Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-09-17
Valuable Adjunct to Education
al System lnaugurated in
Tama County
EACH RURAL SCHOOL HOLDS ONE
Farmers Young and Old Participate
Good Schools, intelligent and Pros
porous Farmers the Rule-Highland
Township Proves Why Land Is Worth
500 Per Acre-Thayer's Letter.
Special to Times Republican.


Montour. Sept. 17.-School matters
and anything pertaining to the edu-
able interest for the parents. While
driving from ,Montour on Monday. l
came past the Center school in High
land township, Tama county, and all
around the building were hitched
teams, giving the appearance of a
fence inside the grounds at a county
fair. It came very near being such
but instead was what they called a
township fair.
In Highland there are nine schools
and on one day each year they hold a
fair, to which the pupils bring articles
for exhibition-the girls their fancy
work, bread, cakes, etc, while the
boys bring seed corn, apples and other
products of the farm. AT this exhibit
one boy brought thirty-three different
kinds of apples and knew and could
call by name twenty-seven varieties
of them. Seed corn and pop corn,
which had been raised and tended by
the scholars for months, were on exhi-
bition. Mr.. Brown, the county super
intendent, acted as judge. Talks were
given on the care and culture of grains,
selection of seed and other matters of
interest to farmers. Small cash prizes
were given to those who excelled in
work or who brought the best exhibits
In talking with Mr.. Brown he said
these fairs are held in every township
in Tama county, and that from now
on he would attend one each day I'M
til he got around. He said the benefit
that the county would eventually re-
ceive from training the younger chill
dren along these lines would be inn,
mense.
There is not another township prob
ably in the state of Iowa or any other
state. that has the number of good
school houses that Highland township
has. Here are nine rural schools, all
new buildings, built very much alike,
large, we'll lighted and heated with
furnaces, and equipped with all the
modern appliances. These farmers
appreciate education. They are doing
all they can to help their children get
a good education, and they not only
believe in building good buildings, but
in sending their children to them. 1t
required two teams to bring one lam
lily to the fair.
The attention, however, Of this par
ticular section Of the country is not
entirely devoted to building school
houses, for in locality where they
take pride in their schools it means
that their homes are more to them.
Many new houses are being built, ana
large barns, and cribs are going up.
There is hardly farm where some
thing in the way Of improvements IS
not going on. The crops are very
good thru Highland township, and they
are not going to be in hurry to cash
them either. Some few have contract
ed new corn at so cents, but most OF
them think that the price will be high
er. George e. Gary is building large
double crib with large machine shed
on one side, cement floors and foun-
dations, and elevator to carry the grain
up 1t has a capacity Of 5000 bushels.
Is it any wonder that such land is
worth 1925 an acre, when it will raise
big crops and erect such buildings to
take care Of them after they are
raised, and good schools to send the
children to? Is it not cheap land even
at 800 per acre, compared to land
where you lack all the comforts Of life.
schools few and far betweent and no
towns or railroads?
Yet all the farmers have not learned
how to make the most of their oppor-
tunities. I met a man on the road
with probably ten bushels OF wealthy
apples in the bottom of his wagon box
going to make them into cider. Some
he picked off his ground, where the
wind had blown them. Had he picked
them and marketed them he could
have taken home $3.50 in money. All
over Iowa the fruit crop is neglected;
plums and apples are allowed to rot on
the ground when a little time to pick
up and market them would mean many
dollars in their pockets.
Many farmers are wondering what
to do with their hogs With corn at Is
cents a bushel and the chances to con-