Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-10-03

which we were advised has cost $700
or perhaps something more. It was
our fortune to see man who had
helped pay for that to the amount Of
probably half, and he told W. no effort
had ever been made except at one time
to float it or do anything with 1t. He
said he was along at the time and they
got out Just q little distance in the wa
ter and he actually thought 1t was gO-
ing to be absolutely impossible that
they ever get back with It. They An
ally did, after the utmost difficulty, ac-
cording to his story, and no other trip
has ever been attempted with 1t and
never will be.
1T is quite apparent to anybody that
with the condition OF things as they
are there now, It 10 impossible to DO
ANYTHING with launch Of any kind.
We were advised by a number Of people
that it is almost impossible to do any
kind of boating there that 1t can only
be done by polling the boat thru the
moss, rushes and reeds and 1t Is very
difficult thing because of the mud In
the bottom. SO that as far as boating
is concerned it was apparent to US
that that was out of the question and
was so admitted by everybody with
whom we talked.
eiackbirds Destroy Crops.
eve had heard the stories of the loss
occasioned to crops by blackbirds. Per-
sonally l had thought that the loss
could not be to the extent represented
but we went into this cornfields to see
for ourselves. Not all were damaged to
a like extent. We went into one field
fine
crop and anyone standing in 1t and
looking down the rows could see large
number Of ears where. I should say,
from a fourth to half of the ear had
been destroyed. 1t was the judgment
Of number of our party that the loss
to this man in this splendid field OF
corn was at least a fourth. We talked
to a man who lived three miles from
the lake. He told the same kind Of
a story with reference to his fields. All
of the persons in the vicinity of the
lake with whom we talked told the
same story. They also said the cap
sheayes of wheat and oats shocks We're
literally destroyed. They said their
stand of corn was injured by the large
variety of blackbirds in the spring
when It was coming up. They insisted
their loss ran into the hundreds Of
dollars each year and indeed 1t looked
as IL II we're true. If the corn was
shelled It would not grade up as It
oueht to because Of the blackened
grains from the ears the tips Of which
had been picked off. They all said that
had been their experience for years.
The Money Consideration.
."The question with the executive
council is simply what Il the best Tor
the public good. The state owns this
land. Our duty is to the people as A
whole To illustrate. suppose you
owned this entire tract OF 800 acres
and suppose that within twenty or
twenty-five years at most, without a
single cent Of expense to you, without
the slightest risk In the world to YOU
without the payment OF dollars
worth of taxes on this land. 1t could pc
turned over to you thor oughly drained
and in a high state of cultivation with
buildings on, and all worth at a reason
able estimate at that time $l5OoOO,
would YOU at the end of that period
take your $4,000 or would you allow
the tract to remain as 1t Is and De-
coming less and less a, lake. as 1t must
surely do as the years go by, and keep
1t for two or three weeks shooting
which you would have during the fall
of the year? Would not the $l5O,OOo
be more to you than all the shooting
could be worth to all OF the men VINO
would shoot there and ali Of the game
that might be taken for century? The
state of Iowa has opportunity to do
that very thing. an opportunity to get
in enhanced value $4,000 year and
the rent Would not every candid man
saw that those who represent all Of the
people would be unfaithful to their