Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-06-21
GOOD CROPS ON Hills
AUDUBON couNTY'S ROLLING
SURFACE BRINGS PROSPERITY
TO OWNERS.
FARMS SELL AT PRICES
AS HIGH AS IN LEVEL SECTIONS
Growing of Alfalfa in Southwest Iowa
Prives Profitable and Gains in Favor
Pioneer Thinks Young Mans OPP
portunities Still Exist-c. e. Will
sons Rural Observations.

I lIiIi0IS WIZ dSti GSSSA PSA'O s'SaAsSAASS SAAN
might simply say that the region o.
which this town is the center Is a roll
! ing or undulating country The femi'
nine occupant OF an automobile passing
! thru the place might remark with per-
feet propriety that it is 'awfully hilly,'
while it would surprise no one to hear
the driver of the machine, If one at al
I addicted to profanity, make use of q
I much stronger qualifying word. Plenty
/ of evidence exists, however Of the
high" estimation in which the hilly
farms of Audubon are held by those
who are so fortunate as to possess
them. for instance the sale. few days
ago. of a quarter section no better in
any respect than most Of the others In
that locality at a cash price OF $50
per acre When the statistics obtained
by the census enumerator are made
public 1t will be seen that corn, oats
and the other farm staples thrive here
fully as we'll as in some of the more
nearly level parts of the state.
Very little rain has fallen thus far
this season here and farmers are be-
ginning 10 believe that the first Of an
other series of dry seasons is at hand.
Warm weather has given good color
TO the corn which as yet has not suf-
fered from drouth. With small grain,
hay and pasture It Is different The
hay crop here will be very light, oats
are heading out short and pastures
have suffered from want of rain.
One of the interesting features Of
agricultural activity in southwest Iowa
is the growing of alfalfa. AS yet only
here and there is a field of this to be
noticed but inquiry in regard TO the
owners experience with the crop gen.
orally results in the Information that
last year or the year before saw the
beginning of his attempts in this line.
1t is to be observed 100, in nearly every
case that the results are highly salts
factory. Three good crops in season
Of the very best kind of hay ought to
satisfy the expectations even of an
Iowa farmer. One man in Mills county
who last year had few acres in alfal-
ia told how he kept some of it until
along late in the winter. 1t had been
badly damaged, as he thought. by rain
when being put up and ne had even
considered using the stuff for bedding.
One day a man came along and offered
him Sc a ton for part of II. The offer
was accepted without delay and in a
few days other men were wanting some
of the Sc hay. Then as the supply ran
low the price was raised to IS. and still
the demand kept up. The farmer
stated that he could have sold a lot
more Of the bedding" al $40 per ton.
if he had had it TO sell. Another man
wintered his brood sows on alfalfa
feeding them practically no corn at ALL
Two objections TO growing it in this
part of the country exist: The first
crop must be cut just at time when
corn blowing is In It's most important
stage, that is during the first cultiva-
ton. and alfalfa is very difficult to
cure or dry out especially If the
growth be luxuriant, being about as
slow in this respect as a heavy growth
of millet.
Looking over the great number Of
farms large and small. in this section
where practically every acre is under
cultivation and none Of 1t more than
a very few miles from some thriving,
wealthy town it is difficult to realize
that on one Of these farms and still
participating in the activities incident
TO farm life, is a man who was living
here when only two lone farm houses
stood in the entire northern half Of
Audubon county Young John Gamer
on came out from some point in IL
linois, away back in the sos, paid 81
per acre for 200-acre tract, built on
it a home and lives and works there
yet It's worth $4,000 today, is that
$500 farm. yet when Mr.. Cameron
answered the old oft repeated query:
Has the young man Of the present
day as good a chance to gain a compe-
tence by farming as in those earlier
tines?" he said, "Of all those that I
can think of who came here when
land was wild and cheap, not more
than 10 per cent remained until the
price Of farm land here rose to $25
per acre Do 10 per cent Of the num-
Der Of young farmers of these later
days succeed in becoming independ-
ent?" If SO It is apparent that the
opportunities Of today on $3.50 land
are as good as when I came here. at a
time when wild deer and even elk
might be sighted almost any day on
some of the richest prairie land in the
middle west"
G p WILSON