Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-11-09
No HUSK|NG RECORDS
TOO MUCH CORN IN IOWA FIELDS
TO MAKE POSSIBLE CHAM.
PloNshlP FEATs.
LATE POTATO CROP SORTED
TOO EARLY BY MANY
One Grower Who Put Digging OF Long
Enough to Determine Extent Of
Damage Finds Third Of Crop Ruined
Iowa and the Australian Ballot
c. e. Wilson's Observations.
Special to Times-Republican.

0peclal TO IlmeS-Republican.
Alden, Nov 9.-Not later than the
fifteenth day of the present month
last year farmer living few miles
from this town shelled and hauled to a
nearby elevator 1000 bushels of new
corn that he had husked, and proceed
ed to fill again his crib that he had
just emptied. This year not one farm
er in five but is figuring on the
chances that he has to save what grain
he has already cribbed, unable to con-
vince himself that those chances are
more than even. Last year the corn
stood up we'll and reports of record
breaking husking achievements were
finding their way from every neigh
borhood. This year the corn is badly
blown down and everyone concerned
except possibly a few of the young
est, is complaining Of an aching back
and Wishing the job were done, while
nobody seems to be husking "the larg-
est number of bushels in one day that
mas ever been picked in this locality"
The man who expects to continue
conscientiously to talk about the in
dependent farm life which by the use
of modern machinery has been trans
formed from one OF arduous physical
activity to a continual round of pleas
ure riding, had better turn his back to
the corn fields and keep out of reach
OF the voices of those who these days
are spending the entire daylight period
in gathering the golden grain"
s4*
The experience of one of the heaviest
potato raisers Of this locality would
seem to indicate plenty of future grief
for those who are handling this varie-
ty of farm produce. This man instead
of digging his potatoes as soon as pos
sible after the recent freeze as nearly
everyone else did, waited until "a few
days ago so that he could distinguish
to certainty the frozen from the
unchanged ones. The result is that
about third Of the crop lies in the
field and the other part can be safely
marketed as unhurt by frost. Many
who sorted their potatoes when they
dug them and again when they mar
keted them have learned from indig-
nant purchasers that there was still
later sorting necessary and that bad
company ruined much of the supply
that was not directly injured by freez-
| ing.
| Here is a suggestion of a highly in
telligent farmer who takes a lively in
terest in local as we'll as state and ma
tional government, that seems to be
worthy of consideration. "Any one who
has taken part in counting the ballots
cast at an election" said he, Knows
that about half of them are more or
less irregular. In other words the
average Iowa citizen doesn't know how
to vote. In too large a number of
cases the plumbers are so glazing that
the ballots must be thrown out. A
mercilessly strict construction of the
law would throw out many others that
are counted. The writing of his name
on the ballot by the voter, making
squares before the names on the head
of the ticket in presidential elections
and then putting in crosses, crossing
the name of the first elector leaving the
others blank and similar plumbers are
familiar to any one with experience in
thus avoid mistakes? Why that is the
voting. A better plan is to teach the
future voter in the public schools the
art of properly expressing his prefer
ences for official positions. Insert in
the chapters of the text book on civil
government one treating on the proper
method of marking a ballot and within
very few years there will be notice.
able falling off in the number of ballots
thrown out thru faulty marking.
During the first day Of the fearful
blizzard that swept over the country
late last winter when cattle and other
livestock persisted in the storm and
when telephone poles were snapped off
like pipestems and windmills by scores
went down just one rural mail carrier
in this part of the state, so far as is
generally known. made the entire
route; and that was a woman. Hattie
Crisp, carrier on route No. 1, Alden, de-
livered mail to every patron on her
route that terrible day IL there was
anything to deliver On the succeeding
day no trip was necessary for nothing
arrived at the office in the meantime.
Handing his typewriter "creden-
tials"' to one of the passengers on a
train the other day the deaf mute who
was soliciting funds to enable him to
reach Topeka and friends, expectantly
awaited the quarter which had resulted
from similar invitations issued to num-
erous other travellers in the car. This
time however, the man of whom char
ity was solicited returned the paper
with the remark, Seems to me, sir,
that you are taking rather round
about route for Topeka. You know you
were travelling last week on an east
bound train with. a paper somewhat
similar to this one" The mute passed
on to the next man, ed the next. and
DO YOU FEAR