The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1917-05-03

~ 4. : ( + F.. &
though rye, oats, barley and flax are
/ grown extensively Even corn is now
| being grown as a rotation crop and
, have seen fields of corn here which
would weld as much as fifty bushels
of sound corn to the acre. Potatoes
do we'll t the cost of handling
them is so great that a potato crop
grain eleva .ors capable of holding an
average of thirty thousand bushels
, of grain each, we have two potato
ware houses with a capacity of about
forty thousand bushels. The increas-
ing demand for potatoes has encour-
aged some OF the farmers to go back
into the potato business. One man
forty acres of potatoes while a good
many of the farmers will plant from
ten to forty acres this year.
This country is we'll settled and
will average family to every half
section. The buildings are, as rule,
large and substantial. Many of the
farm houses are steam heated. The
barns are usually large and capable
of housing from twenty to hundred
head of stock 1t is not an uncom-
mon thing to see a set Of farm build
ings valued at from three to five
thousand dollars.
While the settlers have gone large
~ lHlO W neat Luc Olu
ers who came to the country first
and got possession Of the river land
and timber still hold to the cattle
, business. Some of them have as high
as a thousand head Of cattle. They
do not pretend to farm. In the sum-
mer they put up the wild hay that
grows in abundance along the river
the winter they haul this hay into
! the timber and feed their cattle.
! Where cattle have timber for protec-
,, ton they need no other shelter in
the winter.
Most Of the land is plowed in the
fall. In the spring it is drilled to
wheat, rye is usually drilled into the
without other preparations, oats and
| barley land being generally plowed
in the spring, flax is the crop to be
grown on breaking. Harvest starts
about the middle OF August and lasts
until the middle Of September.
! Threshing starts as soon as harvest
is over. The shocking and threshing
sients, called 'hoboes,' who come
into this country in the summer to
get the high wages paid. Wages for
Shocking grain is usually three dol
lars a day, while three and a half to
four is paid for threshing. This year
wages will probably range dollar a
day higher. Threshing is all done
from the shock The thresher fur
nishes and boards the crew deliver
ing the grain to the farmer at the
machine For this the thresher
| charges ten cents bushel for threSh-
ing wheat and rye, and six cents per
bushel for oats and barley. A house
on wheels furnishes the kitchen and
dining room, while the wide prairie,
| q ctraW CT
ing quarters for the men.
Where land is rented it is custom
airy for the landlord to furnish the
seed, pay one half the threshing and
Irvine bills and receive one half the
J grain. In case the renter furnishes
the seed and pays the expenses the
landlord gets One-fourth or the gram
In case the renter lives on the land
he gets the use of the buildings and
pasture for his stock free
| In the summer time we have plen-
ty of moisture. though sometimes il
does not come at exactly the proper
time. The days are hot but the
nights are always cool. In the WIN,
ter the ground freezes about the first
OF December and remains frozen un
til about the first OF April. In the
twelve years ! have been in this
country there has been two winters
with excessive snow and two without
snow. The snow in the winter seems
to have very little effect one way OF
/ the other on the succeeding crop.
While primarily engaged in the
practice of law, in addition to my
own farm, am trustee for abou!
four thousand acres Of this lanC
which makes me in way farmer
and likewise interested in farm
movements.
In politics North Dakota is strong
G
year, while electing republican sen
ator by an overwhelming ma jority
we gave Wilson fair margin fol
president The state politics ha:
long been in the hands OF favored
few. Last fall things were changed
raulcally. A farmers organization
known as the non-partisan league
up as if by magic. Organizers were
sent out all over the state organic
ing local branches of the, league
Each member donated six dollars tt
campaign fund. At the prlmar!
election the league endorsed candi
dates for office favorable to the farm
erS' program, nominated and elected
a farmer as governor an ent!re farm
err legislature and three out OF NV
members of the supreme court. I'M
program of the league includes stat
owned elevators, flour mills an'
packing plants. =,
The schools of this country viii
compare favorably with those in tn
older states. There has been a gen
eral movement toward consolidation
of the country schools and the trans
portation of the pupils to centra
school in the center of the TOWNSHIP
at the expense of the district. Thi
has worked we'll where there is
town near the center Of the distric
but where there is no town 1t ha
proved too great burden on. tn
township to maintain the school A
Upham we have the consolidated sys
tel School starts in September an
ends in June Each morning tn
children are brought in from tn
country in five busses and returned t
their homes again in the evening. Il
twelve years these busses have no
failed to make their routes NOR
than a dozen times on account o
bad weather.
| Every section line is a public roa
and most of the roads have bee