The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-08-28
national Tribune, the Old Soldiers
Magazine, Tells Of Resources
Of the Hawkeye
state.
E CORN
Need Not Look Abroad for ~lIIustra-
tIons Of Where Earth Laughs
With Most Abundant
Harvests.

Inc Lr1OuCo 10 iowa dP-
peared in a recent number OF the Ma
tional Tribune the old soldiers mag
azine. published at Washington, D. G.
Americans should cease looking
abroad for Illustrations Of where the
kindly earth laughs with the most
abundant harvests.
For 5000 years mankind has looked
pon Egypt as the most bounteous
field OF food for man. The narrow
valley Of the Nile fed majestic Rome
for centuries. But the IL mile wide
strip of arabic land along the ancient
river is not in it alongside Of Iowa's
imperial sweep OF black. deep soil.
reaching down to the stimulating
4 limestone. Iowa will raise more corn
in a couple of her congressional dis
tricts than Joseph stored up In seven
years of fairness against the seven
lean years that he had interpreted
Pharoah's dream to mean as forthcom-
ing.
For centuries the Banat of Hun
gary has been regarded as the gran
airy Of Europe" Great wars have been
fought for its possession and it has
ruled the prices in the grain markets
Of the world.
A peasant, being shown the price
less Jewels of the Austrian imperial
regalia, remarked that they were not
all together worth one good rain on
the Banat.
Yet the Banat has an area Of only
10000 square miles, or less than one
Nth thot If vnUo and nora for QcYQ
will not raise a bushel of grain more.
Iowa has 56.025 square miles Of ter
ritory, or more than o%ne-fourth the
size of France, Germany or Austria
Hungary. She is almost exactly the
size Of England and Wales together.
Most wonderful. nearly every acre
OF this kingly area is of the richest
possible soil, needing only the tickling
OF the live farmer to laugh in abund-
/ ance for man and BEAST
Iowa carries less dead weight than
any other similar stretch of country
in the world. Farms take up 94.4
per cent of its area, and SO 5 per cent
OF the land is under actual cultiva-
ton. And such cultivation! Think Of
corn in 1913, or nearlys four bushels
OF q production Of 339 10000 bushels
for every man, womane and. child in
the United States, or ABOUT $50 bushels
for every man, womans and child in
Iowa! Besid. 8 this, her fields no
luce 16, 3S5.CJO bushels ;pf wheat, 1885,
800, 900 bushels of oats, 1900, 900
bushels Of potatoes and 4,44o,oo tons
OF hay. Neither man nor beast need
60 hungry in Iowa.
Iowa farmers not only till their
land according to the most advanced
ideas in agriculture with an acre pro
duct not surpassed, and rarely equal
ed anywhere else. but they are ad-
vanced economists in realizing on the
products. They go as far as possible
toward what scientific writer's term
the finished product"
There would be little profit in sell
ing oats, corr and wheat at market
prices from land worth $500 an acre.
Therefore they convert their hay m
grain INTO beef, pork, milk, butter and
cheese before they finally pocket the
proceeds.
Therefore Iowa farmers live in fine
houses, with hot and cold water IN
every room. They take their families
in high priced automobiles to churches
Of Gothic architecture, and their wives
have nervous prostration. slit skirts
and qualifications for the smart set.
1t is not wholly to her wonderfully
fertile soil, benignant skies and abun-
dant rainfall that Iowa owes her great
wealth and prosperity. She was for
tunate in attracting a high class OF
people as pioneers. The fame OF the
marvelously rich lands lying between
the Mississippi and Ohio rivers spread
rapidly through New England, New
York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey n
MARYLAND and drew thither a rapidly
increasing migration of young men
and women of high character and ca
pabilities.