Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-12-29
Looker-On In Iona

Manson, Dec 29-There is much
discussion these days over the rural
schools. Perhaps some one can find
an argument in what follows. In Po-
cahontas county there is one school
district in Sherman township that is
only inhabited by three families. In
the school are only thirteen children.
all cousins. Around the county seat
are three farms one Of 1,1S0 acres, one
of 1920, and one Of 800 acres. In this
vicinity the Flaherty's live and own
hundreds of acres. On the poll lists
are forty-nine voters by the name Of
Flaherty. Also there is another FAM
lily by the name Of Hronk, six broth
ers originally, now increased till about
fifty voters by the name of Hronk ap-
pear on the assessors book. And, said
the informant. there's not a Hronk
in Pocahontas county. but what can
borrow a thousand dollars on his own
name in any bank in he county"
These are the days when the coun-
ty supervisors have all sorts of trouble
with talked of drainage routes. DAM
ages and assessments. Not so long ago
man appeared before the board" and
put up a good story for water that
would overflow a part of his farm in
case a ditch was dug as surveyed.
Pinned down he admitted that this part
Of his farm was wet and impossible
nearly all of the time, but he claimed
the slough grass he cut each year, was
especially valuable as feed for his COWS
and horses, Then he was asked how he
managed to get a harvest of hay Off
of such land that would not bear up
team and moving machine, and he
actually claimed he cut it in winter
after the ice was strong enough to bear
UP team. This story comes to the
writer from a source making it cred
ible.
Recently the Hartford, Conn.,, Cour-
ant, under the headline of Speaking
Of Corn said:
Indiana, Illinois, Missouri Kansas
all those very self-complacent prairie
giants out there with cornfields so big
that a man can get lost in them-WiH
kindly take back seats and keep quiet
while we present to the American pub
I.lic N. Howard Brewer of Hockanum,
Conn, aged 20 years, who brought
away from the great corn exhibition
at Omaha the "world prize" for the
largest number of bushels grown on
single acre, and the prize for the best
flint corn grown anywhere this side OF
the Mississippi, Yet plenty of people
out west have a belief that the SOIL
here in our Connecticut valley Is hard
ly visible for the stones and all worn
out at that. We inform them that the
Connecticut farm containing the acre
from which young Brewer got his l35
bushels of corn and his world beating
record has been in the Brewer family
and under cultivation for $50 years.
Any of them who happen this way
should take a look at it. Hockaman Is
accessible by trolley from Hartford,
and the cars cross Hartford bridge
which is worth looking at, too. They
don't have bridges like that in the
| west.
1.-THE young man who has made the
name of Hockamam famous thruout
the corn-g growing world has "The
Courant's" cordial congratulations. He
his corn and his prizes are-collective-
ly and singly-a credit to Connecticut.
Not to detract 6. thing from the
Courant's mild Boosting, this, the
writer of the editorial forgot. That
more than likely this prize corn of lS2
bushels of corn to the acre cost more
! in the way of fertilizers and labor than
it would sell for at the present mar
ket price Just the same there is "a
pointer in this printed account of corn
raising in Connecticut and that is, If
the same quantity of fertilizers and
the same number of hours of hard la
Dor were put on an acre Of Iowa soil,
| 200 bushels to the acre would be the
result. BY the way, this editorial
| writer in the Courant forgot to put
Iowa that heads them all in corn prod
uct. in his list of states. Such an
omission is as serious one as for the