Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-05-22
GREAT NORTH COUNTRY
IN IOWA NEARLY AL
NOW UNDER Pillow

Special to Times Republican.
Clear Lake, May 22.--Thru the very
simple and effective. tho expensive
process OF artificial drainage the culti-
vatable area of this locality is this
year being greatly extended. Big
county tile bitches are going in
everywhere and the ponds and marshes
which up to this time have subtracted
thousands of acres from the total acre
age Of the community will hereafter
be put to work to help swell the food
supply about which so much is heard
in these times. Owners of land point
with evident satisfaction 20 squared
up fields, and to basins heretofore
filled with water, but hereafter to be
productive tracts Perhaps much or
this would have been done under ordi-
nary conditions, but the unusual state
Of affairs familiar to everybody has
undoubtedly resulted In the thing out
and breaking up of many acres OF land
that under other circumstances might
have remained unimproved for years
TO come.
ton is the fact that considerable farm
building, especially of large barns. IS
being done. One man explained this
by the statement that many were pre-
vented from making improvements con-
tmpelated two years ago by the almost
complete failure OF the corn crop OF
1915. that it required the crop Of last
season to enable them to catch up
and that this is virtually three seasons
improvements crowded into one.
Here, as almost everywhere else.
there Is coming to be. the real modern
barn in the same sense that we use
the term modern house. Men are
making territory selling barn equip
ments OF all the latest kinds and US
ing the argument that none OF the
great dairy or beef producing records
OF these days are made except under
the more favorable conditions afforded
live stock by these np-to-da date ana
ready made hangers stanchions, etc,
and judging from the amount OF bust
ness of this kind that is being done,
the argument must be CONVINCING,
A local retired farmer speaking Of
land prices here estimated the rise OF
the last ten years at $500 per acre.
FRED Wilder last winter sufa iris
eighty acre farm five miles northeast
Of town and with fair improvements
for $500 per acre eIrf go
Here is a record OF a seed corn test
that Is practically unbeatable. The
county school superintendent, working
with the county farm agent in Cerro
Gordo. has been sending letters 70
farmers Boys in the public schools OK
fering to test seed corn for the lads
fathers. In accordance with this test
OF 100 grains each of white and yellow
varieties sent in from the farm OF
Charles r. Adams showed 100 per cent
of the former and 90 OF the latter. The
soil hero Is in excellent condition for
planting and the initial corn prospects
in this part OF the country were per-
haps never better than they are at this
time. All
Out in a field about ready Tor the
planter man was operating a rid1ng
cultivator. driving round and round In
little circles. After he had made four
or five round trips" he would drive
forward see-== rcd: :csas end -eneat the pers
formanre Again and again this Wa
done and spectator quarter OF
miles, away decided It was time to IN 4
yestiga,c the unusual performance.
Simple thing when he got there to see.
There were few little patches OF.
quack grass in that field and the cul-
tivator si1osels were Ionsening the roots
of the pest SO that the harrow would
put then, out into the sunlight for a
few hours when It came along a day
later