Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-12-10
Farmers Leaving Northern Iowa
in Large Numbers For West
and Cheap Lands.
SOME WILL COME BACK WISER
Percentage of Those Who Emisrate
Return Poorer in Pocket, While
Some Make Good in Their New
Homes = Americans Leave, Foreign
ers Take Their Places.

Special to Times Republican,.
Clarion, Dec. 10. = If some expert
statistician should figure out the total
number of those who are preparing at
the present time to emigrate to the
various parts Of the country to which
homeseekers are being attracted these
days, the result would be received by
the reading public with astonishment.
From all points, large or small, in
dividual farmers are making ready to
start for some far-off place where they
confidently expect to better their
town of county seat size colonies OF
people are arranging with the rail-
ways whose lines lead to the locali-
ties to which they wish to emigrate for
special trains, tourist cars and other
features incident to wholesale moving.
These conditions prevail to a greater
or lesser degree every year at about
this season and explain why it is that
the rural population of the state does
not increase as does that Of the cities
and towns, In the course of two or
three years a small percentage Of these
emigrants are glad to return to the
place from which they started and
settle down to hard work to gain back
what they lost in seeking for a better
place than Iowa, but there is no doubt
that much larger portion succeed
in securing valuable homes at a
much less expense of time and money
than would have been required had
they remained in the original homes.
On a train the other day was a pros
porous looking man returning from his
Oklahoma farm to visit friends and
relatives in central Iowa. He had
emigrated to that place seven years
ago with money capital of only few
hundred dollars. According to his
story at the present time he now owns
half section of land worth $40 per
acre in the market and all free from
incumbrance. He wouldn't return to
Iowa to farm under any consideration.
For some time past stories of a Won
derful little valley away out in west
ern Colorado have been reaching resi-
dents Of this vicinity; stories of fabu-
lous profits in fruit growing and in
the rapid advance in land values. Ac-
counts of men homesteading land and
selling it at $500 per acre just as soon
as enough time has elapsed to enable
the homesteader to ''prove up" on his
claim. 1t is said that no real estate
boomer or land agents are concerned
in these stories, they are sent out by
actual residents to friends and rela-
tives here in the form Of friendly let
tiers and the recipients of the missives
do not entertain a doubt as to the
truthfulness of the glowing reports.
The result of it all is that a band of
thirty people, members of eight
American families, will start within
few days to make new home 1000
miles distant from this locality and
their places here will be taken by
are of Norwegian descent. Eight pub
lie sales will have been held by these
men within few days at the worst
possible time for such events. One Of
the men leaving, William Bell, owns a
fine 100 acre farm within a mile of
Clarion, and worth more than 500
per acre. His cattle are nearly all reg
istered Shorthorns, and his horses
and other farm animals are very far
above the average in quality, his crops
are good for this year, he apparently
has every advantage and comfort
with the reach of any well-to-do farm
er. He realizes that selling his stuff
at public sale at this time means sac
rifice, but like the others he sis go
ing to Colorado" The case illustrates
noticeable tendency on the part of
the middle west farmer to OCCASION
ally move on however prosperous he
may be previous to the change in 10
cation.
Thomas Duffy. a farmer living near
here, succeeded this year in raising
fifty acres of low, undrained ground,
while good farmers in the same To-
cality and with the same kind of land
failed to anywhere near approach the
record made by their fortunate neigh
Dor. Mr.. Duffy planted his corn last
spring when the top of the ground
was frozen an inch or so deep, finish
ing the fourth day of May. He Gull
tivated his field five times. stopping
not for rainy weather, but blowing at
times when as one man remarked, "he
could have travelled with more COM
fort in boat than after a plow." His
neighbors told him it was contrary
to all rules of good farming to plant
corn when the ground was frozen or
to pillow it when it was soaked with
water. but he disregarded their warm
ings and some Of them picked their
seed for next year from his field, glad
to pay we'll for the privilege. This fall
he husked all his seed corn from two
rows eighty rods in length. This he
placed on the floor of his attic in such
a manner that every ear lay on the
floor and no two ears were allowed to
touch. Two times each week for three
successive weeks he turned each ear
as the setting hen turns her eggs, and
he declares that next spring be will
again plant early even if the runners
of his planter have to be weighted so
that they will penetrate the frozen
ground. c. p. WILSON.
HEISLER VS.. HEiSLER.