Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-10-18
FRANKLIN COUNTY FARMERS
THOROUGHLY ALIVE TO I'M.
PoRrANcE OF QUESTION.
NEXT YEARS SEED CORN
SELECTED AND PUT AWAY
Three Adjoining Districts in County
Have No Schools Because Of Lack Of
children-Many Farm improvements
Noted-c. e. Wilson's Rural obssr.
vations.
,ecial to Times-Republican.

Special to Times-Republican
Hampton, Oct. 18.-If the farmers
in every part Of this state have given
the matter Of seed corn selection the
same degree Of attention this fall that
they have in Franklin county, further
agitation on that subject in Iowa may
as well be deferred for the present. On
practically every farm in this vicinity
in some outbuilding, under the roof of
the house porch or in the shade and
protection OF trees great clusters of the
finest ears obtainable are to be seen
tied with Irvine in such a way that no
two are allowed to come together, while
precaution has been taken against the
exposure of the precious stuff either to
the rays from hot autumn sun, a pos
sible damp northeast wind, or to the
effects of a cold wave that may come
at any time from the north and west
II the thrift and progressveness of a
rural community may be judged by the
manner in which it's individuals select
and save their seed corn and the num-
Der OF automobiles they possess, this
one is to be congratulated for it is GER
tainly "long" on both tests.
A remarka BILE situation exists at
present in three adjoining school dis
tricts that lie east of this town. Not
one of them has in operation a public
school. In that one known as the Mt
Pleasant district, there are said to be
only three children of school age and
they are all members of the same fam
lily. There are about the usual num-
Der of farms and farm houses in this
district. but the children are not there.
Arrangement has been made with the
father of the lone three youngsters
he receives stipulated an
nual allowance in consideration Of
which he sends his children to the
Hampton school paying tuition and
other necessary expenses himself. The
next district is one of big farms and
few families and it is found conven-
lent to transport the boys and girls to
the village school at .Hansell. In the
third it is the same story, not enough
children to warrant the opening Of
school and the few there are receive
instruction from an outside source.
About fifteen years ago rural resi-
dents in the neighborhood of the little
village Of Reeve which Is no longer on
the map OF Franklin county. invested
$4,000 in church. Interest in the re-
Ug1ous organization that contr oiled it
ran high for a time but in time sub
sided and last week carpenter and
contractor bought it "for a song" and
is tearing 1t down. Later on it will re-
appear in another form, this time in
that of residence in a town a few
miles away. Travelling over the coun-
try and noticing the frequent instances
where churches like this are closed up
and rapidly falling into decay one is
led to the conclusion that in the
change that has come about in coun-
try life the rural church has lost its
place and that hereafter those who
avail themselves of church privileges
will have to look to the nearest town
for place Of worship.
One of the very noticeable things Of
this vicinity is the new set Of farm
improvements now in process of cree
ton on the place owned by E. II. Mall
lory, near town. The stock barn there
is perhaps the largest one in Franklin
county. 1t is 800 feet long and forty
eight feet in width with center posts
twenty feet high. Along with other
modern improvements it contains ce-
ment tank with a capacity Of $50 bar
rels equipped with automatic watering
devices. Back of the barn the cement
foundation and floor has been laid for
a corn crib 200 feet long, the stills for
which will be Washington fir treated
with creosote. The studding will be
select soft pine painted two coats be-
fore erection and set on the stills In
white lead. The building will be twelve
feet wide and the roof will have a long
slope and q short one the latter with