Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-04-09
WHERE PROSPERITY IS
Almost Ideal Conditions on One
Rural Route Running Out
From Town of Manly
ALL uP-To-DArE FARMERS
Nearly Every Man Scientific as Well
as Successful Farmer-Larse Guam
titles of Grain Raised But None of
1t soId-successfuI Cattle Feeding
Wilson's Letter.
Special to rimes-Republican

Special to metropolitan
Manly, April 9.-There is mail
route leading from this town along
which the traveller finds some remark
able conditions. Nothing extraordi-
nary in the quality of the land is no.
ticeable; it is apparently just plain,
every day Iowa soil, but the average
prosperity, intelligence and content
ment found among the people there,
on the reasons for the existence of
what he sees as he passes along.
The majority of these people are of
German descent, but nationality does
not appear to make any great differ
ence, for Yankees" English, Scotch
and Scandinavians are mixed in the re-
spects noted above. They are the same
as the others. Men who have hardly
reached middle age, worth from $780,
600 to $4,000, living in fine houses,
equipped with furnaces and other
modern conveniences, are to be found
at frequent intervals from the begin
ming to the end Of the route.
Nearly every man in the district re-
ferred to, raises a large quantity of corn
and oats and feeds it all to his stock
Not word was .heard along the whole
line about grain prices, as nobody had
any for sale. Aside from the feeding,
the only apparent activity in the grain
business Is the separation of weed seed
from the seed oats, and the substitution
of clover and timothy seed. The daily
paper is found in almost every home
and the principle that governs their
selection of that article is "the best is
the cheapest"
Road drags are in operation all along
the line. One man mentioned that he
was testing his seed corn. In answer
to my question as to the method he
was using he answered "Holden's
method About Is per cent of what
looked like good seed was rejected be-
cause it wouldn't grow or was too
weak.
Were any of his neighbors testing
their seed corn by that method? "Oh,
yes, nearly everyone The evergreens
eAAiANS llClC anu SCNSIdl new WGll-pldI-
ned wind-breaks are started each
year.
If the residents of the territory de-
scribed continue their present course
AS they no doubt will dot will be
but short time until they will make
1T one of the wealthiest, most pro-
ductive and most beautiful sections in
northern Iowa, and good Illustration
of the possibilities of farming in this
state when carried on under the most
favorable conditions.
In some parts Of this county there
are groves of large cottonwood trees.
and the owners Of these are cutting
them down, saving them into lumber
and using it in their building opera
lions. Those who have tried the ex-
pertinent claim that for dimension
stuff. inside sheeting, barn floors and
other like uses this "home- made" lum-
Der is as good as any. One man had
about 10000 feet sawed and it is said
that when all is worked up that Is
waiting for the saw in that neighbor-
hood the total amount will be several
hundred thousand feet. Many here be-
Iieve it will not. be long until tracts
will be planted to cottonwood with
the intention of making them future
source of lumber supply. The tree is
rapid grower, and the product OF
one acre after growth of fifteen or
twenty years would furnish a good
MANY thousand feet of lumber.
One man called my attention to a
connie of stumps in his yard and then
leading the way to the barn showed
me about 400 feet of AXIS, six and
eight inch boards and some planks
which he had sawed from his two
trees. 1t looked better than much o.
the lumber found in the yards OF DEAL
ers in that commodity.
Those fortunate enough to have a
horse TO sell certainly have no reason
to complain of prices these days. al
most any man they meet will make an
offer for anything that can walk. Ev,
or.vhody seems to know, too, JUS
what price is asked for every ANNA
owned by his acquaintance. IL IS .he
hardest kind Of Job, sometimes LUZ
the newspaper man to prevail on iiis
driver to keep the customary INQUIRY
"Ready to sell that horse YET. -
himself until the paper matter Is set
tied.
| wishing to see a NAM whose team
was pointed out to me in town the
other day decided, after looking FOL
him awhile to watch the team until
the owner came to drive it away. A
young fellow on the opposite side OF the
street seeing me standing there called
out, "You needn't be looking at that
team, it isn't for sale learned after
| ward that he didn't live within five
| miles of the owner, but he knew that
the animals were not on the market.
C.. E. WILSON.