Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-09-12
INSECT CAUSES CORN
IN FIELDS TO De
BLOWN TO GROUND

BLOWN TO GROUND
Special to Times Republican.
Brooklyn, Sept. LA few days ago
a storm Of wind and rain swept over
parts Of Poweshiek county leaving
some Of the cornfields in its track ly-
ing fat on the ground. The banker
| was telling the old farmer about the
conditions as he had noticed them on
cross country trip in his car and the
! farmer explained the why's and where
fores OF the situation. He said. in sub
| stance, You probably noticed that only
a portion of the fields in the line Of the
storm were wind damaged, usually, but
no. always the stalks of less luxurant
growth. The fiattened fields were those
infested with the corn root louise and
where this pest had not found lodgment
the stalk withstood the wind. Every
year in some section of the country
there is lot of complaint on the part
of the corn grower that he worked
hard to raise a promising crop only to
see a fall windstorm Come alcng and
leave matters so that he would nave to
bow down to the ground to husk out a
half filled corn crop. He might avoid
the whole trouble or at least the great
er part Of 1t by heading off the opera
lions of the little nuisance that causes
the trouble not above the ground but
down in the root of the plant There Is
Just one way to do this and that Is in
telligent rotation OF crops. No matter
what the conditions at the outset. there
is big risk in the third or fourth
consecutive planting Of a field to corn.
Two years of this Is enough. Some
times a man starts in with very rich
field of ground raises two crops Of corn
on it then sows oats which grow up so
rank that they all lodge and he pro-
ceeds to bring background to terms by
corning It until 1t will raise oats and
in the process he is very likely at some
time to go thru the back breaking ex-
perience mentioned. What be ought 70
have done was to SOW either some very
early variety Of oats that is not likely
to lodge or better sill barley and SOW
grass seed with II and thus clear the
field OF the source of root louise crop.
for in a short time grass cropping ro-
tation there appears to be LETT in the
ground the beginnings OF future trouble.
Plenty of our farm land is rich enough
to grow more than two successive corn
crops but as a rule two is enough for
those who prefer to play safe as far as
possible"
In late years there has been ever
increasing difficulty In the satisfac-
tory renting OF large farms. With the
disappearance OF the old fashioned
farm hand about the only kind OF ten
ant who dares tackle q farm Of sew
eral hundred acres Is the man with
several boys of his own who can be
depended on TO stay at home and help
with the farm work and now this class
is beset by new temporary difficulty.
Said one Of these men the other DAY.
II have leased this farm for another
two years. depended upon my three
sons TO help me farm the place Two
OF them are subject to government call.
Tell me just what I'm going to do II
you can II they are needed for the
army Another man expressed the
opinion that we won't hear so much
about the raising the rent on farms
for the coming season as has been the
case In other years as most sensible
landowners with reasonably good ten
ants will not want to see move OF their
farms this time If It can be prevented
$50
So far as land dropping in selling
price Is concerned the reverse appears
to apply to this section fthe country.
Sales OF farms here have been report
ed at figures ranging from $3.50 TO
5000 per acre and some OF this IL not
the best laying or best located by'any
means. In one instance a little colony
Of men from an adjoining county where
land is higher yet bought several Of
these farms at the prices metioned and
1t Is said some Of this buying was for
Farm land here Is not falling in price,
not even remaining stationary, but Is
rising, altho pretty high already.
A farmer, hauling a Load Of oats TO
market was met by another who after
inauiring as to the price he was re-
ceiving said he'd like to buy about $50
bushels for seed and wanted to know
what the price would be at the bin on
the farm. The other man didn't re-
turn any definite answer to the would
be purchaser and speaking about 1t
afterward remarked. '.1 won't sell them
any cheaper at home. l want to haul
my oats myself. don't want to hire
somebody else to do it which is just
what ! would be doing II sold them
cheaper at home
Passing section of fine farms that
had been in other days covered with
timber a man said. II remember as
boy going to church with my parents
and hearing the preacher begin his
sermon by telling how he had that
morning driven thru this very region
then in the first stages Of clearing. The
preacher told how beautiful the coun-
try was and expressed perplexity ut
the fact that the Creator would permit
the destruction incident to its CONVEX
sion into farms. The reason remem-
Der the incident so WE'LL" he continued,
we had been hard at work on the same
kind of job at home and was tired
of chopplng and piling brush and trees.
That preacher became a hero in my
eyes and wondered II 1t might be pos
sible that intervention from on high
might not make further work OF the