AGE Cyclist: He Goes Out the Elvira Road

(SOURCE: Clinton Morning Age, Sept. 5, 1895)

And Sees Some Nice Farms and Good Crops—The Dog at Home.  

            Go out the Elvira road as far as the HESS school house and turn to the right and you will find yourself on the road taken by the AGE’S cyclist the last day of August.  Not wishing to keep the road after taking it you will find it where it has been for a number of years.  The first home on the right of the road, leading north from the school house, is that of H. J. STERKS.  MR. STERKS has 30 acres of oats, which he is just threshing and 60 acres of corn.  The rest of his 240 acres is in pasture.

            L. J. BUELL was next greeted at his home.  He says from 12 acres of oats he got 608 bushels.  Judging from his neighbors’ crops, MR. BUELL was usually lucky, having gotten twice as many oats as any one else.  He also has 40 acres of corn.  From 16 acres he got 168 bushels of rye.  Thirty-five head of short horn cattle make up the most of his stock.  A short distance along the road and a cemetery is reached and passed when the home of AUGUST PUSCH comes in sight.  He has 125 acres on which he has 75 chickens, and a number of cows and hogs and the usual number of horses necessary to a farm of this size. His corn and oats seem to be very good.

            On the next farm of 100 acres is found AUGUST HOOST.  He says his oats turned out well and his corn promises to do the same.  Sixty-two hogs, and his cattle help, at times, to make things interesting.

            HENRY ASHPOLE’S farm is found next.  He has 130 acres.  MR. ASHPOLE has 7 acres of wheat and 8 of rye; also 23 acres of oats and 45 of corn.  He has 126 nice looking hogs and 25 cows looked as though they might enjoy a raid in the cornfield.

            When the next gentleman was greeted his only response was “Doitch,” “Doitch”.         

            R, D, COOPER was found superintending the putting up of a new wire fence, not the kind with barbs, but a spring fence, which keeps the cows in in the spring time.  MR. COOPER has 160 acres, most of which is in corn and oats, both of which have done nicely.

JOHN HOLM, on the next 160, was plowing.  He says he had in 16 acres of nice wheat, which went 20 bushels to the acre, and 60 acres of corn.  One hundred hogs try to keep him busy repairing fences.

The next place was the 80 acre farm belonging to John BLESSINGTON.  Mr. Blessington is an old resident.  He has thirty-four hogs.  He says his corn is good and oats fair.  Although it was not quite noon, Mr. Blessington invited the hungry wheelman to stop and have dinner, which invitation was glady accepted.  The way the good things on the table disappeared, owing to the very delicate appetite of the visitor, was a caution.  Leaving the hospitable roof of Mr. Blessington, and going about half a mile north in the field across the road, Chas. PAOCH was found at home.  Charles has 50 acres of good corn and had 25 acres of oats.  His corn promises to do well.  His poultry and stock also help to keep him busy.

Wm. WARNER was next visited on his 120 acres.  He says his corn, of which he has 50 acres, is very good while his oats only turned out half a crop.  D. MANNING was cordially greeted at his house and informed the AGE's representative that his farm consisted of 180 acres, 65 in corn, 46 in oats and the rest in pasture, on which 18 head of cattle grazed.  Looking in his pen and 85 hogs were also discovered.

The cross road is now reached and turning to the left the house of Fred SCHROEDER is reached.  He has 160 acres and has a number of chickens, geese and hogs.  He says his oats were fair and that his corn is good.  Coming back on the east and west road and Martin GRIMM, on the next 160 acres, is seen.  His corn is very good, amounting to 60 acres and his oats went 25 bushels to the acre.

George RAMOND was next to receive a call.  In going up to the house a row of evergreen trees is on the right, while on the left are a number of flower beds.  The noise of geese was heard, while the hogs and chickens wer "in sight."  Mr. Ramond reports a good corn crop.

Reahcing the cross road and turning to the left and Fred HAI greeted the visitor.  He had 12 acres in oats and has 30 in corn, while the rest of his 80 is in pasture.  He also keeps a few geese and chickens.

Going back to the main road and crossing it, is the home of "I canna fur shta," so, returning to the "main line," the 320 acres of Chris EADENS is reached. He has 100 acres of corn and 65 of oats, and was just threshing his barley and rye.  The machine was run by an old fashioned horse-power with 12 horses and a driver in the middle encouraging the good work.

One hundred and fifty-five acres, lying on the left, was found to belong to Geo. Ehlers.  He has a few geese, 50 hogs and 75 chickens.  Sixty acres in corn and 18 acres of oats makeup his crop.

Beyond was the home of a man by the name of --- ----, the dog announcing, in unmistakable terms, that the folks were not at home.  The road seemed to have ended here a short time ago, but now it has been extended about a quarter of a mile farther and ends in a field.  Coming back to the crossroad leading to Elvira and following it the village is soon reached.  Then "all aboard" for Clinton, which city is entered in a little less than an hour.