Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-03-21
Old Farm Building
Connecting Link
of Pioneer Days

Special to Times Republican.
Renwick. March Elm an incon-
spicuous part of the farm yard Of a
place near this town is what remains
of an early day farm house. 1t was
built of logs and slabs and irregular
shingles that We're evidently hand
made. 1t is hardly more than twenty
feet in length and the "lean-to'' at
tached is little more than box. The
farmer who moved there this year has
been told that two families lived there
for time in that double house but
| who it was. or when. he doesn't know.
| G. E. Starr lives near Reuwick on
! the farm his father homesteaded In
1865. Things have happened in this
; community as la other parts of the
country since Mr.. Starr filed on his
Humboldt county homestead and the
other forgotten pioneer put UP his resi-
dence Of logs and slabs. Farm land
in this section is of a high quality and
the farm buildings correspond with the
quality Of the land. Great drainage
projects have been completed and more
are under way. The central point of
activities here is keeping abreast of
the times too. Renwick with a popula-
! ton of about 500 possesses an cleo
i, trio light plant Of its own that is self
sustaining concern and the main street
/, OF the little town is lighted by eighteen
/ electroliers. Inhabitants of the place
| even go so far as to assert that 1t is
the best little town In Iowa
-
! School consolidation is a sort Of ev
/ i 60; -, r$ = he
try. Vernon township in Humboldt
county saw sections of its territory an
nexed in succession to three of the
nearby towns. leaving just about
enough IN make a good strictly rural
district which the inha bitants pro-
ceeded to organize. They voted bonds
, to build an $4,000 building for
rwelve-grade accredited school and
part Of the material is on the srvuns
, already. 1t was seen that the amount
voted will be insufficient for the work
and provisions was promptly made for
an increase Of four or FIVE thousand
more. 1t is expected that six wagons
will be necessary for transportation
anL there is a plan to build house
! for the lodging and boarding OF the
! teaching force.
Tw" cheese factories located in diff
! feren, rural neighborhoods furnish
market for the milk production Of this
+ section. The smaller one Of these Is
| making ABOUT 1000 pounds Of cheese
! weekly Later this will be increased to
abour 3n0 pounds daily. 1t is said that
! the price. paid for milk averages about
! t115 per hundred. The young German
! in charge was even more interested i'll
the European war than in his occupa-
| ton declaring that he would mucn
| prefer being in front of the Ferdun
/ forts BECAUSE he was needed there. he
! would go. too. If he could. but the allies
! would prevent him reaching place OF
! enlistment No doubt of the ultima to
! occupation Of Paris by the German
army in his mind. They must get
! there and they will-maybe six months.
maybe two years" He would bet ev-
cry cent of my property they get there
some time
! In the vicinity Of Woodstock there IS
| a French settlement. One of the young
err men of these people gave different
kind of answer to the question asker.
the cheesemaker. He was glad he
was there. said he had nothing TO do
with starting the trouble. but let them
! fig ut ii out themselves.
! About ten years ago section man
liz ing IN a northern Iowa town decic':
to quit railroad work and Try farming
He rented pace assembled Iarih
il.g Outti; and succeeded perhaps a
we'll as the average farmer in M
nelghborhrod. Things went REASONABLE
+ we'll with him until the last two year.
! The disastrous early frost OF last Au-
gust was especially severe on the farm
he operated and the result was forced
sale. He explained matters one day las:
winter and supposed he would move
back 70 the little town. Thought he
night get Job on the railroad again
Ten years to make the circle and those
the best years too so far as strength
! and energy go. There are hazards tn
farming as we'll as in other kinds OF
| business.
1t is safe to say that never before in
| this part Of the country has there been
so much care exercised on the part OIL
! the farmer in testing mis- seed corn.
, For the past half dozen weeks the work
has been going on and last week the
season. was apparently al rs height.
I
rural jewellers were spending several
hours each day in shirt sleeves and
| spectacles. in comforta Bile corner OF
the furnace room in the basement
searching with infinite care thru BUSH
els Of corn for the most promising
ears from which three, four or nlayhe
six grains were removed and placed III
the testing tray filled with dirt or saw
dust A very great percentage Of this
corn has been selected from some CRIB
often that of neighbours raising. And
altho the seed corn man has been. doing
good deal of advertising lately no
body seems to have bought any seed
from outside points. it Is all taken
from local sources. If the supply that
IS being collected fails to produce L
stand when planted in the field the
seed COZ II n1eTc!!aan: vii! sci! ont his left
over stock in day for it will be the
last straw in the way of supply. l.
tho systematic pians that nave beer,