The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1913-08-28
AN IOWA FARMERS DREAM.

| AN IOWA FARMERS DREAM.
| Williamsburg Journal-Tribune: An
Iowa farmer went to bed late on re-
cent hot night. He was both tired
and faded. Things went not well
Throughout the day; puny pig died
| in the morning; a calf shed it's muz-
gle and MIXED the cow; a two-year-
old steer left at noon via the Glover
| Bloat route: colt ambled' against the
bafbed wire fence and tore, chunk
of meat out of it's boulder; the SAND
choked the deeplwell pumps the hired
girl and the hired man served notice
that they could work no more for the
present wage schedule and the family
doctor gave it as his opinion that the
mother was showing alarming symp-
toms of appendicitis.
The farmer remembered all these
contrary contingencies and he hadn't
been asleep more than ten minutes
when he began to dream dreams.
He thought that he "listed"his farm
| for sale with local agent and in less
than a week one of his neighbors took
the place at what looked like a good
price. He moved to South Dakota
where he bought four acres with what
he received for one in Iowa. He
| broke out" the farm and gave it to
wheat and corn. The rust ruined the
wheat and an early frost embraced
the corn while it was Yet ''in the
dough" Two,o his children were
taken i'll from the effects of alkali
water and his wife cried herself to.
sleep every night over the loss of her
old neighbors and friends. He spent
one winter here fighting the flying
squadrons of the blizzard that swept
before the keen-edged sabres OF the
! frost. '.' t..''. &''.'~ ''.. s.,t.
! And then he sold his interest in the
farm and headed for the arid west in
whose desert the rose was blooming
| Just below the irrigation dam Here
was where he would surely strike it
rich! What fields of alfalfa he would
rise! What tons and tons of sugar
beets he would gather from his few
acres! But the SHOWS failed on the
mountains and the water was scarce
as it was where Dives begged for
drop TO cool his blistered tongue. The
farmers up the ditch" used all the
water and the ones down the line
chewed the flag end OF hope. The SUI
gar beets stunted for want of moist
ure and the alfalfa paled its green
and withered in the hot sun and blis-
,tering winds. The dust rolled up in
endless clouds and the fine sharp
sand cut the mans face like sleet OF
pins and he learned that there is a
vast difference between the actual
conditions in an irrigated country and
by real estate men.
He sold out again and concluded TO
try Texas" The green bug fell like
locusts upon his wheat, a burning,
blistering wind made his corn field
look like a patch of parsley, the boil
Iweevil ruined his cotton, his COWS be-
came infected with the fever, spor-
tive tornado pulled up all his post
holes and scattered them to the seven
winds, he got into an argument on the
race question with Texas colonel
and spent eight weeks in hospital
for his rashness and as he lay there
on his bed of pain Memory accentuat-
ed his anguish by picturing to him
the old home up there in Iowa with
the chickens clucking around the
yard, the big fat Poland China pigs
grunting in the shade, the cattle crop
ping the rich grass, the red clover
pouring its crimson foam across the
meadow, the timothy showing it's pale
blue blossom to the sun, the long, low
rustic OF the corn when stirred by the
soft night breeze, the wheat whiten-
ing for the harvest, the sumac hang
ing its yellow cone-shaped' flower
across the pasture fence, the roses run
ming riotously by the kitchen win
dow, the tank filled with purest water
\ from the deep well, the big barn
ready for the on-comnig hay and the
cribs filed yet 10 bursting with last
years golden corn. He remembers
Years In Iowa when the rain rained
|every day and still he harvested a
lcrop. He remembers, too, when 1t
was dry from July to October and
still he raised a crop. He remem-
bers all these and then the canvas
shifts and he hears himself talking
to his nearest neighbor, Bill Smith,
about building a silo. He sees his
children coming home from school
and the old dinner bell tells him with
It's iron tongue that the supper awaits
him at home. His blue eyes moisten
when he thinks OF Iowa and then lie
remembers what Gen. Sherman said
about renting Texas and living in the
other hot place, and just then the
faithful alarm clock awakes the
dreamer and he springs out OF 'bed,
land bending the hinges OF his knees.
he thanks God that all his troubles