Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1913-03-27
The Demonstration Farm at
Arcadia.
From the st. Louis Republic.

kpLOLu Ii o. LOu1S nCpupAlS'I
ARCADIA, Mo-, March 22.-The new
twenty acre demonstration farm at
Arcadia College promises to be one of
the main attractions of the Arcadia
Valley this year, and already has been
visited by many farmers, who have
come for miles to see the condition Of
the land before it has been prepared
for seeding.
The work and results will also be
watched with great interests by sew
eral wealthy st. Louisians who own
summer homes surrounded by farms
in the immediate vicinity of the farm.
Among those who own and carry on
farms here ire: w. H. Thomson,
vice president Boatmen's Bank; R. D.
Lewis, vice president of Liggett g.
Myers Tobacco Company; J. A. W.
Lewis, general manager of the Liggett
& Myers Tobacco Companp; A. b.
Pierce, a retired lumber merchant,
who lives at his farm, "The Boulders,"
the year round; T. G. Kimber, general
immigration agent of the Iron Noun
tain Railway and connecting lines in
Texas, who lives at 5617 Cabanne
avenu
He owns the farm, "Winwood," at
Pilot Knob, about two miles from the
demonstration farm, and is gradually
learning the ms and outs of farming,
hog raising and fruit culture. H. M.
Blossom owns considerable farm land
in Iron County, and will talk crops
and methods of cultivation any time
and any place he can find anyone who
knows anything about the subject.
Several other st. Louisans own farms
of from ten acres and upward.
The work at the farm will be under
the personal direction of L. A. Mark
ham, agricultural commissioner for
the Iron Mountain Railway, and is in
tended to show proper methods of
preparation for various crops, cultiva-
ton and harvesting Of same, and to
include some experimental work in
orcharding and growing of vineyards
and small fruits.
Some of the soil is full of cobble-
stones, some is of a very heavy red
dish mixture, and two acres are on
the side of a young mountain which
rises almost straight up. On the latter
tract some experiments will be con-
Quoted with fruit trees and grape
vines, the planting being done in
holes opened in the soil and rocks
with dynamite.
At present the sides of Shepherd
Mountain, Pilot Knob, Old Tom Sank
and all of the other lesser mountains
and hills are covered only with ma
tive woods, which have no very large
commercial value.
If all Of those mountain sides can be
made productive with fruit trees and
vineyards 1t will go a long way to-
ward solving the problem of cheaper
apples, peaches, pears and grapes for
the st. Louis markets, and will pro-
vide employment for thousands Of
people who will purchase their gro
c%eries, household goods and imple-
ments from st. Louis firms.
The valley farms have long beer
noted for their fertility, but it is ex-
pected that scientific farming will ado
greatly to their production of grains
and grasses. One farmer near Pilot
Knob has raised a family of six chill
dren on eight acres of ground, given
each child a good schooling, and now
has enough competence in the bank
to insure himself and wife from want
for the rest of their days from crops
grown on his small farm.
The demonstration farm Is a part Of
the Arcadia College property, adjoin.
ing the railroad tracks, a block from
Arcadia Station, and was located here
through the efforts Of Rev. L. G
Wernert, who has been pastor Of the
Arcadia College Church for thirty.
Ave years.
Ever since he located in theI Ar.