The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1907-05-08

iooSSSooAai III cAiC III II OCAt VI 40W0
land Illinois. To verify his theory in
this respect, he stated that the same
experience had been gone thru in
the older states as here, and that so
far as climate is concerned, the gov
eminent weather bureaus at New
Ulm and Marshalltown. Iowa, showed
that the range in temperature, rain
| fall and other climatic conditions
affecting crops were almost identi-
cal at the two points. He could
furnish abundant testimony from
farmers who had been making money
right along in this and surrounding
counties by intelligent mixed farm
ling and stockraising. Aside from
this, the speculative instincts Of the
people of this section of the state
had been acted upon blythe effective
advertising and missionary work of
1.-THE land boomers for Dakota, Cam
ada and western lands. Mr.. WEIGH
was hopeful that the organization
| of the state emigration board to
boom the resources of our own state
would result in great good.
Bank Examiner Schafer is a fine
talker, and gave good counsel to the
merchants in regard to looking close
| ~ to their credits and collections and
working in harmony with their local
banks.
Perhaps the most valuable feature
Of the convention was the good roads
address of state road commissioner
G. w. Cooley. After stating that
the greatest tax paid by every con-
sumner in the country was the bad
roads tax, Mr.. Cooley gave few
primary necessities in making a good
road. 1t must shed water even a
dirt road could be made fairly good
if this requisite was properly en-
forced. Mr.. Cooley corroborated
this by telling of an experimental strip
made under his supervision near,
Crookston. the soil being pure gum
DO soil. His treatment Of this strip
Tof road was by ditching each side,
altho the fall was less than one inch
per mile. All sods were removed
Mr.. Cooley insisted that sods were
the ruination of roads wherever
they were left in the road-bed, as
they soaked up the water and formed
chuck holes. The road was rounded
up in the middle, and maintained in
that form when put into use, by the
use of form of the split-logs drag
after every storm, and in spite of
the wet season last year, was good
road still. There was little use in
building good roads unless some pro-
vision was made to maintain them.
Mr.. Cooley paid his compliments to
the old system of road laws, as
about the most wasteful and ineffect-
ual system that could be devised.
and expressed the hope that under
the new system of county, township
and state supervision, better results
could be hoped for. Perhaps the
most important statement made in
this address for Redwood Falls was
the speakers assertion that Redwood
Falls has an inexhaustible supply of
the best road material in the world
within a stones throw, referring to
the granite outcropping here, which
Major Cooley said should be put
thru crusher and made ready for
use with the aid of our water power.
He was enthusiastic on this PROPOSE
ton. and we are glad to know that
a number Of our citizens have the
matter of putting stone crushers to
work here under very serious con-
sideration, and we are encouraged
to hope that the enterprise will take
definite shape at no distant day.
The evening session was largely a
social one, the opening feature be-
ing the drawing for the elegant
money-weight scale offered by the
manufacturers to the association.
State Examiner Schafer and Editor
Fleming drew out the numbers, the
last and winning number being held
Ed. Pease, who was properly pleased
to come into possession of such a /
perfect weighing apparatus.
The high school orchestra, rein
forced by Mike and Herb Lauter-
bach and Manager Werner at the