
would rent higher, the appearance of
the country would be greatly benefit
ed, more and better grain and stock
would be produced, and all the unde
sirable conditions found in communi-
ties where large proportion of the
farms are occupied by renters would
undergo marked improvement. Mr..
Kinney's example is worthy of imita-
ton, and If 1t were more generally fol-
lowed, more reliance would be placed
on receipts from the creamery and less
from those of the grain elevator and
fewer men would be unable to pay
their rent because half their pig crop
was lost thru exposure necessitated by
Inadequate quarters.
The high prices which labor and
building material command at the
present time deter many men who
would like to build, from doing So.
However, when the farmer moves his
old house back few rods and begins
hauling sand, cement and lumber, it is
safe prediction that the new structure
will be credit to the community, and
one that will compare favorably with
the modern town residence. HI. b. Les
lie, farmer living in the south part
of Franklin county, is completing a
dwelling that. is typical of up-to-date
farm house construction. To begin
with, Mr.. Leslie excavated for a cellar
% feet square and eight feet deep. This
ne Wd1l0ut WIFI SOl1o CCllICHl SAlSAAuAlS.
the wall two feet above the surface OF
the ground, for the foundation of the
house. The cellar was also fioored with
cement and cistern was put in few
feet away. The house is a two story
square structure, with kitchen addi-
ton and circular porch and will be
heated with hot water. Hard and soft
water are at hand, both in house and
cellar.
One of the flourishing concerns Of its
kind is the Farmers Grain Company of
Racine, little station on the line Of an
Alden rural mail route. 1t is a CO.
operative institution with a member
ship of twenty and altho doing bus
mess with nothing but an office and
scales, small warehouse and two
horse power dump has taken in and
sold 17,475 bushels Of oats since August
13. During the fifteen months 1t has
been in operation there has never been
car shortage, a difficulty which not
many like concerns have escaped. One
of the members when asked how large
territory was tributary to the asso-
citation, answered %, about eighty rods
square"
For a month or two not much has
been heard in Iowa about road im-
provement or King drags tho one of
the latter on the farm of VIM. Burton
of Alden, has not been allowed to re-
main unused. Mr.. Burton, like good
many other farmers of his locality, has
road drag of his own and finds 1T q
very useful implement in his thing OPP
erations. After the tile is laid and the
ditch ready to be filled, instead of fol-
lowing the laborious method usually
practiced, he plows few burrows on
each side, bitches two teams to his
drag. one on each side of the ditch ana
the business is soon finished.
G. E. WILSON.