Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1909-06-17
1t Hurt Her Ewes.

IL T1urt Tier Eyes.
In talking with a gentleman
of Iowa, who a short time since
returned from the east. where
he went to assume the respon-
sibility of taking unto himself a
wife, and last week took his bet
ter half riding out through the
country to observe the manner
of farming, and the size of the
farms in Iowa, but the lady
soon tired, saying ''it tires my
eyes," trying to look to the far
end Of the corn rows, and re-
quested her husband to drive
back to town.
She came from that historic
country: "Way down East" the
land where they raise corn in
patches, plant it by hand, tend
it with hoe, gather it in a bas-
ket. and when all told, produces
about ten bushel per acre. The
corn when given tostock is first
carefully counted so that moth
ing is wasted. The land is
very poor, having been in Guilt
walton for ages, never very fer
tile, until now nothing is left
but hills, stone, and clay, and
we have been told that when a
farmer of that country intends
one of his boys to become a far
mer, he has one of the boys legs
broken to give him a short
leg so as to have him work the
corn on the side of the hill with.
out limping.
Here we plant corn by the
acre, plant it by machinery, cul-
tivate by machinery, husk it by
machinery, ship it by machine
ry, shell it by machinery, and
sell it by machinery" gener-
ally in Chicago. When in a hur-
ry, we turn the stock into the
fields to feed themselves from
the standing crop. When the
corn is removed. the farmers
shred the stocks for feed and
sell the cobs for fuel, and spend
the money by the thousands.
The corn rows extend for a
mile, and often more, limited in
length by the neighbours wire
fence on the adjoining farm.
The rows of corn are so long
that the farmers are compelled
to start early so as to get back
by dinner, using double sulky
cultivator, blowing two to four
rows alta time.
The young children on the
farms have to be guarded du-
ring the growing season, to pre-
vent them from getting in to
the fields and becoming entan-
gled in the pumpkin vines, that
grow so fast, that the children
may be dragged with such ra.
pidity, over the rough ground,
as to endanger their lives.
Fish, in large numbers, often
invade the pastures of the far
mers, near the streams, doing
much damage to the growing
grass, and the bees build their
home in the corn fields and fill
their hanging combs with pure
honey. The farmers, during
crop time, only eat one meal a
day, except when attending a
picnic, or farmers Club, then
they eat all day, and they sleep
with one eye open to watch for
daylight; and very few of them
are willing to die, believing that
Iowa is about as good a country
as they want. Well, you say,
this must be a wonderful coun-
try, and so it is, but the half
has not been told.
We are not surprised that our
lady friend, from "Down East"
tired trying to look TO the end
of the corn rows on the Missou-
ri bottom, but in time she will
become more familiar with the
Iowa farm, and will wonder
how so many farmers "Way
Down East" can content them
selve to remain in that land Of
dense population and small
crops, when here is a country Of
rich, productive land, pure wa
ter, good markets, and good peo-
pie. Come west and be happy.
d. M. II.
CAaroRTA-
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