Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-07
The Well Read Theoretical
Farmer Not Always a
Success
THINKS MUCH, WORKS LITTLE
AVERAGE Successful AsricuIturist, How
evor, Is One Who Reads Newspapers
and Farm JournaIs-Profitabie Feed
ina of Bunch Of Piss-WiIson'. Rural
Observations.
Special to rlmes-Republlcan.

Iowa Falls, Jan. 7.-In reply to an
inquiry as to who lived on the farms
near his own, man answered IN
about these words: 20, Mr.. b lives
| in the next house on this road, and
you'd better see him. as he is a great
reader. He writes a good deal for the
farm papers. too. He's one of these
book farmers, but it's the honest truth
that he cisn't making cent year
His place is all run down and his fields
are grown UP with weeds. There's an
old fellow living in the next place be-
yond him that never looks into paper
or book. l don't believe he can read
or write and he's got this man beat
a mile. After you have seen their places
YOU won't wonder that we don't think
much of theoretical farming around
here" he added.
The mans statements as to appear
ances were entirely correct. The .book
farmer" had just returned from far
mers' institute, where he had read a
very interesting and instructive paper
on dairying-it was later published III
several farm journals-but his poorly
sheltered and neglected cows didn't
look at all as tho they were the source
of his inspiration. His fences We're IN
bad shape. gates off their hinges, yards
ill kept, and a generally desolate as
pect prevailed over the entire place.
The possible influence for good that
his writings exerted were more than
offset by the local effect Of his exam
pie.
It is perfectly evident to any obser-
yer that success in farming, as In 9th
er occupations, depends very largely
on the amount Of good hard work that
is put into the business. Scientific
knowledge regarding the feeding value
Of bran or corn fodder doesn't feed the
cows nor keep the barn clean and In
good repair, but it Is nevertheless
noticeable fact that the young men of
the present time who are buying and
paying for farms of their own, and are
doing it without any outside donations,
whether they are the sons Of agricul-
tural writer's or of men who were never
able to read a word Of the English Ian
guage. are generally those who avail.
themselves of every possible advantage
to be derived from the experience of
the farm writer's, even tho they are
we'll aware that not every one of them
practices his own teachings.
John Robertson, one Of the extens-
ne ify
Gently shipped to Chicago eighty-four
head of hogs which brought him the
comfortable sum OF s1,145, or an aver
age Of nearly s14 EACH Considering
the number and the fact that most of
them were May pigs and all of his own
raising, he regards his method of feed
ing them as decided success. Last
spring he sowed oats and wheat to-
gether in the proportion Of two parts
of the former to one of the latter. The
crop was ground in his feed grinder
and fed as slop, supplementary to
the corn ration. His hogs also had
the run of a forty acre clover pasture
thru the grass-growing season.
There is a belief in the minds Of
many people ludI ClllASl1o VI tAAAS SouAAS
try who are of foreign birth or OF
foreign born parentage, are generally
deficient in the higher traits of char
acter, and live chiefly for physical
comfort and pleasure and the accum-
ulation of material wealth. An Incl
dent occurred recently at Ackley which
is complete refutation Of this idea so
far as that community, at least, is
concerned. A large proportion OF the
people Of that locality are of German
descent, and typical of their class, are
hard working, thrifty and highly pros
porous. A few days ago an unknown
young woman saw At to end her own
life by hanging herself under a bridge
near the town, and during the two or
three days which elapsed before her
identity was ascertained report
spread thru the community that the
body if unclaimed by friends or rela-
tives would probably be sent to a
medical school for dissection. very
large number of people viewed the re-
Al OVEE