Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-03-03
elRpsEYE VIEW or eNvlRoNs OF
kANAwhA FIFTEEN YEARS
AGO AND NOW.
PRAIRIE DOTTED WITH PONDS
CHANGED TO WAVING FIELDS
Estimate Of Drainage in North Iowa
Places Cost at 5000 Per Quarter
Ssetion-ssetien Of orundy County
Whore Land 10 Net For Sal, a Any
Pries-c. E.. Wilson's Observations.
special to Times : Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Kanawha, March s-About fifteen
years ago young man in the employ
of railroad company painted water
tank at this station and has never for
gotten that he could see ten miles or
more in every election from the top of
the structure over new farms, freshly
set "windbreaks." and countless ponds.
Twenty years earlier Dennis McMa-
hon. one Of the first of the half dozen
men to settle in Erin township, and
who next week will be the last of the
original settlers to leave the township
for we'll earned retirement, Travelled
over prairies in which not a furroy
was ploughed from Britt to we'll into
Wright county, and the memory OF
myriads of Sweet Williams" and other
wild flowers is with him yet The waite,
tank, the unobstructed view, the reed
bounded ponds and the Sweet VIII
liams.' all are gone for here is one Of
the prosperous, well cultivated sections
OF the country. Those interested in
matters pertaining to land develop
ment can see in this community a
striking illustration Of the swift and
steady change that makes a farming
country from unsettled wastes.
The great agency in this develop
ment has been drainage. About the
year 1900 William Gunsell and Joe An
derson, two farmers who still live near
.Kanawha, began to tile their land. The
work was imperfect and had later to
be taken up. but it was beginning. In
1905 now resident owner of large
amount of Hancock county land spent
$4,000, draining 1850 acres of his
holdings. 1t required 100000 tile to do
the Job, which was done right. From
that time until now men here have
been thing their farms. The big
drainage ditch has furnished oppor
tunity to tile to the land holder who
had no natural outlet. Within the last
year about nine miles Of open ditch
with ten-foot bottof and ''one-to-
one" slope have been excavated and
into this more than 100000 draining
tile varying in size from eight to
twenty six inches have been put in at
public expense, the contract price be-
ing about $4,000. 1t might be stated
here too that this was done with prac-
interested tax payers. The beneficent
results were too apparent for that. !:
is told by the manager Of the Denhart
land that the season before the place
was tiled the landlord received $50
bushels of corn for his share of the
rent and the next year it took sew
enty-tw foot crib to hold his portion.
Men are Fastening to tile the portion
CT III "a iro1 q ~
thority asserts that practically all the
land in this section will be thoroughly
drained by the end of the coming sea-
son. He estimates the average amount
spent for draining land all over this
part Of the country to be $4,000 per
quarter section. lot Of money in the
aggregate but the big corn stalks left
in the fields Of last year are good wit
nesses Of the wisdom Of the expense.
Land prices here rangd from $50 to SIS
per acre when thing began in earnest:
it takes more than 5000 to buy some OF
the farms today.
Worthy Of mention is the new ce
ment block building which is the home
Of the Farmers Creamery of Kanawha.
It is fitted with every modern conven-
fence and the structure represents an
outlay of about $1,000. More than
100000 pounds Of butter have been
made this year and a sum in excess Of
$6o.o00 has been paid out to patrons Of
the institution. The stock which is
non dividend bearing was at first held
largely by business men of the town
who subscribed to it for the building
up of home industry; 1t is now in the
hands of farmers and farmers and
business men have benefited indirectly
without the employment of the divi-
dend method.
If land seeker court certain dis
appointment let him visit a section To-
Gated between the towns Of Steamboat
Rock and Wellsburg in Grumpy county.
Not that the quality Of the land is not
up to standard. rather the contrary. 1t
is simply not for sale. The old German
settlers and their descendants own 1t
and they won't let loose, not even to
the sons and daughters who for most
part occupy the farms. About all the
changes that occur there result from
the purcha Sc by the tenants Of cheaper
outside farms and removal to the new
homes.
Mrs. ]. D. Humphreys, Of New Prov
idence, found most interesting and
unique relic Of other days in vacant
house some time ago. It is deed to
a tract or wright Of land in new
township in the province" Of New
Hampshire, granted "in the seventh
year Of his majesty's reign ammo DOM
mi 1872 and recorded In It'll. It is
quantity written in script and states
that Joseph Varney received the sum
of seven pounds for tract for carry
ing on the settling Of said wright or
shire according to charter. The paper
on which 1t is written is almost as
thick and heavy as wall paper and the
,vtoIa 10 nerfectly leGible.