Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-10-29
Farmers Arguing Question Of
Profit as Betw en- Short and
Large Crops
CONCRETE BARN CONSTRUCTION
Several Examples Of Use Of Concrete
in Farm Buildings to Be Seen in
Vicinity Of Alden - Material Makes
Splendid Structures Wilson'S Rur'
Il Observations.
zrec,a, to rime.-Republican.

FOR the farmer, . hall crop Win
double price, or q fair crop and nor
! nal prices?' is a question that has oc-
Cured to many people this fall Wneh
rr;ces for all kinds Of farm produce
ora advanced to point unusually
/ high and crops in many places are .
a;sanpointment both in quantity ana
n,al,tv. So far as the portion mar
1.e+.d A concerned 1t Is generally al
smitted by those who are most com
netent to decide the question, that
~ ,ha farmers themselves, that nan
\ Weld with price multiplied by two
is preferable as Ut reHares Tess
labor and somewhat reduces expenses
Nm other directions to harvest ana
4 market light crop than heavy one
hut they Immediately add that llgnl
/ iron Ia usually one Of inferior quail
S,tv and that bushel of cheap, souho
1 corn. for instance, will feed much TAR
thar than one of the quality usually
& raised when crops are light. one
Farmer to whom the question was SUB
nitted made the point that hght
Yields and high prices benefit only
the best class of farmers, those VINO
seem to raise fair crops even IN the
most unfavorab1e seasons, while those
4 least able to meet reverses, and those
always a majority Of the whole, are
the losers every time. Those VINO
have given little thought to the mat
ter some times argue that the TAR
mer might 30 manage that when gram
prices are high he would have little
stock on hand. and when they are
low with grain plenty and Of good
feeding quality, he might keep more
stock. Occasionally man, undertakes
to farm and feed on this plan and the
result IL the same as that in other
impossible projects-failure. The
money lost in selling and buying stock
at times unfavorable to those trans
actions overbalances the profits ana
the farmer after a few disastrous ex-
periencss OF the kind either goes out
Of business or adopts the method OF
finishing his stuff, taking prices as
they come. Altho It has been asserted
by experts that the money received
this year for farm products will ex-
coed that Of last year probably nine
farmers in every ten would prefer
a better crop with proportionately
lower price than now prevails II
'spreferring" would make any change
in existing conditions.
A farmer resident Of Illinois who
has lived in this, country for many
years, recently returned from visit
to his old home and in comparing the
two sections remarked on the build
ing tendencies there and here. Farms
in northern Iowa have not yet been
divided to any extent and up-to-date
methods of stock raising on large
places have been the cause of the
building of many large barns here,
while in the Sucker state as in the
Iowa town the tendency is toward the
spretentious house. In barn construction
concrete work IS moro and
more in evidence, each farmer as
he builds adopting the methods Of 9TH
ers and adding a feature or two of his
own. An illustration Of this is seen
in the big barn recently erected on the
farm of David Warman, southwest
from this town short distance. 1t is
S72xS0 feet in size and 4,4S0 feet Of the
: floor space is Of concrete, all except
the space for hay. The roof is stone
surfaced asphalt. A walk four feet
wide is built along the entire side on
which the stock enters the barn, fifteen
horses can be housed in the box stalls
and three car loads of cattle can be
J, fed at time within the structure.
Several small piles Of rock at differ
ent points near the building mark the
places where water is carried off, the
ground being thoroughly tiled. In
j front is huge water tank made Of
cement blocks 20x28 inches, hooked
and cemented together and the tank is
surrounded by concrete platform five
or six feet wide. The animals that
drink there will not be compelled to
stand knee deep in mud while drink
ing. Across the road from this fine
farm a brother, Enoch Warman, is do
ing some concrete work similar to that
described. The record of what these
men have done is an illustration of the
opportunities open to the Iowa farm
er. They settled here about twenty
years ago, with very little capital and
now their half section farms occupy
opposite sides Of the road. They have
earned them farming and raising
stock. The latter raises fine -Percheron
horses and sells one occasionally for a
price equal to what half a dozen or
more ordinary animals bring.
On a farm operated by the Fish
Bros, few miles from Alden, there Is
herd of Brown Swiss cattle, one Of
the very few in the state. AS the name
indicates, theys are brown in color,
somewhat resembling the Jersey IN
this respect. They are said to rival
that breed in milking qualities and at
sthe same time are as short-legged and
blocky as the beef breeds. Altho heavy
and big-boned they are graceful in
their movements and at a distance re-
mind one of herd Of deer, the color
being somewhat similar. They are said
I to be exceptionally good "rustlers" and
are rugged and hardy. Their owners
are enthusiastic admirers of the breed
and are improving them by occasional
additions Of fresh blood secured from
herds in Minnesota and other distant
places c. E. WILSON.
Court Opens at Logan.
Special to ples-Republican.
Logan, Oct. 29-The October term OF
the Harrison county district court OPP
ened here today. with Hon A. B.
Thorneil presiding. The grand jury
convened. The bar docket this term