Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-09-01
NORTH IOWA COUNTY HAS HAD
ONLY ONE DRY YEAR IN
GENERATION.
TOO MUCH MOISTURE MORE
FREQUENT CAUSE OF WORRY
One Young Farmer Successfully som-
hats ouack Grass BY System Of Deep
and Frequent cultivation--Arsument
Against ons-Ysar Farm Leases Pre-
ssntsd Near Nerthwood.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Northwood. Sept. Complaints Of
hot winds, want Of rain in critical
times and consequent injury to grow
ing crops are not to be heard this fall!
in this section as they are farther
south. There has been no drouth in
this part of the state. Indeed old resi-
dents insist there hasn't been a really
"dry year" in generation here with
the one exception of the summer of
1894. Too wet sometimes but not too
dry. The present appearance of the
crops confirms the claim, too, so far as
this season is concerned. Corn is per-
haps as good as has ever been known
and two or three weeks more of ripen
ing weather will remove al, doubt in
that direction. Small grain is a normal
crop, there is little or no disease in the
hog pastures and to Put it in one short
sentence, north county farmers have
raised a good all-'round crop this S "a
son.
Last year farmer at Kensett had a
field or eighteen acres of corn. The
ground was covered with quacA grass
and weeds and when he husked his
crop it IS sad he drove his team in
circles around the field and paying no
attention to rows, picked corn where
ever he could find an ear, the whole
business amounting to hardly more
than fifty bushels of grain. Last spring
a young farmer, B. L. Knudtson rented
the place and proceeded to make a
cornfield Of the same piece OF ground.
First he iertilized the entire tract. then
plowed it about nine inches deep.
Quack grass roots don't flourish nine
inches beneath the surface. Mex: he
disced the ground a couple Of times
and planted and narrowed lie any
other farmer would do. Later or he
cultivated, this, however. not like
most other farmers would do. Every
time he cultivated that field he sharp
ened his pillow Shovels and he sharp
ened his pillow shovels nine times. A
good many men have visited the place
but nobody has observed any quack
and conservative ones predict that
Knudtson Will take, $50 bushels OF
corn from the field when husking time
comes.
One Of the almost numberless IN
sis noes illustrating the ultimate etfec,
of the one year lease plan Is that of a
| tract near NORWOOD. 1t is said the
place was cropped steadily forty three
years with no regard for rotation OF
fertilization. For :cars 1t has been
rented. one year at time to men. who
feeling no interest in the financial vel
fare Of the succeeding tenant
skinned" the land with all his might
until finally nobody wanted such a rum
down place although 1t was offered on
apparently reasonable terms for one
year Finally the cwner IVES persuaded
t. sign lease 20 run seven years and
the new tenant started in. The price
he was to pay, So per acre indicates
the condition Of the land when he
| moved there. He hired men to haul
! manure from the town and he fertilized
the entire place. He could afford to dc
! SO for he will benefit thereby next year
and the next. But the benefits are al
ready in sight There is a good crop
on the land even this first year. Per-
haps just as good farmers as the pres
! ent one have worked that farm be-
| fore but the conditions are different
and so is the result 1t may be fine
l
or so, sell for higher price and rent
| in the meantime to one year tenan,
but it's tough" on the land so treated
and some of it isn't to be brought
| back so quickly and easily as the on.
near Northwood either.
| Almost any farmer of a dozen years
or more experience can draw on his
recollection and bring out story OF
mistreatment on the part of some
travelling stranger in whom M trusted
to his sorrow. "Once when Z was liv-
| ing in illinois," said one of these, ~
man came along and asked to STOP
for dinner Before he started away he
asked me to sign slip to inform thc
house that called on you. the house
being a piano firm. l didn't more thar
glance at the sill, but 1t seemed in
nocent enough and l put my signature
on the line indicated Well, in a few
days man drove into the yard with
not only a $1,000 piano but if you'll
! believe it he had music teacher, too
He had my order for the instrument
which he started to unload. I jus
went in and brought out my gun and
told him II he unloaded that piano Tt
unload my gun. He seemed to under.
stand the joke and drove away. Later
1 I talked to an attorney about the mat
4 ter and he told me that my refusal Il
permit the instrument being brough
1 into the. house was all that saved mt
a lot OF trouble.
| c. E. WILSON.