Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-10-29
Iona is Better Than Vest For Farmer
Says W.C.Jarnagino of Des Moiness

While Iowa farmers have been att
traeted to the west by the glowing adj
Vertisements of the real estate men
who tell how easily bumper crops can
he raised, w. G. Jarnigin, managing
editor of the Des Moines Capital, VINO
has paid that section Of the country
visit. says Iowa is better than the
west as a place to farm. Mr. Jarnagins
articles In the Capital telling OF MS
trip is as follows:
"After a months tour OF the wild
west and Pacific coast, have come 70
the conclusion that the leading crops
In that section OF the United states
are tourists and hot air
1T would not do to disparage tne
value OF either OF these outputs TO Tue
growth Of the western country. TOUT
lists are a valuable harvest to any com
munity. Certainly the west has plenty
OF them A very large percentage are
from Iowa This is because Iowa peo-
pie make more money and consequent.
ly have more money to spend on slsh.-
seeing than the residents OF any olneI
state. The income of western CUES CUES
from the tourists totals millions eacn
year. And II 1t were not for tourists
some OF the western cities would not
survive.
II was told that Colorado Springs
has had 4 poor season in the tourist
CROP. due largely to exorbitant prices
asked Of the guileless sightseer there.
The result has been some business
failures that the city would rather not
have mentioned.
"The not air, crop is also worth cul-
tivating. 1t Yields heavily In. the west
and the harvest Is rapidly increasing
population Although residents OF
western cities knock on each otner.
YOU never hear one knock on the com
munity in which he lives. NJ.
".It's the greatest place on EARN
and wouldn't go back east Tor cnalk'
money or marbles says the boomer.
Boosting Pays Any Place.
Herein is another secret OF the
western increase in population. Dos
Moines has learned the value OF com
munity pride and constant poo SUNG.
Iowa at large is falling IN line. Alreaay
the result Is noticeable In the Hawk
eye state.
"The chief difference between Iowa
and the western state in the manner
OF self boosting is that Iowa has many
times more resources and certntnties
&, talk about than the western state
".SVhy should the Iowa farmer ex-
change his lot for a ten or twenty
acre tract out here 2 was the question
4 rslsed myself many times as we
whjrled along through mile after mile
Of waste land in southern Wyoming
headed for the west.
To-day I am asking myself the
same question after travelling several
hundred miles through waste land IN
other states. e
Much Waste Land.
"Some of this waste land Is capable
OF being cultivated and when under
irrigation produces splendidly. But BY
far the large portion cannot pc caacn !
ed with water The boosted tillable
lands OF California do not cover more
than one fourth of the state--ard that
is putting 1t strong. To the man from
Iowa who lives in a great state with i
out an acre of waste land, the tillable
tracts OF California appear to be de-
cidedly outclassed by the acreage tnat
is not available and probably never
can be made SO.
| A3"Wl1ile we were skipping through
Idaho on fast Oregon Short Line
train, Montana booster started fuss
by declaring that Montana has more
resources than Iowa. He referred to
the cattle as an example OF Montana
|supx em8cy.
IN less than ten seconds he was
confronted with bunch Of govern
Council Bluffs had in his pocket. Those
statistics showed that Iowa leads all
other states in value Of cattle prod'lc-
cd as well as in hogs. Montana was
sho,vn far down in the list. After Ak
ing his optics upon this table the Mon
tana man changed the subject. few
facts like these will always puncture
The western mans hot air cloud.
Those Convenient Foothills.
,In many places where the land was
desolnte and apparently uninhabited, !
asked the natives what 1t was good
for.
"Its the greatest stock growing
country on EARTH they would say.
4 Where is the stock?' would ask.
cts over in the foothills was the
usual reply. These foothills are. thus
VERY convenient things to have around.
cone booster in southern Oregon de-
clared, as we were travelling from
Portland to Medford. that Oregon Will
g ow as good lorl, as Iowa
| !. .,rcgon corn runs from fifty-five 10
SIXTY 1--WE bushels to the acre he said.
Gust then the train dashed past an
Oregon corn field. The stalks were two
feet high and it would have bsen a
poor bet to wager that the output Of
the field was more than Ave bushels
IAN acre.
els that a sample Of your sfxty-hve
bushel corn?' / asked
|, si. NO, bl: there are plenty of neios
over toward the foothills that will 80
that strong, he replied without blink
ing IN eye.
Fruit Land Fakirs.
"rhe fruit land fakir is very Inuch
abroad in the wild and woody west. IN
fact, / ar, convinced that the heavy
edits cde in fruit land are not from
IL, .i.t..t rf f,l,t produced, put -
selling the land at q fictitious value TO
q sucker from the east.
"Thisf does not mean that there ID
no splendid fruit produced in the west.
Such a statement would be ridiculous.
Many orchards are doubtless clearing
from $500 to $1,000 per acre for thelr
owners some seasons. But was tod
.confidentially' by an old friend VINO
lives in fruit producing valley ona
seemed inclined to stick to the truth
that man must be satisfied with
profit Of from 5000 to $500 per acre a
year taking it on the average-provid-
ing he has good luck. But as ten acres
is all one man can possibly handle, II
will be seen that the western adver-
tisement, Buy a ten acre fruit trac.
and be independent for life Is aimed
chiefly at the man who has never IN
vestigated. Ill,