Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1921-12-21
MRS. ELDER WRITES
Of WESTERN COAST

in PARKWAY Washington on this TWEEN
ty-seventh day of November, and as
X grasp my pen, | hear the kindly
2 tirkling of the church bell near by
calling church-going people to the
house OF God and | usually attend
church and Sunday school, but had
previously set aside this special day
to commune with the dear old friends
OF the other days in the old home
town. through the columns OF your
excellent paper.
There could be no excuse for any
one to remain at home on account OF
the inclemency Of the weather as It
is an ideal day, as warm and balmy
I as a mid summer day, SO / really hope
that Skookum Wal-i-hee, the aged and
venerable Chief of the Klickitat In
dian tribe, at Goldendale, near here.
who predicts long hard winter, with
much snow, may be mistaken. But
he advises his white neighb0rs in the
big Klickitat Canyon, to store away
+ bountiful supply Of muck-a-muck,
which means food, for the long stretch
= OF cold gloomy days, which he thinks
! will occur during the coming winter
season.
This old Indian chief bases his
weather forecast on Indian tribal GUS
y toms. in reading the weather for the
approaching seasons, by observing the
actions Of animals and birds Of the
wilds. handed down to him, through
Z several generations during which the
Wal-i-hees family has ruled over the
destinies Of the once powerful Kick
4 itat Indian tribe.
AS an example, the chief calls at
tention OF his neighbors to the fact
that the squirrels which abound in
4 large numbers in this canyon have
been unusually Industrious since the
+ acorns began to fall from the oaks,
with the change OF the seasons in
garnering and storing away winter
supply In hollow trees and other plac-
& es, where they hibernate for the win
ter
Other signs which the chief takes in
{ to consideration are the unusual activ-
tiles Of the beavers along the same
\ line as the squirrels, also the condi-
\ ton of the winter coats of sur-bear-
i ing animals such as mink, otter, lynx.
wolves, coyotes and bear, and the ex-
{ traordinary heavy plumage apparent,
this year ON the birds, and migra-
tory waterfowl; and this old chief
says his views in this matter are
generally accepted by the people Of
his tribe and that extraordinarily
large supplies Of dried salmon, bear
and venis0n have been prepared this
year.
When pick up newspaper OF any
4 kind. IL there is an item referring to
Iowa. or an Iowan, am sure to OBJ
serve it and in recent paper that
III was reading, noticed where our
washington Potato Wizard, makes a
tour and that Iowa newspapers. which
have been received by former Iowa
people. residing in Prosser, neighbor-
ing town OF ours contains an item
under a Cedar Falls date line, which
B gives an account Of visit to his "Old
Home Town" by f, w. Benz, known
as the Yakima Valley Potato King.
With borrowed capital, Mr.. Benz made
an humble beginning, a few years ago,
and In 1919 and 1921, his crop yielded
revenue OF more than $4,000 an
acre, depending upon the condition
5of the market, at the time he sold.
Some acres produced two thousand
dollars and he rarely harvested less
than twelve to fifteen tons Of pota-
toes to the acre, and at,times his yie'd |
has been as high as twenty-five to
thirty tons. The Iowa item follows:
1.-THE Rev. r. w. Benz, for many years |
q minister of the Iowa conference |
of the Evangelical association, now
known, as the Potato Wizard" be-
cause OF the superior potatoes he
raises in Washington, selling annually |
many hundreds Of bushels to the din
ing car service of the Northern Pacific
Railway, addressed the Cedar Falls
Commercial Club this week on Coop
GRAFTON. I
He was enr0ute home from Wash
fngton, where he had been called to
confer with government officials in
the agricultural department upon the
agricultural situation at present.
He stopped over here for two days
to renew old acquaintances, among
the Evangelical church members, many
of whom he had known for long
time"
Really and truly, this is great
potato growing country and they are
of such excellent. quality and quanti-
ty, far superior to any have tasted
elsewhere.
Another advantageous feature in
through this Colyille Valley region
where live, is the delicious fruit 1
they raise. They boast of the different
kinds of small fruits, as well as peach
es, pears, and apples, of which we
have the greatest abundance. Then
there is the Apricot, prune, petites,
md the grandest plums Imaginable, |
all native fruits and no end to the |
wild fruits of every description. We
have an ample supply of all of those /
fruits canned and most Of the kinds |
we raised upon the little ranch that |
Ned rented and we managed for him.
At Valley, one of our neighboring
towns, near by and through which We
pass when we go to Spokane, had
this heading to their ad last week:
"See The Apple Show, Where The
Apples Grow, and this show occurred
%hn I'm apd 18th If fhis month at