Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-05-21
!; L0OKER-ON IN IOWA /

Goldheld, May 21.-The case Of the
Armstrong brothers of Clarion is un-
usual and remarkable in several ways.
One of them at the age Of became
blind and the other when years old
was afflicted in the same way. Now
they are young men, and instead of
sitting down and becoming useless
members Of society, both have become
expert piano tuners, and not only have
plenty of work at home, but travel to
their adjoining towns in the same bus
mess They travel together and were
here last week, making canvas of
the town as systematically and sue
cessfully as men with good eyes. An
other brother still younger is threat
ened with the same terrible loss of
sight, the optic nerve in all three cases
becoming paralyzed in their boyhood
days
! The Iowa State college forestry de-
partment has taken hold of some in
teresting experiments. Professor L. Fl.
Pammel writes that quite number
OF people have commented on thu, high
price that must now be paid for fence
posts. Quite a number Of the read
ers Of the Times Republican can re-
member when good red and white oak
fence posts could be bought for 20
cents. The time was, twenty years
ago, when red oak or white oak ties
could be bought for 25 and 80 cents
in Wisconsin and parts of Iowa. The
same ties can not now be bought for
SO and so cents. Those who have
watched the unloading of telegraph
and telephone poles at numerous sta
tons in Iowa must have observed that
the material .unloaded is of a very in
ferior kind. Material that ten years
ago would not have been touched is
now bought. So with lumber, 1t has
gone way up. So expensive is lum-
Der that many people hesitate about
building at this time. Lumber will.
however, never be any cheaper The
future buildings in Iowa will be con.
structed from brick and cement With
the increase in populat ion there has
been an increase in lumber consump-
ton According to Forest Inspector Il.
S. Kellogg, the lumber cut in' 1880 was
is billion feet; in 1890, "a billion feet.
The value of the annual output Of for-
est products is now estimated at H.
O75. 0OO. 900 dollars. These few figures
indicate that the time is not far dis
tant when we shall have d timber fam
inc. The farmers of Iowa will find that
the timber lot will be q valuable as
set. Many groves have been planted,
but many more should be planted
Those that have been planted should
be taken care of. How to make fence
posts, telegraph and telephone poles
last longer is a question that should
be considered by all who use them.
Professor n. p. Baker of the forestry
department Of the Iowa State college
has inaugurated some cooperative ex-
nerirnents to test the longevity OF
treated posts. Farmers should avail
themselves of the opportunity of CO.
onerating with this department"
Near Thor a big drainage ditch 10
being dug that will reclaim h'lndreds
of acres of good land. The machine IS
q bir one and is almost indentlcaI III
operation to the steam shovels we all
see along the railroad tracks Com
mencing where the ditch starts. q
huge fat boat is built. On this IS
placed the steam shovel, cranes boil
er. engine and machinery necessary.
AS soon as the ditch is dug deep
enough and necessary depth Of water
secured, the whole business is forced
into the water, and the rest ls easy.
On the front end of the boat the shovel
operates, throwing the dirt on each
side of the ditch as it floats along.
Last week the ditcher reached the
Chicago 8 Northwestern tracks, and
while the writer was there prenara- !
tions were being made to cross OF
course all of the track, ties and grad
ing will be have to be removed, but so
fast does this machine operate, the
railroad company anticipates but little
delay while the machine digs the ditch