Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-06
PUBLIC GARDEN
IS A RARE SPOT
ENTHUSIASTIC CITIZENS ARE
PLANTING THEIR FARMS
IN EAST oTTUMWA.
WILL BE A SUCCESS
Some Great Results Are Confidently
Looked for In the Property
Set Aside to Demonstrate
Intensified Farming.

To the city man VINO never vlSlts
q farm or enjoys the rare pleasure OF
getting close view Of the wonderful
powers of mother earth, a trip to the
Ottumwa Commercial association 8
public garden east Of Ottumwa will
furnish an eye opener. Chairman G.
w. Wellman Of the intensified farm
ing committee Of the association, who
il one Of the chief boosters Of the
public garden, chaperoned q party OF
city-farmers to the garden yesterday
afternoon. and the trip was one OF the
most enjoyable and instructive jaunts
ever INDUCED In by the party. This
eighty acres Of rich soil, loaned to the
Ottumwa Commercial association for 9
period Of I'VE years, for the purpose OF
demonstrating the productiveness OF
tho soil along. the river bottoms. Is
confidently expected to prove beyond
q question that land in the vicinity OF
Ottumwa IL richer and as productive
~ the choicest farms In any state In
the union. Already many OF the acres
hGvs been plowed and some OF them
even have been planted. A squad OF
men, some Of them we'll known bust
ness men Of Ottumwa, are at the gar
den today planting their acres, and the
rest Of this week and early, next week,
many more will have potatoes, onions,
peas, etc. In the rich, productive soil.
Some Acres Left.
A few choice acres are still available
come q tiller of the soil. All that Is
necessary to do is to SEQ Chairman
Wellman and sign the agreement, anu
{ Il 49, an H1y}11 1rs
for one year The crops produced
thereon belong to the individual farm
Ing it, and all the intensified farming
committee desires is to know the ex-
act amount OF the crop. Within q
month. the public garden is expected
to be one Of the best farms IN all
southern Iowa.
Rusty Owens Plants spuds.
A. p. Owens, commonly known as
Rusty" is one Of the most enthue-
iastic farmers in the public garden.
and bright and early this morning, the
former bage ball manager started at
the east end Of Acre No. to plant late
northern potatoes. Mr.. Owens and his
father are going to work the acre.
Close to Mr.. Ovens acre ID two choice
acres being farmed by Mrs. F.. NJ.
Briggs. These acres are plowed and all
ready for planting. Rev. George Burgin
has Acres No. 20 and 80 and they are
already set out In onions. The Davis
boys in the Iowa Restaurant have one
third Of their three acres planted with
potatoes, and the syndicate of Ottum-
wa business men who have leased
eleven acres have a force Of men plow-
ing and planting today. William Kelly,
who Is the proud possessor OF Acre NO.
10, has his farm plowed and narrowed.
and will plant 1t this week. Mr.. Kelley
has a nv" shaped acre and on 1t Is
the only shade tree in the entire eighty
acres. The acres Of j.. G. Taylor and w.
C. Wyman arc also plowed and ready
for planting.
The streets are laid out in the gar
den, and drive through the property
makes one want to own an acre or
two and be q part Of the scheme to
show the value of Ottumwa soil.
Powell street takes the pedestrian or
vehicle driver into the public garden,
and Sargent street Is the first long
thoroughfare through the farms.
Wormhoudt street borders the syndi-
cate acres on thewest and serves as n
way to the south side or river side Of
the property. Two more streets are to
be fixed.
The intensified farming committee Of
the association invited the public to
visit the farm and see what rich soil is
available for the purpose Of demon
strating that Iowa farms are the best
in the world.