Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1911-01-19

.xsmpie. the recent census shows that the
value Ct Iowa farm lands. from 1900 TO
x1,25O,OO0,0O0 to the enormous value OF
1 $500. 1000. or about 123 per cent. The
value of buildings alone increased nearly
80 per cent. The value Of farm imple-
ments and machinery increased nearly %
per cent. The expenditures for labor In
creased from S16.S76.o0o to s24.732,0Oo,
these figures and those that I have here
tofore quoted and conclude that there 10
anything seriously the matter with Iowa.
Loss in School Population.
do not feel SO deeply concerned about
the loss Of few thousand people from
our general population as 1 do ABOUT the
loss IN school population. From 1900 to
l0lO, as shown BY tue annual school
state decreased from 1884, J4 to 677.2V4,
showing loss Of "a. 100 persons of scnool
age In ten years, being almost seven and
one-half per cent decrease. This would in
dictate that In the main our loss in popu-
lation consists OF the younger men and
women who are the parents of children
result Is that tine attendance In our pup
lie schools, especially in the country
schools. has been constantly decreasing.
IN 1905 there were i,iJ2 schools in the
state with an enrolment of ten pupils or
less while the report for 1910 shows -
OIL such schools. IL this rate Of decrease
what is to become OF the rural schooif
We are confronted with no more serious
problem than that OF the rural schools
some people have attributed our loss 10
tncr methods. II would seem to me
| much more reasonable criticism to attri-
butte the condition OF the country schools
school sch districts and he solution TO the
school question Will be greatly simplihed.
During the last ten years the average
size Of the farms in Iowa have Increased
from l3I.2 acres to 1868 acres or ABOUT
"a per cent while the decrease In general
population has been only about three
tenths Of one been almost seven and one
half per cent. As previously shown much
Of the loss In school population Is con
4, fined to the country districts, which indi-
Gates not only a movement from the state,
but from the country toward the cities
and towns. This 10 condition not pc
( cuiiar to Iowa alone. but has for years
| been the experience OF other Of the older
| and more densely populated states.
Neep the BOY on the Iowa Farm.
The slogan Keep the boy on the farm
| the Iowa farm Then. too, 1t Is impor-
tant that we keep the girl on the farm.
Proper credit has never been given to the
girls and women for the part they have
taken in the development Of the state and
/ especially In the education OF our chill
dren. The women OF Iowa have met every
requirement that could be expected OF
wives. mothers and daughters Every In
ducement should be held out both TO the
girl and to the boy who show disposi-
pertaining to country life TO get them to
stay upon the farm. IL Is not. however,
every farmers boy who would make a
make e good farmers wife any more than
IL Is every merchants son who would make
good merchant or every lawyers son
used used to be thought that II a boy did not
snow an aptitude for anything else he
would make q good farmer. but the day
requires brains and energy to make a good
farmer, Just as IL does 70 succeed 81 any
other line Of business; The boy who can
\ succeed at farming viii nnd no more nom
| orable or profitable occupation.
How can we encourage people TO remain
| upon the farmf BY making farm NE
be the equal In all respects to the town
| or city home and with the independent
| systems OF light. heat and water II Is
b pc make n the equal OF any other.
have been delighted, as I have gone
about the state, to see the marked devei-
opment along the lines above suggested.
| increase Of nearly 50 per cent In the value
| Of buildings In ten years means that we
are building better farm as well as town
| structures.
The Improvement OF our highways so as
| to bring the country home Into closer re-
lation to city and town IRE wG n IN my
| the tendency to abandon the country. In
| this too VIC are making progress.
| we nave reached ptTiou III
countrys development when farm life
| means more than the raising Of horses.
cattle and hogs. 1t means all that and
I est TYNE OF American manhood and woman
hood Nowhere in all the realm OF pro-
fessional or business life do we ind more
successful men and women than those VINE
surrounding the country home means the
! development Of strong minds ana bodies.
I what Is IL, then, that cnuses constant
1T n
I~r y ars TO leave the farm and
seek employment In the cities and towns;
/ Nohe taere NAV be many answers TO the
questions, II seems TO me that there are
| a few very potent and obvious reasons.
among them being better wages obtain
able. the shorter hours OF labor. employ
| ment usually throughout the year, better
! social advantages and the fact that the
, high price OF lands makes II difficult Tor
| the man OF small means to equip himself
| with land. machinery. etc, necessary TO
engage In farming upon his own account.
Advertise and Educate.
Much has been said recently about ad-
| vertising the possibilities OF our state. l
doubt not that much good could be &C.
[ complshed by judiciously publishing to
| the country at large the advantages and
/ possibilities OF our Commonwealth. While
/ believe 10 advertising. | believe also 10
| a thorough system OF education. here
| among our own people. I do not speak
these words in any spirit Of criticism. be-
Z cause we have been making such marked
progress In recent years that In the face
! Of the most severe criticism that one would
| be warranted In making he feels more like
! stopping TO commend than to ind fault.
| and vet with all this we do not fully
| realize the possibilities OF our state. Our
| own people do not yet appreciate the al
| most unlimited resources Of our soil when
| properly handled. We are slill tending
! in the wrong direction, In this, at least.
/ that our farms are increasing In size.
I Many men make money on or large farms,
I and there can be no criticism OF that. but
| what we need to learn is more intensified
| farming. Produce more upon fewer acres
! Our farms are capable OF furnishing pro-
/ ftable returns for many more people than
| now occupy them II we will only farm
closer Ground which now yields thirty
| to forty bushels OF corn per acre should
! be made to yield double that amount. This
I Is no reckless statement and II needs only
| to demonstrate the fact. Upon test,
4 lands In our state have been made to yield
more than one hundred and fifty bushels
| Of corn TO the acre. which Is almost four
one year. Wheat has turned out In some
| instances more than fifty bushels to the
! acre during the last year and oats has
1 gone from eighty to ninety bushels. These
] things are the best advertisements that
our state could have when they are gen.
| orally understood. IL the average yield
! Of corn could be brought up TO hfty bush.
| els per acre. u would be a gain Of about
/ Twenty-Five per cent over iast year y crop,
! o- a gain In value OF more than $4,000
! 900.
1 we need TO have better attention given
! to retaining lands lying along our streams
{ and which, when brought into cultivation.
constitute the most productive soil to
! be found anywhere In the state. This
| can be done, and in some parts Of the
| state, Is being done by Strengthening the
| streams and thing out the ground. Inc
most valuable small farms TO be found In
| the state are the farms that have been
| thus reclaimed What was formerly
| known as the Duck pond" country of
] northwest Iowa Is fast becoming the most
| fertile and productive part Of the state