Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-11-19
Unprecedented Condition Com
fronts Feeders of Livestock
in Hancock County
HAIL HURTS SHORT CROP
Conditions Do Not Discourage Inves-
tors in Farm Lands and Eastern
Men Are Buyins-Have Faith in
Thing on Wet Farms-c. E. VIII
sons Rural Observations.
Special to Times-Republlcan.

in many years Hancock county will
have to import corn to winter the
livestock kept within her borders. In
addition to unfavorable weather during
the growing season terrific hailstorm
swept over large portion Of the coun-
ty, almost running thousands Of acres
of wheat, but for that disaster might
have made a fair crop as compared
with other portions of the north half
of the state. 1t is only within the
past four weeks that the rains have
ceased, but at the present time very
little water is to be seen anywhere
on the surface of the ground. The
small ponds are entirely dried out and
fall blowing has been finished, leav-
ing everything in good shape for the,
is hoped will be decided contrast to
the one just closed, declared by every
old resident to be the worst ever
A local grain man declares there
will not be peck Of corn brought to
his elevator this season by a farmer.
He is searching the country for SUP
ply for the surrounding farmers, thus
far in vain. He asserts that he has
orders already for $4,000 bushels OF
marketable corn and no questions
asked concerning the price. OF course
some men have corn to sell, those
moving from the farm to town, and
others leaving for other localities, but
none of this ever reaches a town. 1t
is sold on the farm where 1t grew and
hauled direct to some other farm to be
fed at once.
With so light corn crop 1t Is not
surprising that the husking season
is about over here at the present time.
A few miles southwest of town. where
the yield is the best in this part Of the
county, more than 80 per cent Of the
corn is now out Of the field. Have
you commenced to pick corn yet?"
last week. "Yes," was the answer. I
began yesterday morning and finished
a little while before noon" He vas
one of the many that fed his crop as
fast as he picked it.
Notwithstanding this rather disce,ur-
aging situation men are constantly
coming here from further east, invest
ing in lands and preparing to drain
them out. Some are bought for home,
others for an investment. Usually
when non-residents buy land to any
extent development Of the
locality is retarded, but in this case
it is different. A typical illustration
mess man who has recently purchased
a quarter section Of low, level land a
few miles east Of Garner. For five
successive years it has been cropped
and in that time only one good yield
was harvested, that Of last year. The
present owner paid $45 per acre for the
place, and has set aside a fund OF ST.
600 to be expended in thing it out. He
insists that the soil is fully as good as
that of the high priced Illinois land,
that the expenditure of the amount
above named will make highly pro-
ductive farm Of the place and. that
within few years he will be able to
dispose of it at a price double that
which he paid.
Most of the land for sale is owned
by those who are either unable or else
for various reasons unwilling to spend
for its improvement. The ma
iority Of resident landowners are re-
garding the experiences Of the wet
seasons as a lesson and are thing their
farms as fast as they can.
Noticing a box filled with a peculiar
kind of wire the other day in a farm
er's kitchen, inquired what use he
intended making of it. "Taat is new
we are using around here for
destroying chicken mites, those Of the
large variety. There is the rest of the
he continued, pointing to
a shot gun that hung on the wall Then
he explained that the frequent depre-
dations of chicken thieves; had caused
several in the vicinity to wire" their
poultry houses. A small button or
"trip is placed in the door and win,
dows Of the chicken house in such a
manner that when they are opened a
few inches bell in the farmers bed
room is rung. The wire connecting the
bell and trip is placed underground
inside Of a gaspipe. The whole con-
trivance being out of sight, Mr.. Thief
has. no means Of knowing what kind
Of trap he is entering when he at
tempts to appropriate the fruits of
some hardworking womans efforts In
the line of poultry raising.
g Il VIII SON