The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-05-02
Goinu Back TO Brush.

most of his life as a farmer, and once
owned a half interest in the Miller
land, Joe Fry testified this morning
| that, while a dozen years ago there
were about 1000 acres of 1t under
cultivation, now about 300 acres of
this has gone back, leaving only
about 700 acres now tillable. When
he managed it, twenty tenants, living
1 in houses with wells, lived on it, and
now only three small houses are on
the land, he said, and former school
i house is used as machinery store
house.
He said overfows ruin the crops
at least one-third of the time. He
gave a scientific explanation of how
| seepage spells crops even when an
Ioverflow stage of river does not come
He said not over $50 an acre is a
4 fair, cash market valuation of the
Miller land today, which he sold out
at 500 an acre some years ago. He
4 said that in series of years the
Miller land will not yield a net profit
of $3.50 per year per acre from al
of it, and it is very undesirable
place to live.
An Expert In Low Lands.
: The expert witness of the trial was
William A. Rinehart. He owns t,s0t
, acres on the Charlton river and Is
superintendent of 4,300-acre farm
near Hannibal, Mo-, and qualified a:
: familiar from extensive observation
!. and experience of bottom lands ant
S their prices from Burlington t
i, Louisiana along the Mississippi. H,
testified to an examination of Greer
S Bay land three years ago, includin,
!. the Miller land which he also exam
o ined thoroughly yesterday. He ha
spent about all his life with Missis
!. sippi bottom lands hereabouts, h
a said.
r Mr.. Rinehart described the Mile
land in great detail, saying 1t wa
about three feet out of water yestel
0 day, aside from the flooded sloughs
About two-thirds of 1t Is tillable
sloughs, swales and brush occupyin
the rest and making it impossible t
farm without costly leyees and puml
ing works. On it was some corn III
harvested, and all the land shove
signs of having been completely owe
flowed lately To make practice
farm of it requires a large levee an
pumping works. AS fair cash, ma
ket value of the Miller land, he fixe
s27 to $50 an acre. Miller demand
SIS to $50 for it. Land in Iowa
the river bottoms overfows quicke
and more than Missouri bottom land
Rinehart said, and hence it has les
value.
More Expert Evidence.
J. H Harberts, real estate owne
and dealer, now of Golden, H., owr
about 1000 acres and has had lo'
of experience buying and selling her
abouts From his knowledge of Ian
prices in the Mississippi river DO
toms. he considers s35 an acre
proper valuation of the Miller farr
He saw it recently and said hardl
500 or 500 acres of it is capable I
cultivation,
c. o. Raine. a farmer and In otht
business in Lewis county, Missouri
along the Mississippi, on which he hf
lived for twentyseven years, qual
fed as an expert on bottom land
From an examination of the Mile
land and knowledge of prices an
values, he said the Miller tract
worth $50 to s35 per acre. The Loor
is land, he said, has market Walt
of SIS to $40 per acre.
Left Farm fer Police Duty
A former farmer of the Miller lar
was o. A. Stout. now chief of polio
at the soldiers home at Marshalltow
who lived on the Miller land fly
.oore taetified about moor cropS fro