Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-12-26
FARMERs ELEVATOR At HOLMES
DOING a RUSHING susl.
NESS.
5000 BUSHELS OF CORN
OVER SCALES IN ONE WEEK
An Alfalfa story From Clarion - Good
Pasturass in Time Of prouth-Many
Tenants Have Not Vet Decided Upon
Next Years Locations - Wilson's
Rural Observations.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Clarion. Dec 26.-The management
of the Farmers Elevator Company at
the little town of Holmes, few miles
west of here. claim a record this sea-
son in the way of grain receipts and
shipments. During recent week 3d.
900 bushels of corn was pulled over the
scales Of the concern and the receipts
of two successive days figured up 49,
600 bushels. On one of these days it
is said that an average of one load :
each four minutes thruout the emit.
day was brought in and at $3.50 p. m.
the office was closed with half a dozen
loaded wagons which remained loaded
over night, their owners having gone
home to do the chores, get wink OF
sleep. and be on the ground so as to
be able to unload next day some time.
No phenomenal yields are reported
from this section. the average being
around forty or forty-five bushels per
acre. but the acreage was immense and
there are very few stock feeders in
this part of the country so that a very
large percentage of the crop is shipped
away to the big grain markets. There
is noticeable exception to the general
custom Of selling grain, however, here
and there. One man last week sum-
moned dozen or so Of his neiGhbors
one morning and along toward noon a
string of fourteen loads of hogs We're
ON the way to the Clarion stock yards.
Sixty-fiv head of the fattened porkers
filled the wagons that formed the pro-
cession
Here's an alfalfa story that sounds
pretty big but it came from a reliable
source and must be true. Ole Melhus
north of town, had on his farm a
patch of the stuff, about two and a
half acres last summer and about the
first of July when his pasture was all
dried up and eaten to the ground sew
enteen head of cattle and three horses
were transferred to the little field Of
alfalfa. They were left there three
weeks and then turned into the pasture
again. The alfalfa at once sprang up
and within short time the stock was
turned in on it second time and
found good living nearly all the re-
manning part OF the season. After the
grazing season was over herd Of
about 100 hogs were sent in to finish
the tenacious grass that grew and
flourished while other kinds Of pasture
failed because of drouth.
( There is an unusually large number
Of men in this vicinity who as yet
hoS
year One observer stated the other
leases expire with the present year, but
who have no idea where they will move
next. Land here rents for SO to 81 per
acre which should sound cheap to those
who are paying much more in some
other parts Of the state. There is a
quarter section few miles east Of
Montezuma in Poweshiek county for
instance. for which the present tenant
paid $1,000 rent and paid it too the
Gay he moved on the place. He raised
5000 bushels of corn and made a good
profit in the venture. 1t should be
added however that this man didn't
care to repeat the experiment and has
rented another farm on different
plan.
There is man living in this locality
who can tell of experiences which make
the old timers stories Of pioneer life
in Iowa sound like tales of luxury and
ease in comparison with what he un-
derwent for seven years. In 1897 Frank
Benson went from Telluride, Colo, with
a companion to Alaska, the former be.
ing II: the iatter's employ. They
packed" or transported supplies across
the frozen wastes to the distributing
points for the mining regions. They are
said to have driven the first four horse
or rather four mule team into Dawson,
in 1898, that ever entered that town.
On one trip they hauled $500 pounds
from Skagway to Lake Bennett, the
head Of navigation on the Yukon river,
a distance of forty-fve miles. The
transportation charges were so cents a
pound and the trip was made in five
days. Thirty-two hundred and fifty dol
lars for less than a weeks work. The
man who managed the expedition was
incapable Of handling the big money
he made and it got away from him as
quickly as it came, he having made and
lost several fortunes while Benson was
in his employ. Mr. Benson tells of
walking 900 miles on the frozen waters
Of the Yukon while the mercury how
cred around 65 below zero. then re-
peating the stroll under the same con-
dition with only tent for protection at
night and mealtime. The long journey
occupied sixteen days of time each way
and the rations of the men were bread
and butter, bacon, beans, dried apples
and coffee. always that and never any
thing more. Once. they hauled load
-