Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-10-05
MOST OF TRADE TROUBLES AT
PRESENT DUE TO TRANS
PORTATION LACK.
GOODS ORDERED SIX WEEKS
AGO STILL IN TRANSIT
Trucking System Could Beat Rail
roads Either on Long or Short
win Profitable Industry Means
Hard Work and Big Investment.
[By G.. Il. Wilson,

Hubbard. Oct "a local business
man commenting on the current
problems in the retail business world
declares that the whole story of his
trade troubles as we'll as those Of
thousands Of other dealers may be
summed up in two words -inefiicient
transportation.
This man happens to be harness
dealer and most of the time last week
he was employed principally in look
ing IN vain for the arrival of goods
ordered six weeks ago and all this
intervening time supposedly In tran
sit. He argues that the only way in
which retailer can do business in
these times is to buy ofteN and i'll
small quantities and the practicable
ity of this implies prompt delivery,
which in mis- case has become moth
ing but "A memory. He has figured
out that so far as the element II
time is concerned he could take
truck and make five trips to and
from Chattanooga. Tenn, for his
leather while. one consignment Of
freight is coming 10 him from that
point by railroad, and insists that the
only prompt method of transportation
ut this time is by parcels post When
1t was suggested that this sounded
like good government operation argu-
ment be very emphatically declared
that matters were even worse under
that system. for didn't he order some
No. T. leather from an eastern city
once when the roads We're under
federal control and when it finally AR
rived wasn't II all undone and tied up
again second time and maybe a
dozen more times and scratched and
scraped from dragging over rough
platforms and hadn't ii been thrown
into a chicken car on the trip and
at some other stage of the journey
smeared with sorghum ma,asses. and
wasn't it accompanied on the tina'
voyage from the depot to his store
by n perfect cloud OF flies some of.
which he has never Yet been able 10
drive from the building? He'll say
it was. The w. w. Hubbard harness
shop located in the town of Hubbard,
is not the place TO talk government
operation of railroads, not while the
proprietor is within.
These who believe that Iowa soil
is pre-eminent 70 rthe production of
everything grown in u temperate
climate may find confirmation Of
TIER belief in the case of two celery
The older and more completely
Nd - .
S. e. Steffa, whose little farm COM
tains a low, level tract of about two
acres on which the crop is grown.
Celery land must be rotated and the
plant can be grown successfully on
the same sroundNo only in alternate
years. 1t must be lined and fer
tilted and also irrigated In this
case the Skinner system of irriga-
ton is in use. There arg three long
lines Of inch pipe laid on posts about
seven feet above ground and water
pumped thru these is SPRAYED from
openings along the top so that the
entire ground surface below is
moistened as by rain, There is big
spring near by and an electric motor
pumps water from this into the pipes
as needed. The celery is bleached by
enclosing the rows in tar paper. The
ground is divided into strips and that
which one year is producing this crop
is used the succeeding season for
onions. cabbage, lettuce and other
garden crops.
1t is said to be paving instituz
ton but any visitor at a celery farm
can see that there is plenty of hard
work connected with the establish
ment. and considerable expense in
volved in the necessary equipment.
Another Illustration of what can
be done with Iowa d:rt>
Elmer Gelhous, farmer near Hub
bard failed 10 get satisfactory corn
stand on five acre tract last sQrins,
He replanted and this also failed 10