Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1911-01-13

turs and tell q very different story. For
exrmp.e. the recent census shows that the
value CT Iowa farm lands from ieoo 10
1919 decreased In round nnmbers from
S1,256, 600, 900 to the enormous value OF
$2,SO0.O00,OU0. or about lib per cent, Inc
value OF buildings alone increased nearly
50 per cent. The value Of iarm imple-
per cent. The expenditures for labor In.
creased from x16,3IbOUO to $24,.32,0U0,
or 81 per cent. How can any one study
these figures and those that ! have here
anything seriously the matter with Iowa.
Loss In School Population.
do not feel so deeply concerned about
the loss Of u few thousand peopie IRON
our general population as 1 90 ABOUT tue
loss los, IN senoor popuiauon from Av0 coo 10
ENUMERATION, me s.nooL popu.auon OF tne
state decreased from 73l,1o4 to Sn,2o4,
showing loss Of "a, 100 persons OF scnoo,
one-haf per cent decrease. Inns would IN
dictate that In the main our loss In popn..
lation consists OF the younger men anu
women VINO are the parents OF children 81.
result Is that the ATTENDANCE In our pup
lie schools, especially in the country
schools has been constantly s desreasins' tho
state with an enrolment OF ten pupils or
less, while the report for 1910 SHOWS -
OIL such schools. II this rate OF decrease
In attendance keeps up Tor rnra rev s. Sears
We are confronted with no more serious
problem than that of the rural schools
Some people have attributed our LOSS IN
tuc.r methods. II would seem to me a
much more reasonable criticism to attri-
butte the condition Of the country schoois
to the loss IN population: hes snn rr ame
school districts and the solution to the
school question will be greatly simplifed
During the last ten years the average e
IRON 1912 acres to loo.3 acres, OF aDoui
81 per cent, while the decrease In general
population has been only about three
half per cent; AS previously shown 2. much nna
Of the loss in school population IS con
fined to the country districts. which indi-
Gates not only movement from the STATE,
and towns This Is u condition not pc
culiar to Iowa alone, but has TOT years
been the experience Of other OF the oider
and more densely populated states:
The slogan Keep the boy on the farm
the Iowa farm" Then, too, it is impor-
snt that xs keep the ssl On g,v the 10 9af fas
girls and women for the part they have
taken in the development Of the state ana
especially in the education OF our emil
dren he women OF iowa a nave s9n Ms. I' az
wives. mothers dnd daughters Every In
.ducement should be held out both TO the
girl and to the boy who show di iS,Os.
pertaining to country life. to get them to
stay upon the farm IT is not; however.
every farmers boy who would make
good goes every wife any more
1t is every merchants sen who would MAKE
good merchant or every i ntscrney sGf
would make a good farmer, but the day
of such way of thinking has passed. It
REQUIRES brains ana d energy :, succeed At
naher line Of business. The boy who can
succeed at farming will find no more hon
orable or profitable oecupati alton. 81 romo;n
1psn t es fa1@ rbs s fasn Tome should
be the equal in all respects to the town own
systems Of light, heat and water It Is
nossible TO so equip the country home as
to make it the equal Of any other. u,no
4 have been delighted: as ! rh nave ds gone
opment along the lines above suggested.
The figures previously quoted showing an
increase Of nearly 80 per cent In the yaiue
Of buildings In ten ,sears Me as
The Improvement of our highways 50 as
to bring the country home into eloser re.
iation to city and town lire would IN n, my ny
opinion; prove a potent factor In lessening
tie tendency to abandon the country. In
this too We are mixing progress
We have reached the pefiod, ON, IN H n1e
means more than the raising Of IN horses sea
cattle and hogs. 1t means all that ana
it also means the development OF the eo n,gn-
HOOD: Nowhere in all the realm Of pro,
fessional or business life do we find more
SUCCESSFUL men and women than those VINO
from The cn sm home he mesns tie
development Of strong, minds and bodies s1na;
what is it. then. that causes constant
stream Of young people as Wen !, as as, those ame
. of emplym nen IN the ea cities and towns
" nile there may be many answers to the
questions, 1t seems to me that there are
a few very potent and obvious reasons
able. the shorter hours Of labor. employ
ment usually throughout the. year, better
social advantages and the TACT thaL me
high price Of lands makes u uinic ,,;t ~
the man Of small means to equip himself
with land. machinery, etc, necessary 70
engage in farming upon his own account.
Advertise and Educate.
Much has been said recently about ad-
yertising the possibilities of our state.
doubt not that much good could De &C.
eomplished BY oqsa qse and
possibilities Of our Commonwealth. While
believe in advertising. believe also tn
a thorough system OF educatlon: here
among our own people. l 20 NOT SPEAK
canse we have been making such marked
progress in recent years that IN the face
Of the most severe criticism that" one wonH
be warranted in making be feels more IKE
stopping to commend than TO nnd 1anit,
and vet with all this we do not fuily
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 still tending
in the wrong direction. In this, at ieas1'
Many men make money OF Of large farms,
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
fitable 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 shonid
be made to yield double that amount THIS
is no reckless statement and 1t needs only
the application Of proper efforts in order
to demonstrate the fact. Upon test:
lands In our state have been made to yield
more than one hundred and bfty 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 mas
gone from eighty to ninety bushels These
things are the best advertisements that
our state could have when they are gen.
orally understood. II the average yield
Of corn could be brought up to fifty bush
els per acre, 1t would be gain OF about
TWENTY-FIVE per cent over last years crop.
or a gain In value Of more than $4,000
900.
We need to have better attention given
to retaining lands lying along our streams
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