Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-09-04
Looker-On In Iona

! SNea City, Sept. At is literally
true that millions OF dollars will come
20 the farmers of Iowa If Jack Frost
DELAYS his first killing visit till Oct
!. And the facts are at least in our
northern tier of counties that for the
first time in some Of these young
farmers experience they find their
corn crop in a condition on Sept. ! US
ual to the 18th "a 25rh Of July. There
is q big acreage, q fine stand. larg-
er number Of ears than usual or the
stalks. but on this date much of the
/ corn is not vet fl for roasting ears
And While the majority are reconciied
70 "a failure Of the corn crop" there
are a number OF optimistic farmers
who say only killing frost this month
viii prevent q fair crop. Men With
these with stocl, to feed. but the rent
er. and the owner who confidently eN-
pec.ed a big crop o. sound corn the
man who expected 10 sell thousands of
bushels for cash, men w.,o figured on
- cents per bushel, we'll these men
are not cheerful companions these
days,
The writer has walked just for the
fun Of the thing, over a hundred
miles o: Minnesota roads this sum-
mer Much of this mixing" was
around some of the 10000 plated lakes
OF Minnesota Naturally such roads
are sandy and almost impossible for
loaded teams during dry seasons. Iowa
mud was no worse. But for some
reason the sentiment in Iowa for good
roads struck Minnesota years before
Iowa woke up. Here in Iowa when il
comes 70 taxing ourselves 10 build big
cons ol!6ate6 school houses. were
ahead OF any state in the union. And
4 town Of 500 Iowa people win vote
two to one TO build a $50, 900 school
house; but 10 spend that sum Of money
on good roads see.ns-to u<-rank ex-
travegance SO the Iowa taxpayer
would view with alarm, the way they
spend money in Minnesota for good
roads. Many OF the main Travelled
roads on, OF ST Paul and Minneapolis
are made eight inches deep Of broken
stone. gravel and sand, covered with a
thick coating of oil. which hardens
! Ike rubber and is oiled again as
needed In the smaller towns the lot
owners are assessed a small amount
each year as an oil tax. Blu, out in
the country away from the main
1horoughtarss on the cross roads hills
were pe:ng cut Iool anu fTa-e. Tras
being handled BY contractors 10 put
these cross roads IN good condition.
Query: When an Iowa voter moves
| TO Minnesota does ne acquire the good
roads sentiment There seems TO be
little or no opposition. 10 spending the
+. tax payers money for a permanent
/ good road in Minnesota
/ At Marble Rock one evening this
summer the writer saw farmer come
10 town after supper. with MS wife
and family n a big automobile. un-
/ load three cases Of fresh eggs, buy
few groceries ard start away to make
| an evening call on some friends in an
other town ten miles away. Times
have changed. This farmer had worked
All DAY IN Ing ssay aseia TIE vile
had worked all day, too. But at $50
; D. m. the tired horses had been fed and
turned out in the pasture. The gas
/ had been put in the machine the man
/ put on his store" clothes and the wife
ard children were logged ont" in their
in the auto, and the eight miles from
aadED!S fpca tl6A SecH so'SicN Az
twenty minutes. Ten minutes in
/ town. and thirty minutes more brought
| them to the friends house ten miles
from town. An hours visit, and in
another hour they were all AT home.
Tha-'s the iowa farmers Joy ride even
lin having time. The automobile Is
doing all this and more for the Iowa
farmers wife. But just the same IN
l1asS there were good roads around
Marble Rock those fresh eggs would
not have gone to town that evening,
land that short call on a neighbor
teigh,een miles away would not have
ibeen INDUCED in during haying time.