Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-10-04
ONE ADMINISTRATION OF A DIFFER.
ENcE IN GOOD IOWA
SOIL.
PEAT FORMATION DRIVES
TENANTS FROM ONE FARM
Greek Laborers Making Good Soil TILL
ers in Wright county-Dows and It's
Cooperative creamery-Doins Farm
Work by neutrality-suspicious. Rural
Observations.
,ecial to Ttmes-Republican.

Dows, Oct I'm trade that was
effected some time ago man acquired
title to a quarter section of Wright
county land. The tract was marsh and
pond covered but drainage ditch was
put thru that part Of the country and
by the expenditure Of $4,000 banished
the ponds, plo~ed up the lana, oulll
a house and otherwise improved the
new farm. The first tenant That ne
secured did not stay long, neither did
the second, and at this time the house
is unoccupied altho the disguised own
er has been making all kinds OF efforts
to find somebody that will farm the
place. The trouble is that three forties
Of the quarter are covered with a
peat formation. on the surface OF
which a thick sod has formed. 1t will
REQUIRE about five years of faithful
cultivation it is said, to put the land
in condition to produce a good crop.
The original cost Of the farm was
about $40 per acre and with the added
EXPENSE the man who owns 1T now has
about 1925 an acre invested with
moor prospect for immediate returns.
THE point sought to be conveyed IN
this paragraph is that 1t takes an ex-
pert Judge of soil to buy land even
in one Of the best counties in this
state without some previous acquaint-
ance with the country, and to avoid
the possibility of disappointment in re-
suits.
In July Of this year 1873 Greek la
borers were turned loose on the COM
nunity by one of the railroad compan-
les owning a line thru this county All
except five of them soon disappeared
These five sought employment on the
local farms and in their new capacity
have made good. One OF them. Tony
Mandas, a husky 1S-year- old Fellow. Is
to be found on the farm of Ed Jones,
north of town. He is about the most
enthusiastic farm hand in the whole
country too. He puts In ten or twelve
hours a day for his employer and then
three or four more for himself his
work for Tony consists Of diligent
perusal of parallel passages OF Greek
and English literature Of the familiar
frst reader order. And with the help
he receives from the Jones family he
ia "zoing some" in English. He takes
a daily paper, viz: Atlantis, the ma
| .ional Greek daily Of New York TERMS
"a per year He is at this time con-
sidered worth $50 per month and will
no doubt acquire at an early date the
common American custom OF wanting
a raise"
On the Cape1len farm east of town
there is by the roadside a circular
structure built something after the
ia shion OF an open hay barn. A flag
Mole is fastened to the top Of the roof
and from this the star spangled banner
floats on the breeze. Below a team OF
horses makes numberless trips round
track inside. They manufacture sofg-
hum molasses there and on no very
small scale either. Many small fields
| of sorghum were grown this year In
this part of the county and 1t is estf-
mated that about 10000 gallons Of the
product will be made here by the end
of the season The crop this year is
exceptionally good 1t is said that one
farmer who had half acre tract Sc
cured a return of eighty gallons of
sorghum.
| One Of the most slightly creamery
buildings in this part of Iowa is that
| of the Farmers Cooperative Cream
crv Of Bows. The institution enjoys
the patronage of about 250 farmers
with an average of perhaps ten cows
each. The average price paid for but
ter fat this season is not far from 80
cents and the years receipts of the pa
irons will be about 100000 One OF
these, Mr.. Joe Fromm, exhibited a
monthly cream check the other day on
which was marked s6s.9s; he milks
nine common grade cows. Another
little "side line" on the F'romm farm
this year is turkeys. the flock number
| ing at the present time some eighty
fine birds that ought to sell for from 81
to IS each by Thanksgiving.
One of the local farmers. Charles
Strait, decided to build a silo on his
place and put up one of solid cement,
| the only one in this locality. With
very little previous experience in ce-
ment work he hired a helper and went
at the Job as tho he were veteran at
the business. The venture appears to
be decided success and he has q sixty
ton silo that cost only about 800 The
materials used was mixed in the pro-
portion Of four to one.
On the farm Of the Ellis brothers there
is an illustration of what may be done
in the way Of making machinery do the
work OF hired men. They have a
building 16x22 and IA feet high with
a six foot basement. A Az horse
power gasolene engine Is installed be-
low and about everything that can be
thought of in the way of machinery in
the story above. to say nothing Of the
water tank that affords a source of
supply in the house, barns and various
other places. One of the conveniences