Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-10-17
Crop Short in Potato
Gro,Oi,,g Community
in Franklin County
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Hampton, Oct. 17.---This part of the
country In past years has attained to]
considerable celebrity as potato
growing district. Fields Of fifty acres
or more have IN different seasons
yielded thousands of bushels Of the
crop and returned to their owners
handsome profits and furnished tenn.
porary employment for many people.
When the potato crop in Hampton
community Is short it L. a sure indica-
tons Of an unfavorable potato growing
season and this year it is short, very
short. When man here is questioned
| regarding his tuber crop he smiles and
owns up TO the facts declaring that he
never saw anything like it before.
Frank Dist who heretofore has besn
digging from 600 to 700 bushels from
thrce-acre fields was relt rted to have
finished his harvest with fifty bushels
and when interviewed in regard to the
matter he admitted that these figures
We're possibly Ave bushels too high An
other farmer is said to have taken a
two bushel load" off his one acre
planting and called the job done. Those
who planted early In the season Jared
better, one Of these being fortunate
enough to obtain 0-bushel- to- the
acre crop on small tract. Here as IN
many other parts of the country, far
mers point to weed grown fields this
fall and declare that they were free
from weeds and grass when the Gull
tivating season ended but that after
ward every variety Of weed pest that
ever infested the county seemed tot
spring up and there was nothing toi
do except to let it grow.
There are deer parks in Franklin
county, one at least. About four years
ago Henry Winters. a young farmer
near the little town of Coulter i'm
ported four specimens from northern
Michigan, put up an eight foot woven
wire fence and turned in his stock
He has since succeeded in raising some
fawns and acquiring interesting facts
concerning the beautiful creatures and
their habits. 1t Is estimated that one
deer requires about the same extent OF
range that would support two sheep. !
Being browsers, grass alone Is not
balanced ration for them If a certain
amour. of brush and tree foliage i, not
included in the bill of fare then small
quantities of grain are necessary to
the we'll being of the deer. There is a
small orchard in the enclosure but Mr..
Winters never finds an apple on the
ground beneath the trees. He credits
the deer with a daily capacity for, say,
a bushel of apples, variety not impor-
tant.
Every days ride thru the country
brings to notice some striking illustra-
ton of what the automobile and the
automobile road are doing toward al:
almost complete readjustment in farm
life that Is taking place in the times !
In which we are living. For instance, |
inquiry at a farm home as to thel
wherea bouts of the proprietor brought
the reply that he was away to town
five miles or so distant but that Il
think he will be back in a few min
utes." We decided not to walt and
started down the lane toward the gate
opening into the public road but the
returning farmer reached 1t first. This
was about 3 p. m.-Mr. Farmer re-
marked that this was his second load
Stree dinner. In his car ne had eight
sacks of cement. He told how ne had
made the trip to town In his automo-
bile to ascertain facts regarding the
cement situation and had concluded to
haul out the stuff in his car. In an
other case a man started ten minutes
TO II" to his trading point three miles
away with two pillow lays that needed
sharpening AT II O'Clock he was home
for dinner with the parts sharpened
and still warm from the heat of the
blacksmith's forge. What a difference
from say ten years ago. In the case OF
the first mentioned man he would have
arrived along toward evening with his
load having spent half a day OF valu-
able time and used up horse energy
enough to do jus: SO much more farm
work in the field. The other man
would have found nothing left Of half
day either. There isn't much to the
distance from town feature of farm To-
cation any more in the automobile sea
son and on modern roads except In
heavy hauling and men are already
overcoming even this handicap OF re-
mote situation by employment of the
motor truck. Perhaps after awhile
dealers in farm lands will cease to hear
the troublesome question, How far is
1t from town.
Another change that is taking place,
| that of construction Of farm. buildings
| and the consequent settlement of an
| other question. viz: What will we do
| for lumber when in a few years more
| the supply is exhausted?" On the Her
| man Rodemeyer farm near the town 9.
| Coulter a new barn is being built. Ce-
| ment foundation Of course. Walls OF
hollow block, door frames and window
frames Of iron. Very little carpentry
| in the whole big building. 1t won't
burn down after standing there few
years either and have TO be replaced
by the larger portion Of lumber YARD.
1t doesn't seem to be very profitable
this thing Of worrying over an ex-
hausted lumber supply or anything else
| in this line and while one Is about II
perhaps ne might include every other
line and let the solutions come as they
are really needed.
Rev. c. J. Barth is the resident pas"
tor of q German Evangelical church
society whose building is LANDMARK
! in the country northwest Of Hampton.
| He has made remarkable RECORD
| there for he mas officiated in his pres