Rural social survey of Hudson, Orange and Jesup consolidated school districts, Black-hawk and Buchanan Counties, Iowa

Number 224

Rural social survey of Hudson, Orange

and Jesup consolidated school districts, Black-hawk and

Buchanan Counties, Iowa

Article 1

July 2017

Rural social survey of Hudson, Orange and Jesup

consolidated school districts, Black-hawk and

Buchanan Counties, Iowa

Geo. H. Von Tungeln

Iowa State College

Harry L. Eells

Iowa State College

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Recommended Citation

Von Tungeln, Geo. H. and Eells, Harry L. (2017) "Rural social survey of Hudson, Orange and Jesup consolidated school districts, Black-hawk and Buchanan Counties, Iowa,"Bulletin: Vol. 18 : No. 224 , Article 1.

Rural Social Survey of Hudson, Orange and

Jesup Consolidated School Districts, Black'

hawk and Buchanan Counties, Iowa

A f a r m e r s ’ p a rk in a fa rm in g com m unity. A G R IC U L T U R A L E X P E R IM E N T STA TIO N IOW A S T A T E C O L L EG E OF A G R IC U L T U R E AND M ECHANIC A R T S C. F. C U R T IS S , D irecto r R U R A L SO CIO LO G Y SE C T IO N AM ES, IOW A

TABLE OF CONTENTS IN TRO D U C TIO N S cope a n d p u rp o se of s tu d y ... 203 M ethod of s tu d y ... ...204 M eans of co m m u n icatio n an d tr a n s p o r t a ti o n ... 204 H is to ric a l s k e tc h an d lo c a tio n ...205 H is to ric a l s k e tc h of th e v illag e of H u d s o n ... 206 PO P U L A T IO N ... 207 C o u n try of b i r t h ... 208 M a rita l co n d itio n ... 208 Size of fa m ilie s ... 209 H ow g e n e ra lly do fa r m e r s ’ d a u g h te r s m a rry fa r m e rs an d how g e n e ra lly do f a r m e rs ’ so n s s ta y on th e f a r m ? ...209

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL C O N D IT IO N S... 210

D istan ce from tra d in g c e n te r an d ra ilro a d s t a ti o n ...211

T e n a n ts ex p ect to becom e la n d o w n e rs ...213

In c re a se an d ch an g e of t e n a n t r y ... 214

L o catio n of farm hom e on s ta te , county or to w n sh ip r o a d s .215 F a rm s w ith n a m e s ...216

O rg an izatio n s an d o rg a n iz a tio n m e m b e rs h ip ... 217

ED U C A TIO N A L C O N D ITIO N S ... 220

Som e re s u lts of c o n so lid a tio n ... 222

S pecial school w o r k ...223

More boys an d g irls g ra d u a te from h ig h s c h o o l... 223

V o catio n a l tr a in in g ...224

School a n d c o m m u n ity a c ti v it ie s ...224

R EL IG IO U S C O N D ITIO N S ...228

SOCIAL C O N D ITIO N S ... 233

C o m m u n ity a c tiv itie s ...233

M edicine, e d u c a tio n a n d re lig io n on th e a th le tic c o u n c il .. .233

A c a le n d a r of e v e n ts a s a rr a n g e d by th e c o m m u n ity co u n cil ...235 M usic in th e s c h o o l...238 P h y sic a l e x e rc ise s, g a m e s an d p la y ... 238 R e c re a tio n ...240 P a r e n ts e n c o u ra g in g th e ir c h ild re n to s a v e ...242 A P P E N D IX ... 248 R e su rv e y of O ran g e D is tric t ... 248

RURAL SOCIAL SURVEY OF HUDSON,

ORANGE A N D JESUP CONSOLIDATED

SCHOOL DISTRICTS, BLACKHAWK

A N D BUCHANAN COUNTIES, IOWA

B y Ge o. H . Vo x Tu x g e l n a n d Ha r k y L . Ee i.l s

SC O P E AND P U R P O S E O P T H IS STU D Y

This bulletin contains a d etailed survey of the 385 farm homes and farm fam ilies living in H udson, O range and Jesu p consolidated school d istric ts of B lackhaw k and B uchanan coun­ ties.

F a rm people are co n stan tly asking tw o questions. These a r e : “ (1) W h a t can we do to m ake life on the farm m ean more? (2) How can we, w ith the cooperation of those engaged in the scientific stu d y of ru ra l life, secure a ric h e r and fu ller farm lif e ? ” B ut before fa rm people can find or w ork out a con stru c­ tive and satisfac to ry solution to these questions th ey m ust hf.ve a c cu rate and first-hand info rm ation on tw o o th er questions. These a re : (1) W h a t have th ey in th e ir com m unity to w ork w ith ? and (2) W h a t has alre ad y been done and w h at is now being done to m ake farm life m ore a ttra c tiv e ? In fo rm atio n on, or an answ er to these la tte r questions alone can serve as a p ra c ­ tical and scientific basis on w hich to build a p ro g ram of action. Ind iv id u als and groups of farm people can th en w ork con struc­ tively tow ard m aking farm life more pleasant.

The fa rm people of the school d istric ts in this survey have tak en the first step tow ard a realization of the above goal by ta k in g th is in v en to ry of th e ir individual and social assets and liabilities. W ith th e ir assets and liabilities located, listed and analvized the leaders of these com m unities can co n stru c t p ra c ­ tical pro gram s of com m unity im provem ent on the basis of a p ra c tic a l and scientific analysis of ac tu al conditions. The first purpose of th is stu d y m ay, therefore, be said to be th a t of f u r ­ nishing each of these districts w ith a true-to-life pictu re of itself. W ith a true-to-life p ictu re of th e ir d istrict, it should enable the people to build, cu ltiv ate and enrich th e ir own p h y si­ cal, in telle ctu al and sp iritu a l grow th. This in tu rn should en­ larg e and im prove the social and economic assets of these com­ m unities. The second purpose of th is survey is to fu rn ish other Iow a ru ra l com m unities w ith scientific know ledge of conditions in ce rtain Iow a com m unities. I t is also hoped th is w ill induce some other com munities to take sim ilar inventories of th eir as­ sets and liabilities, which will serve as a basis for th e ir im prove­ m ent.

Professor H. L. Eells, of Iowa S tale T ea ch ers’ College, or the S u p erin ten d en t of the local school, personally interview ed each fam ily in the three consolidated school d istricts d u rin g 1920-21 and secured the d ata w ith reference to eacli fam ily on a sep­ ara te blank. The officers of the various organizations and in sti­ tu tio n s w ere also personally interview ed. F rom these men and women was secured the in form ation concerning all th e ac tiv i­ ties of the com m unities no t prop erly listed u n d er the inform a­ tion collected from the individual families.

The classification, tab u latio n and in te rp re ta tio n of facts listed below, unless otherw ise stated , are based on and are a com pilation of the d a ta thus collected.

M EANS O F COM M UN ICATIO N AND T R A N SPO R T A T IO N Tin T h r a Districts: E very farm home in these districts has the services of a d aily free delivery mail route. In ad ditio n to this m ail service, th ere is a telephone in 97.6 percent, or 81 of the 83 farm houses in the H udson d istrict. One h u n d re d tw en ­ ty-eight, or 97 percen t of the 132 homes in the O range d istric t have a telephone, and 136, or 77.7 percent of the 170 homes in the Jesu p d istric t have this service.

Hudson: A ltho only one railroad, the Chicago G reat W est­ ern, passes diagonally th ru the H udson d istrict, passenger service and fre ig h t shipping facilities are very good and, p e r­ haps, are am ple fo r the d is tr ic t’s needs. This road was opened in 1883.

In the m onth of December, 1920, out of 800 tick ets th a t were sold at the H udson stati- n, f>40 were to W aterloo, 63 to R ein­ beck and 44 to Cedar F alls.1

D u ring the same m onth th ere w ere 10 car-loads of fre ig h t re ­ ceived and 39 car-loads shipped out. Of the 39 car-loads shipped out, th ere w ere 19 cars of livestock and 19 cars of grain.

O r a n g e : Two railroad lines touch the district, but no ra il­ road statio n is located w ith in its borders. The Chicago G reat W estern ra ilro a d cuts across the extrem e no rth w est corner of the d istrict. On this road th ere is a statio n two miles w est of the west line of the district, a junction point ju st beyond the w estern boundary and a station in W aterloo, about two miles n rth of the n o rth ern boundary line of the d istrict. The C hica­ go, Rock Islan d & Pacific ra ilro ad cuts across two sections in th e n o rth east corner of the d istric t. In ad ditio n to the Rock Islan d station in W aterloo, th ere is an o th er one and one-half miles east of the eastern line of the d istric t. All of the section

1 W aterlo o an d C edar F alls a r e located n o rth e a s t an d a r e 9 a n d 13 m iles aw ay , re ­ spectively. R sinbeck is 9 m iles so u th w est. T he p o p u la tio n o f H udson is 40 8 ; W a t­ erloo, 36,230 ; C ed ar F a lls, 6,316, an d R einbeck, 1,415.

lines in th e d istric t, except about six or seven miles, are m arked w ith public roads. All b u t a very few of th e hom es in the d is­ tric t are located on th e n o rth and south roads.

The Eagle C enter road which passes th ru the center of the d is tric t n o rth and south and the diagonal road, crossing the n o rth w e st co rner of th e d istric t, have each been p u t to grade. The fo rm er is w ell gravelled, while the diago nal ro ad has ju s t been paved. (In 1924.) All th e roads in the d istric t have been g ra d ed and m any miles of these roads are tiled laterally . Two of the east and w est roads are p a rtly gravelled. A good sized gravel p it has been located w ith in th e d istric t, so th a t th e ex­ pense of g rav ellin g is no t prohibitive.

J e s u p: The m ain line of the Illinois C entral railroad, from O m aha an d Sioux C ity to Chicago, passes th ru th e c e n te r of this d istrict east and west and affords very good passenger and fre ig h t service fo r Jesup.

A ll of th e section lines w ith in the school d istric t except five or six miles, are m ark ed by public roads. The G ra n t H igh w ay passes th ru th e d istric t from east to w est an d was h ard-su rfaced w ith concrete in the sum m er of 1922.

M any of the roads w ith in the d is tric t have been g ra d ed and gravelled, fu rn ish in g good ro a d surfaces fo r m ost all condi­ tions of w eather. The 1 ‘ S h ady Grove ’ ’ road, ‘ ‘ L ittle to n ’ ’ road and the m ain roads leading into Jesu p are kep t well graded an d dragged.

H IS T O R IC A L S K E T C H AND LO CA TIO N

H udson and O range d istric ts are p a rts of B lackh aw k county, w hile Je su p lies p a rtly in B uchanan and p a rtly in B lackhaw k county. These counties are ju s t east an d n o rth of th e cen ter of the state. H udson d is tric t com prises m ost of B lack haw k tow nship an d a little over one section in O range tow nship. O range d istric t com prises all of O range tow nship, except the section in the H udson d is tric t and, in addition, a little over fo u r sections of C enter tow nship, ju s t south of O range. The Jesu p d istric t is m ade up from p a rts of several tow nships, w hich lie p a rtly in B uchanan and p a rtly in B lack haw k county. E ach of these counties co ntain 16 tow nships of 36 sections each. W hen th e first settlers came to these counties th ey found them open p rairies, w ith th e exception of n arro w strip s of tim b er on th e b an ks of the stream s. The soil is a black sandy lo a m ; th e re ­ fore, farm m aking fo r these early settlers w as com p arativ ely easy.

The follow ing sketches on th e organizatio n of B lackhaw k, O range, and F ox tow nships w ill give the re a d e r th e histo rical beginning of these a r e a s :

ord ered by th e courts of B lack haw k county J i a t “ tow nships 87 an d 8 8, n o rth of ra n g e 14, w est, be organized as a civil

tow nship by the name of Blackhawk a n d th a t the first election shall be held a t the house of (saith not) on the second day of A pril, A. D. 1855; an d at the house of B yron Sergeant the f i r s t election was held. A fte r th e or­ ganization o f t h e boaid th e voters ap ­ peared and voted, to- w i t : H. H. D eW itt, W a r r e n, Baldwin, H a r v e y W ashburn, N. L. P ra tt, A. J . Tapp, Oliver Hughes, J . D. P erris, B yron S er­ geant, D. M. W ard, A lbert Sergeant, and A. B. Rowe.”

O range tow nship w as organized u n d e r ord er of the B lack­ h aw k county court, M arch 3, 1858, and was called A deline tow nship. The nam e in the follow ing A u gu st was changed from A deline to O range. The only person ever holding an im ­ p o rta n t political office d u rin g the first 40 y ea rs w as D. P. H oover, who w as elected in 1891 as a sta te re p resen tativ e. Re­ ligiously, th is tow nship has been g re a tly influenced by the C hurch of th e B reth ren . The B re th re n are com m only know n as D u nkards.

P o x tow nship w as first settled alm ost en tire ly by A m ericans, b u t to d ay only a few of these fam ilies rem ain and these are found in th e eastern p a r t of the tow nship. N early all of the p re sen t farm ers are of G erm an descent. In th e n o rth e rn and w estern p a r t of th e tow nship th e people are m ostly m em bers of th e C atholic church, w hile those living in th e so u th eastern p a r t belong to th e L u th e ra n church. Ju b ilee is a sm all ru ra l village w ith a postoffice, general store, h arn ess an d p a in t shop, blacksm ith and w agon shop, m eat m ark et, an d a cooperative store.

HISTORICAL SKETCH OP THE VILLAGE OF HUDSON The earliest reco rd of B lackhaw k county shows th a t ju s t be­ fo re 1850 a stage coach line ra n betw een E ld o ra and D ubuque. A fte r a few people h ad settled, an in n was k e p t on th e site of w h a t is now th e tow n of H udson. This inn, or tav ern , becam e

th e over-night stopping place of the farm ers going to and from D ubuque, th e ir shipping point on the M ississippi riv er, w here th e y hauled th e ir grain.

J o h n D. P e rris came in th e y e a r of 1852 an d w as th e first set- le r of B lackhaw k tow nship. No h ab itatio n stood w est of him an d only a log cabin m arked the site of the now th riv in g city of W aterloo. I t was in th is y e a r th a t elk, deer an d a few buffa­ lo w ere still seen in th is vicinity.

In 1852 the first house on th e site of H udson w as b u ilt by H ira m L udington. L a te r in the fall, A dam S higley came w ith his fam ily. In the y ea r 1859, Jo h n F e rris killed a buffalo on the A. J . M inish farm . T h at was said to have been the la st b u f­ falo seen in th is p a rt of the country. D u rin g these ea rly y ears w ild tu rk ey s, quails, ducks, and geese w ere p len tiful. They fu rn ish e d a larg e p a r t of the s e ttle rs ’ m eat supply. I t w as n o t uncom m on to go out w ith a gun and k ill the m eat fo r d in n er d u rin g the forenoon preceding the noonday meal.

I n 1857, th e first tow n plot of H udson w as laid out by J . L. and M ary Aline and Asa Sergeant. The town was first called Greenfield.

In the same year, 1857-58, in th e place w here th e brid g e now stands, a saw m ill w as b u ilt by the T ew bury B ro th ers. I t was la te r converted into a flour m ill w hich was ru n successfully by Jam es Holmes.

The first sto re w as built in H udson by A. H. L ane of W a te r­ loo, in A ugust, 1878. I t served the seven fam ilies livin g in H u d ­ son a t th a t tim e and the farm ers of the ad jo in in g country.

In 1860, the first U. B. church was b u ilt a t Jo ck ev to w n and was la te r moved to H udson.

On the B e rt S tra y e r fa rm w as located a G erm an B a p tist shurch, which was built in 1877. The dimensions of this church were 36 by 44 feet. A few years afte rw a rd s, it w as moved to H udson in pieces and re b u ilt into a B reth re n church.

The elevator was built in the sp rin g of 1884 by B ra c k e tt, A rm stro n g and C om pany of M arshalltow n an d w as in ch arge of B yron S ergeant.*

P O P U L A T I O N

The d a ta on jtopulation in th is stu d y are on the fam ily basis. The fam ily has been tak en as a basis of stu d y because th is gives the tru e s t p ic tu re of the environm ent of those who now live or have lived u n til re cen tly in these d istricts. A ll living m em bers of the d ifferen t fam ilies, w h eth er or n o t th ey are now liv ing in

•T h e above h isto ric a l in fo rm a tio n w as secu red fro m V an M eter’s H is to ry o f B lack ­ h aw k C o u n ty a n d fro m old re sid en ts. The v illa g e o f J e s u p in th e J e s u p d is tric t h as h ad a v e ry s im ila r developm ent.

th e d istric t, w ere included in the population figures. This m eans th a t th ere is some du plicatio n in num bers. W here p a­ re n ts w ere still on the farm and had m arried child ren living on farm s in the same d istric t, the children were counted twice. They were first counted in the p aren tal fam ily and again in th e ir own fam ily. This duplication, and th e counting of chil­ d re n not now residing in the d istricts, w as about balanced by the h ired men and women in the d istric ts who w ere no t enum ­ erated in the p opulation study. So the ac tu al num ber of p e r­ sons on the farm s at p resen t in these d istric ts is not app reciab ly different from the figures given below. On this basis the popu­ latio n figures are : for the H udson d istric t, 3i)8t p e rso n s ; fo r the O range d istrict, 686 p ersons; and fo r the Jesu p d istrict, 765t persons.

COUNTRY OP BIRTH

Hudson: Of the male farm owner operators in th is district, 33 w ere born in the U nited S tates and 3 in o th er countries. Thirty-tw o o p erato rs’ wives were born in the U nited States, 1 in Ireland , 1 in Canada, and 1 in Germany.*

Of the fa rm ten an ts, 33 w ere born in the U nited S tates, 8 in Denm ark, 4 in Germ any, 1 in Bohemia, and 1 in Canada. The wives of the tenants, w ith but one exception, were born in the same country as th eir husbands.

Orange: Of the owner operators, 73 were born in the U nited States, 1 in Sweden, 1 in Canada, and 2 in Denmark. Seventy-one of the o p erato rs’ wives were born in the U nited States, 1 in Canada, and 2 in Denmark.*

Of th e te n a n ts in this d istric t, 52 were b orn in th e U nited S tates, 2 in D enm ark, and 1 in G erm any. Forty-five of these te n a n ts ’ wives w ere born in th e U nited S tates, 2 in D enm ark, an d 1 in G erm any.1

Jesups Of the 76 owner operators, 62 were born in the U nited S tates, 8 in G erm any, 2 in E nglan d, 2 in Belgium and 2 in D enm ark. Of these o p e ra to rs ’ wives, 58 w ere born in the U nited S tates, 6 in G erm any, 2 in Belgium, 1 in E ng lan d, an d 2 in D en m ark.1

Of the male te n a n t op erato rs 72 w ere born in the U nited S tates, 8 in Belgium , 7 in D enm ark, and 7 in G erm any. Of the 82 wives of these ten an ts, 66 w ere born in the U nited S tates, 6 in Belgium , 3 in G erm any, and 7 in D en m ark.1

TH E MARITAL CONDITIONS

Huds on: T hirty -fo u r of the 352 male owner operators were m arried, and 47, or all, of the m ale te n a n ts w ere m arried. The

fT h ese figures do n o t in clu d e th e v illag e p o p u la tio n in th e se d is tric ts . ♦O thers have n o w ives.

1Som e of th e m en a re n o t m a rrie d . 2O ne o w n er o p e ra to r is a w om an.

average age of te n a n ts a t the tim e of th e ir m arria g e w as found to be tw o and one-tenth years less th a n th a t of fa rm ow ners a t th e tim e of th e ir m arriage. The av erage age of te n a n ts a t th e tim e of m arria g e w as 25.2 years.

Orange-. Seventy-four of the 77 male owner operators were m arried , an d fo rty -eig h t of th e 55 te n a n ts w ere m arried. The average age of th e te n a n ts a t th e tim e of th e ir m arria g e was fou nd to be one and one-half y ea rs older th a n th a t of th e lan d ow ners a t th e tim e of th e ir m arriag e. The average age of ten ­ a n ts a t the tim e of th e ir m arria g e w as 25.5 years.

J e ssup: S ixtv-nine of the 76 male owner operators were m arried , an d 82 of the 94 male te n a n ts w ere m arried . The av ­ erage age of all te n a n ts in th is d istric t a t th e tim e of th e ir m ar­ riag e w as one and one-tenth years less th a n th e age of th e lan d ow ners a t th e tim e of th e ir m arriag e. The average age of te n ­ a n ts a t tim e of m arria g e w as 24.9 years.

Tw elve and one-half p ercen t of th e farm ers ’ wives w ere older th a n th e ir husbands. Ten p ercen t of th e wives of fa rm ow n­ ers an d 15 p ercen t of th e wives of te n a n ts are older th a n th e ir husbands.

The average age of fa rm e rs ’ wives in these th ree d istric ts is betw een th re e and fo u r y ea rs less th a n the age of farm ers.

SIZE OF FAMILIES

Hu d s o n : The average size of the owner operator fam ilies in w hich th ere are ch ild ren is 5.1 persons, an d fo r th e te n a n t fam ilies in w hich th ere are ch ild ren it is 5.2 persons. The av ­ erage size of all fam ilies in th e d istric t is 4.8 persons.

Orange: The average size of the owner operator fam ilies in w hieh th e re are children is 6 persons an d fo r th e te n a n t fam i­ lies 4.8 persons. The averag e size of all fam ilies in th e d is tric t is 5.2 persons.

J e s u p : The average size of the owner operator fam ilies in w hich th e re are children is 5.4 persons an d fo r ten an ts, 4.9 persons. The average size of all fam ilies in th e d is tric t is 4.5 persons.

The average size of th e Iow a fa rm fam ily, according to the 1920 census, is 4.2 persons. I t w ill be noted, th erefore, th a t the average size of families in all of these districts is above the av erage fo r th e state.

HOW GENERALLY DO FARM ERS DAUGH TERS MARRY FARM ERS AND HOW GENERALLY DO FAR M ERS’ SONS STAY

ON TH E FARM?

Hu d so n: There are 59 children 20 years of age o r over in th e d istric t, 28 m ales an d 31 fem ales. Som ew hat over

three-fo u rth s of these young people, w hen asked concerning th e ir fu tu re plans, stated th a t th ey expected to m ake the farm tlieir home.

A ccording to d a ta g ath ered in th is survey, app ro x im ately 75 p ercen t of the m arried farm boys and girls in the H udson school d istric t now live on the farm . M any of these young people have settled on farm s of th e ir own or on farm s owned by m em bers of tlieir im m ediate families.

O r a n g e : The num ber of children in the township 20 years old or over is 113; 56 of these are m ales and 57 are fem ales. Al­ most 80 percen t of these young people are in te re ste d in farm life and stated th a t th ey expected to live on the farm .

Som ew hat over 75 percen t of the young people who have m arried in recen t years in th is d is tric t are now on the farm . The desire to sta y on the farm seems to be on th e increase, ac­ cording to com m unity leaders, since courses in a g ric u ltu re and home economics were established in O range C onsolidated School in 1916.

J e sup: There are 119 children 20 years of age or over in the fam ilies of the d istrict, 65 males and 54 females.

A lm ost 75 percen t of these young people, w hen asked about th e ir fu tu re plans, stated th a t th ey expected to live on a farm . Sixtv-nine percen t of the m arried d au g h ters m arried farm ers and 70 p ercent of the m arried sons are farm ers.

T A B L E I. SIZ E AN D O P E R A T IO N O F FA R M S A re a T o tal no of

O p erated

by ow ners by te n a n tsO p erated A v erag e size of A verage size o f fa rm s A v erag e size of fa rm fa rm s

No. P e rc e n t No. P e rc e n t in acresfa rm s op eratedby ow n er o p e ra te d by t e n a n t 1921 H udson d is tric t 83 36 43.4 47 56 .6 221.2 192.3 243.2 1921 O ra n g e d is tric t 132 77 58.3 55 41.7 156.2 158.4 151.6 1921 Je s u p d is tric t 170 76 44.7 94 55 .3 159.8 144.6 172.1 B lackhaw k co u n ty 1900 2,257 1,418 62 .8 825 36 .6 154.7 1910 2,168 1,248 57 .6 909 41.9 156.9 148io 168!8 1920 2,358 1,252 53.1 1,067 45.3 144.1 132.9 156.5 B u ch an an co u n ty I 1900 1910 2,447 2,334 1,4561,649 62.467.4 850783 36.432.0 150.6146.1 143.3 159.4... 1920 2,232 1,239 55.5 963 | 43.1 153.2 141.2 165.7 S ta te 1900 228,622 147,305 64.4 79,736 | 3 4.9 151.2 152.4 145.8 1910 217,044 133,003 61.3 82,115 | 37.8 156.3 152.0 161.1 1920 213,439 121,888 57.1 89,064 i 41.7 156.8 148.1 166.8

E C O N O M I C A N D S O C I A L C O N D I T I O N S

Table I shows th a t the size of the farm s range from an aver­ age of 156.2 acres in Orange d istrict to 221.2 acres in the H u d ­ son d istrict.* I n H udson d is tric t th e la rg e st fa rm is 630 acres. T here are fo u r o th er farm s of 400 acres or m ore an d b u t one fa rm of less th a n 80 acres. The la rg e st fa rm in O range d istric t is 560 acres an d th ere are 16 farm s of 80 acres or less. The larg e st fa rm in Je su p d is tric t is 400 acres an d th ree farm s are less th a n 80 acres.

The la rg e r farm s are in the h ands of ten an ts, p a rtic u la rly older ten an ts, in d icatin g th a t the fa rm s w hich are larg e enough to su p p o rt two fam ilies are m ost likely to be leased. The la rg ­ est class of lan d lo rd s are re tire d farm ers. (See tab le IV .) These fa cts are b ro u g h t out in still o ther ways. In tab le I I I it is show n th a t in the O range d istric t, w here th e farm s are sm all­ est, the average age of the ow ner op erato rs is g re a te st of the th ree d istricts. The average age of te n a n ts is low est in O range and the average age of all lan d lo rd s is greatest. In O range the averag e age of re tire d lan d lo rd s is g re atest, an d th e average tim e ow ner op erato rs have been fa rm in g is longest. In tab le I I I it is also shown th a t the average num ber of years of re tire ­ m ent from the fa rm is sh o rtest in the O range d istrict.

DISTANCE PROM TRADING CENTER AND RAILROAD CENTER Huds on: The average distance to the fa m ily ’s chief trad in g ce n te r is 2.44 miles. The nearest ra ilro a d statio n is the same fo r m ost of the d istrict.

Orange: The average distance to the fa m ily ’s chief trad in g ce n te r is 4.5 miles. The distance is so g re a t because the city of W aterloo, w hich is located ju s t n o rth of the tow nship, was given as the chief tra d in g center. The average distance to a ra ilro a d sta tio n is m uch less because of two statio n s ju s t beyond the b o u n d ary of th e d is tric t on two sides.

J e s u p : The average distance to the nearest tra d in g center is 3.14 miles an d it is the same distance to th e n ea rest ra ilro a d station.

T A B L E II. R E L A T IO N S H IP O R K IN S H IP B E T W E E N T E N A N T S A N D LA N D L O R D S

T he k in sh ip b etw een te n a n ts a n d la n d lo rd s is a s fo llo w s :

H ud so n d is tric t O ra n g e d is tric t | Je s u p d is tr ic t T o tal Sons ... 12 Sons ... ..1 8 | Sons ... . .. 2 2 52 S o n s - i n - l a w ... 1 S o n s - in - la w ... . . 10 | S o n s-in -law ... . . . 2 13 B ro th e rs-in -law . . . . 1 B ro th e rs-in -law . . . . I ) B r o th e r s - in - l a w ... . . . 2 4 B r o t h e r ... 1 B r o t h e r ... . . 1 | B ro th e r ... 2 TO T A L ... 15 N ephew ... . . 1 | O th e r re la tiv e s ... 31 | 26 721 P e rc e n t o f a ll te n ­ a n ts ... 3 1.9 56.4 |1 27.6 36.7 ♦The a v e ra g e size of a ll fa rm s in Iow a acco rd in g to th e 1920 C ensus is 156.8 acres. In 1910 i t w as 156.3 a cres.

T A B L E II I . C O M P A R A T IV E A G ES O F O W N E R S , T E N A N T S , A N D LA N D L O R D S A N D P E R IO D O F O P E R A T IO N

H udson O ra n g e Jesu p A verage (83 (132 (170 (385) fa rm s ) fa rm s ) fa rm s ) f a r m s ) A verage age o f o w n er o p e r a to r s ...(y ears) | 42.6 47.5 46 .6 46.4 A v erag e ag e of t e n a n t s ... 38.8 34.5 39.0 37.8 A verage ag e of la n d lo a rd s ... 53.9 54.5 53.7 54.0 A v erag e ag e of lan d lo rd s s till f a r m i n g ... 47.3 49.8 49.0 49.0 A verage a g e of re tire d la n d lo rd s ... . . . . j

A verage n u m b er years o w n er o p erato rs have been

62.5 63.1 57.1 61.6 fa rm in g ... 12.0 19.3 16.6 16.9 On p re s e n t fa rm ... 7.3 10.6 9.9 9 .3 A v erag e tim e te n a n ts have b^en f a r m i n g ... 11.2 8.8 10.0 10.0 O n p re s e n t fa rm ... 4.6 5.6 4 .2 4 .7

The above figures indicate th a t a larg e percen tag e of Iow a te n a n ts are quite likely to succeed to ow nership of th e farm s th ey now o perate as ten an ts. This tend ency seems to be on th e increase. In 1915-16, 46.4 p ercen t of th e te n a n ts in the O range d istric t w ere re la ted to th e ir landlord s, as com pared to the 56.4 p ercen t as shown above, in 1920-21. F a rm e rs are m a r­ ry in g ju st as young as a g eneration ago and, therefo re, begin to raise th e ir fam ilies as early as ever. B u t they live longer now th a n form erly, and m any of them re tire earlier in life. These fa cto rs m ean th a t unless farm ers die or sell out to th e ir sons or sons-in-law before th e ir d eath th ere w ill be a longer period of ten an c y on these farm s. B u t th is system of related ten an cy is a kind of p artn e rsh ip . I t is not so lik ely to be ex­ haustiv e of soil fe rtility as in those cases w here the te n a n t and lan d lo rd are u n re la ted to each other.

Owner o perato rs are on an average eight and one-half years older th a n the ten an ts. L andlords are an average of seven and one-half years older th a n the ow ner op erato rs and the lan d ­ lords average about 16 years older th a n the ten ants. The la n d ­ lords who have re tire d average 12!/2 years older th a n th e la n d ­ lords who are still farm ing. T enants have been farm in g on an average about ten years, while ow ner o perato rs have been fa rm ­ in g one and seven-tenths tim es as long. B oth te n a n ts and own­ e r o perators have been farm in g on th e ir p resen t farm s about h alf as long as each has been farm ing.

T A B L E IV . L A N D L O R D S : T H E IR FA R M E X P E R IE N C E A N D P R E S E N T O C C U PA T IO N

H udson | O ra n g e Jesu p No. of lan d lo rd s who have lived on a f a r m ... 34 46 47 No. of lan d lo rd s who have n ev er lived on th e f a r m . . . . 6 5 11 No. of lan d lo rd s who have lived on th e fa rm they now

26 28 37 No. of landlords w ho h ave n ev er lived on th e fa rm they

now o w n ... 8 18 10 No. of landlords now f a r m i n g ... 10 17 9 No. of landlords w ho a re re tir e d f a r m e r s ... 23 22 29 No. of lan d lo rd s in m iscellaneous o c c u p a tio n s... 5 7 12 No. of la n d la d ie s ... 6 7 8

F ig . 2. W h ere som e of th e fa rm e rs of O ra n g e d istric e r e tir e in th e c o u n try aro u n d th e ir c h u rch a n d school.

The average num ber of years since th e lan d lo rd re tire d from the fa rm w as 10 years fo r 20* of th e 23 re tire d lan d lo rd s in H udson d i s t r i c t ; 12 years fo r 18* of the 22 re tire d lan d lo rd s in O range d istric t and 14 years fo r 24* of the 29 re tire d lan dlords in Jesu p d istrict.

Over 80 p ercen t of th e lan d lo rd s in Jesu p d is tric t and over 90 p ercen t of the lan d lo rd s in H udson an d O range d istricts have lived on farm s some tim e d u rin g th e ir life. Of those la n d ­ lords who have lived on a farm , 72 p ercen t now or have lived on the farm s th ey own. Those lan d lo rd s who have n ever lived on farm s are, fo r the m ost p a rt, b an k ers and business m en living w ith in or n ea r the respective d istricts.

As re g a rd s p re sen t occupation, m ost of the lan d lo rd s have re ­ tire d from farm ing, y e t those still fa rm in g exceed th e num ber engaged in m iscellaneous occupations. Of th e lan d lo rd s in m is­ cellaneous occupations are th ree bankers, tw o b utchers, two m an u factu rers, tw o re al estate men, an auctioneer, a doctor, a d ru g g ist, a fu rn itu re dealer, a garag e man, a law yer, a life in ­ surance man, a lum ber dealer, a m ail carrier, an oil man, a p ost­ m aster, a ra ilro a d laborer, a tru c k driv er, and two w ork a t odd jobs. One b an k e r has fo u r farm s.

T EN A N T S EXPECT TO BECOME LANDOW NERS

Huds on: O f the ten an ts who do not own land, 78 percent stated th a t they expected to become land owners a t some fu tu re time. Of this num ber, 55 p ercen t expect to become lan d owners th ru p u rchase an d 23 p ercen t by inheritance.

O r a n g e: Of the tenants who do not own land, 94.4 percent sta te d th a t th ey expected to become lan d owners in th e fu tu re .

M any of these men expect to become owners th ru inheritance* J e s u p : Of the tenants who do not now own land, 55 p e r­ cent stated th a t th ey expected to become lan d owners a t a fu ­ tu re time. F orty -tw o p ercen t of these te n a n ts expect to become lan d ow ners th ru p u rchase and 13 p ercen t by inheritance.

INCREASE AND CHANGE IN TEN A NTRY

Hudson: D u rin g the last five years, 11 owners of farm s have re tire d and th e ir farm s have gone into th e h an ds of ten an ts. Tw enty-one farm s o perated by te n a n ts have h ad one or more changes of ten an ts d u rin g the last five years. F ifte e n of the re n te d farm s have re ta in ed the same te n a n ts d u rin g th e last five years.

T en a n try in the H udson d is tric t is quite m arked, b u t th e ty pe of te n a n t is no t the k in d who w ill do poor farm in g. M any of the farm s are re n te d to sons or sons-in-law, a larg e p ercentage of whom expect to become ow ners of th e farm s th ey now op­ erate. Then, too, th e farm s are large, w hich m eans th a t only the b e tte r ty p e of te n a n t will, fo r th e m ost p a rt, be found in the d istrict. The poorer types of te n a n t cannot hand le larg e farm s.

Orange: W ithin the last five years, 20 owners have allowed th e ir fa rm s to pass into th e h ands of ten ats, b u t 14 of these farm s w ent into the hands of sons or sons-in-law. The other six w ere re n te d to men no t re la ted to ow ner operators.

Twenty-F ig . 3. T h is fa r m h as been in th e h a n d s o f te n a n ts fo r m a n y y ears.

♦T able II show s t h a t a lm o st tw ic e as m a n y te n a n ts in th is d is tric t a r e re la te d to th e ir lan d lo rd s a s in th e o th e r d is tric ts . T h is do u b tless a cc o u n ts in p a r t fo r th e m uch h ig h e r p e rc e n ta g e in th is d is tr ic t who e x p ec t to becom e lan d o w n ers.

Fig. 14. This fa rm has ju s t passed in to th e h an d s of a te n a n t.

six of the rented farm s in the Orange d istric t are in the same hands now th a t th ey w ere five years ago. F ifte e n out of th e 26 te n a n ts on these farm s are re la ted to th e ir landlords. N ine of the re n te d fa rm s changed te n a n ts d u rin g th e la st five y ea rs an d only one of these te n a n ts is re la te d to the lan d lo rd . A to ta l of 31 te n a n ts are re la te d to th e ir landlords, or 56.4 p ercent.

The te n a n t situ atio n in O range d istric t is unique, in th a t the p ercen t of te n a n try is com parativ ely low an d a larg e p a r t of it is n o t th e k in d th a t will re su lt in a lack of care of the farm s or in te re st in th e schools, churches and com m unity developm ent. The survey shows th a t over h a lf of the ten an ts are re la te d to th e ir landlords.

Seventy-tw o p ercen t of the farm s in th is d is tric t did not change ow nership d u rin g th e five-year period an d 47.3 p ercen t of th e re n te d farm s did no t change te n a n ts d u rin g th e same pe­ riod.

J e s u p: The survey shows th a t 56 owners have lived on the sam e fa rm the la st five years. Eleven sold th e ir farm s to o th er fa rm owners an d 9 te n a n ts bought farm s d u rin g the la st five years. T w enty-three owners re n te d th e ir farm s d u rin g the la st five-year period, 48 of the farm s changed te n a n ts d u rin g the same period, and 23 te n a n ts h ad not moved d u rin g the la s t five years.

T e n a n try is quite prom inen t in the Jesu p d istrict. The s u r­ vey shows th a t a larg e num ber of the ow ners of th e re n te d farm s live some distance from th e ir farm s, w hich m akes the problem of the local school, roads an d o th er public im prove­ m ents m uch m ore difficult. These d istan t, absentee lan d lo rd s have little in te re st in these p ro jec ts an d some of th e ir taxes are co n trib u ted to the com m unities w here th ey now live.

i

F ig . 5. A m odern fa rm b a rn w ith all m odern conveniences.

LOCATION OF FARM HOME ON STATE, COUNTY OR TOW NSHIP ROADS

Hudson : Of the 82 definite answers on location of homes, 19 are on a sta te o r p rim ary road, 17 on county, and 46 on tow n ­ ship roads.

Or a n g e: Of the 132 definite answers on location of homes, 30 are on a state or p rim ary road, 17 on county roads, 85 on tow nship roads.

Jesup: Of the 156 definite answers on location of homes, 11 are on a sta te or p rim a ry road, 46 on a county and 99 on tow n­ ship roads.

M ost of the sta te or p rim a ry roads in these d istricts have been p u t to grade. M ost of them are gravelled or paved.

T A B L E V. L I F E IN S U R A N C E .

F a rm e rs w hen qu estio n ed as to life in s u ra n c e re p o rte d as fo llo w s : H udson : O f 84 fa rm e rs

51 re p o rte d t h a t th e y c a rrie d som e fo rm o f lif e in su ra n ce . 16 re p o rte d t h a t th e y c a r rie d no life in su ra n ce .

Som e did n o t believe in life in su ran ce. O ra n g e : O f 132 fa rm e rs

71 re p o rte d t h a t th e y c a rrie d som e fo rm o f life in su ra n ce . 34 re p o rte d t h a t th e y c a rrie d no life in su ra n ce .

Som e did n o t believe in life in su ra n ce . J e s u p : O f 170 fa rm e rs

88 re p o rte d t h a t th e y c a rrie d som e fo rm o f life in su ra n ce . 57 re p o rte d t h a t th e y c a rrie d no life in su ra n ce .

Som e did n o t believe in in su ra n ce .

Six ty -six p e rc e n t o f th e 317 fa rm e rs re p o rtin g c a r ry som e fo rm o f life in su ra n ce .

FARMS W ITH NAM ES

T w enty-three of the 83 farm s surveyed in H udson d istrict, 36 of the 132 farm s in O range d is tric t and 7 of th e 170 farm s in Jesu p d istric t have special names. N am ing of farm s gives the farm home a special in d iv id u a lity corresponding to th a t of the city home w ith its stre e t nam e and house num ber. A ll farm ers should ch risten th e ir farm s w ith nam es w hich have special

sig-TA BLE VI. C O NVENIENCES A BO U T TH E BA R N AN D TH E FARM H udson d is tric t T o ta l no. of fa rm s in dis­ t r i c t ... 83 T o tal no. of t e n a n t fa rm s in d is tr ic t. . .47 O ra n g e T o t a l f a r m s t r i c t . . . T o tal no. a n t f a r d is tric t . d is tric t no. of in dis-... 132 o f te n - m s i n ... 55 Je s su p d is tric t T o t a l no. of fa rm s in d i s-T o t a l no. of te n a n t fa rm s in d i s t r i c t ... 94 No. of all fa rm s w ith No. of te n a n t fa rm s w ith No. of all fa rm s w ith N o. of te n a n t fa rm s w ith N o. of a ll fa rm s w ith No. of te n a n t fa rm s w ith M an u re s p re a d e rs ... 82 47 160 45 151 86 M an u re c a r r i e r ... 1..* 26 12 13 t Gas e n g in e s ... 74 39 94 46 110 61 G rain e le v a to rs ... 23 19 42 17 27 13 Silo ... 67 36 84 36 52 32 T ra c to rs ... 13 8 26 11 24 16 T ru ck s ... 3 o 4 2 5 0 M ilking m a c h in e ... 1 1 7 3 4 2 H ay lo ad er ... 36 18 75 45 C orn s h re d d e r... 5 2 4 2 D ouble-row co rn plow . . . c c 6 3 3 2 T h resh in g m a c h in e ... 30 19 21 11 W indm ill a n d t a n k ... ■2 34 19 89 54 R u n n in g w a te r in y a rd . c3 a 48 19 32 19 C ream s e p a r a t o r ... a 40 15 80 49 G an g p lo w ... 'a 32 18 59 34 C orn h u s k e r ... o ♦No d a ta ♦No d a ta 0 1 C orn b i n d e r ... * * tak en tak en 7 3 ♦H ad d a ta been collected on th ese item s, th e figures w ould have show n a h ig h e r p e r­ c en tag e o f fa rm s w ith these conveniences th a n in th e d is tric ts w here figures w ere se­ cured.

nificance fo r the p a rtic u la r farm . This w ould give th e farm in d iv id u a lity and the farm fam ily would have new p ride in and an attach m en t to th e ir home.

ORGANIZATIONS, ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIP AND BREEDERS OP PURE BRED LIVESTOCK

Hudson: The chief fa rm ­ e r s ’ organizations in th is dis­ tric t are cooperative. They are a fa rm e rs ’ telephone c o m p a n y , a cooperative cream ery and a cooperative shipping association. T h e telephone com pany has been op eratin g for 20 years, the shipping association only a few years and the cream ery for 30 years. In the d istrict live two of the pioneer pure- b r e d stock producers of B lack H aw k county and of the state of Iowa. One owner

F ig . 6. W o rld ’s cham pion B elgian s ta l- O p e r a t o r p r o d u c e d a W O r l d ’s lion, F a rc e u r 7332 (72924) foaled an d c h a m p i o n B e l g i a n Stallion,

re a re d on a fa rm in th e H udson d is tric t. t-, n o n o i - j Sold in 1917 fo r $47,500. .b a r c e u r 7 o o 2 , a n d i s s a i d

to have produced m ore cham pion B elgians th a n any o th er breeding fa rm in A m erica p rio r to 1921. A

well-know n m iddle w e s t Percheron breeder is also an active farm er in this school district. The dis­ tric t claims 25 other fa rm ­ ers who are breeders or owners of purebred stock, principally S horthorn and H ereford cattle, H a m p ­ shire an d Poland China hogs.

O r a n g e : T h i s d istric t has long been known fo r its successful fa rm e rs ’ co- o p e r a t i v e associations w hich a r e : a cooperative telephone com pany, a cooperative egg m ark e tin g association, a cooperative livestock shipping association, cooperative cream ery, and num erous th resh in g and silo filling rings.

The fa rm e rs ’ cooperative telephone com pany has grow n from an in itia l m em bership of 70 p a tro n s in 1902 to 125 p a tro n s at the p re sen t time. S w itching privileges are m aintained in W a t­ erloo, w ith the Bell Telephone C om pany th ru th e p aym en t of an an n u al due.

The cooperative egg m ark e tin g association s ta rte d in 1914 w ith 10 m em bers and has 22 active m em bers a t the p re sen t time. E ach m em ber stam ps his eggs and ca rto n containing eggs w ith

F ig . 7. T illy A lc a r tra , w o rld ’s cham pion m ilk cow of 1915 a n d 1918. T h is cow w as

born a n d re a re d in th e O ra n g e d is tric t.

3

F ig . 9. T he fa rm e rs ’ new co o p erativ e c re am ery a t J e s u p w hich rep laced th e old one show n in fig. 8.

a ce rtain le tte r. In case any egg is n o t s tric tly fresh as g u a ra n ­ t e e ^ the p ro d u cer is know n and m ust replace th e bad p ro du ct. The eggs are all sold to a single grocery store in W aterloo for fo u r cents above the m a rk e t price fo r eggs. In 1920 th e mem­ bers sold 21,280 dozen eggs.

The stock shipping association was organized in Ja n u a ry , 1921, w ith 101 m em bers, and d u rin g the first eig h t m onths 42 carloads of livestock w ere shipped.

The cooperative cream ery, the oldest cooperative organ iza­ tion in the tow nship an d one of th e oldest in th e state, w as or­ ganized in 1899. The cream ery w as located fo u r miles south of W aterloo u n til 1921, w hen a new m odern p la n t w as b u ilt in W aterloo so th a t all farm s w ith in a ra d iu s of 8 to 10 miles m ight have th e benefit of a p u re ly fa rm e rs ’ cooperative org an i­ zation. The new organization, know n as th e W aterlo o C oopera­ tive D a iry Com pany, has over 200 stockholders, every one of whom is a m ilk producer.

P ra c tic a lly all th resh in g is done by cooperative th resh in g m achines, owned u su ally by abo ut 10 farm ers to th e outfit. F ro m seven to nine farm s gen erally cooperate on a silo filling outfit, of w hich th ere are fo u r in th e d istrict.

T here are 17 prom inent breeders of p u reb red stock in the dis­ tric t. F ive are breeders of S horthorns, fo u r of H erefo rd s, fo u r of H olstein-F resians, tw o of A ngus, and one each of G uernseys and A yrshires. One of these breeders, in p a rtic u la r, has w on a w ide re p u ta tio n . H e s ta rte d w ith A ngus ca ttle n e a rly 30 years ago. H is services are now sought as a ju d g e of A ngus c a ttle a t state, in te r-sta te and in ter-n a tio n a l stock shows.

com pany, a fa rm e rs ’ cooperative elev ato r an d live stock ship­ ping association, and a fa rm e rs ’ cooperative cream ery.

The telephone com pany, from a sm all beginning in 1902, has grow n so th a t it now covers a rad iu s of 15 miles, w ith 669 phones.

The cooperative elevator, know n as F a rm e rs ’ G rain and Stock Company, grew out of a livestock shipping association which was organized in 1918. This company now owns two ele­ vators, a flour and feed warehouse, coal sheds and other stor­ age facilities. This com pany shipped 6,160 head of hogs and 2,126 head of ca ttle d u rin g 1921. P ra c tic a lly all the stock went to W aterloo. It did a la rg e r business d u rin g 1921 th an in 1920.

The F a rm e r s ’ C ooperative C ream ery was s ta rte d in 1890. At present 1,441 cream and 60 m ilk custom ers bring th e ir produ cts to the creamery. About 750 tubs of b u tte r are being shipped at p resent (O ctober, 1924) to th e Xew Y ork m arket. R ecently one fa rm e r received a check fo r $463.38 from this cream ery fo r one m o n th ’s cream or b u tte r-fa t produced by his herd of Jerseys. I t is an ticip ated th a t Jesu p cream ery in 1924 w ill m ake more th an 2,000,000 pounds of b u tter.

A census of livestock breeders shows 38 farm s raisin g p u re ­ bred ca ttle, viz., Jersey , 16; H olstein, 10; S ho rtho rn, 6; G uern­ sey, 4; H erefords and Angus, 1 each.

E D I K ' A T I O N A L C O N D I T I O N S

Iowa was the eleventh sta te in the U nited S tates to enact a school consolidation law. This law was passed in 1873, and the first consolidated school in the sta te was built in 1895 in Buffalo C enter, Iowa. In 1897, Iow a passed h er first consolidated school tra n sp o rta tio n law.

C onsolidation in each of tlie d istricts included in this stu d y was a process of grad u al evolution. In H udson d istric t, a fte r the subject of consolidation had been a g ita te d fo r a num ber of years, ten autom obile loads of school p atro n s visited the new consolidated school a t M elbourne. Those who w ent on this trip w ere convinced of the advantages of consolidation, but it required a second election fo r consolidation to c a rry in the H udson d istrict. The second election was fav orable and the new school bu ilding was re ad y for occupancy in th e fall of 1916.

In O range d istrict, a com m unity lite ra ry society organized in the w in ter of 1908-9 by teachers and p aren ts first fostered the idea of school consolidation. The first vote on consolida­ tion held in 1914 was against consolidation alm ost th ree to one. The second vote held in th e sum m er of 1915 resu lted in a th ree to one vote in fa v o r of consolidation. By Septem ber, 1916, a

F ig . 10. H udson school a t th e to p , O ra n g e in th e c e n te r a n d Je s u p a t th e b ottom . A ll a r e co n so lid ated a n d each dem ands college g ra d u a te s fo r te a ch e rs in th e h ig h school. A ll te a ch e rs in th e g ra d e s m u s t have had at le a s t tw o y ears o f college train­ ing. Hudson and Orange each have five acres in the school grounds and Jesup has eight and one-half.

new consolidated school replaced the 10 one-room schools of the d istrict.

In Jesu p d istric t, an organization know n as the Com m unity Club and composed of both tow nsm en and farm ers, created sen­ tim en t fo r a consolidated school as one phase of th e ir program of activities. This club, in M ay, 1916, appointed a com m ittee of six local, re p resen ta tiv e men to visit consolidated schools in the w estern p a r t of the sta te to g a th e r first-hand in form ation on all phases of consolidation. These six men, tho originally not enthusiastic su p p o rters of consolidation, unanim ously re ­ p o rted in fav o r of such a change a t a public m eeting th e d ay be­ fore school election. The vote for consolidation ca rried seven to two. By M arch, 1918, a new consolidated school, one of the la rg e st and best equipped in the state, replaced a dozen of the old one-room ru ra l schools.

SOME R ESU LTS OP CONSOLIDATION

The farm ers and village people of H udson, O range and Jesu p school d istric ts are provid ing th e ir children w ith excellent edu­ cational facilities an d opportunities. T heir consolidated schools have been models fo r stu d y by delegates from over a dozen states and from a num ber of foreign countries.

The O range and Jesu p school d istric ts are am ong the la rg e r d istric ts in the state, thus providing the financial, educational, professional an d social o p portun ities th a t sm aller d istric ts can ­ no t alw ays enjoy.

C onsolidation in all th ree d istric ts has g re a tly increased the school enrollm ent j1 prom oted m ore re g u la r a tte n d a n c e ; le n g th ­ ened the school t e r m ; enabled farm boys an d girls to advance fa s te r u n d er the directio n of b e tte r qualified teach ers and has given them up-to-date fo u r-y ear accred ited high school courses w ithou t leaving the farm . In the O range tow nship, fo r exam ­ ple, before consolidation in 1915, th ere w ere 32 stu d en ts in high schools and 8 in colleges from the one-room school d istricts. In 1920-21, five years a f te r consolidation, th ere w ere 80 pupils in the local high school and 23 persons from this d is tric t in col­ leges. Three tim es as m any young people from th is d istric t have gone to high school and college since consolidation.

The school ta x ra te stan d s about h alf w ay betw een the school tax ra te of the su rro u n d in g cities and the tax ra te of the s u r­ rou nding one-room ru ra l school districts. The benefits derived from consolidation have increased m any fold. The auditorium s,

xIn th e open c o u n try d is tric t o f O ra n g e w h ere th e re h as been no ap p re ciab le ch an g e in p o p u la tio n , th e e n ro llm e n t in th e one-room schools in th e la s t y e ar b efo re consoli­ d a tio n w as 129. F iv e y e ars la te r school e n ro llm e n t w as 225. R ecen tly , th e re w ere g ra d u a te d fro m th e e ig h th g ra d e in th is d is tric t 34 p u pils in a sin g le y e ar, w h ile in a n a d jo in in g to w n sh ip o f one-room schools, th e re w ere 4 p u p ils g ra d u a te d fro m th e eig h th g ra d e th e sam e y ear. (Iow a S ta te T e a c h er’s College B u lle tin , Vol. X X II, N o. 3, p. 13.)

T A B L E V II. SIZ E , E N R O L L M E N T , T R A N S P O R T A T IO N AN D C O STS O F S C H O O LS

| H udson O ra n g e Jesu p Sections of la n d in th e school d i s t r i c t ... ...! 29 39 46 T o tal n u m b e r of p u pils e n ro lle d ... ... | 232 2251 340 E n ro llm e n t in h ig h school2 ... ... | 55 653 903 N u m b er of h ig h school te a c h e r s ... ... 1 io 7 9 N u m b e r of g ra d e te a c h e r s ... ..._...1 4 4 8 N u m b er of p u p ils t r a n s p o r te d ... ... | 121 218 210 A v erag e le n g th o f school ro u te s ( m ile s )... ...I 4 54 4 .5 5 0 N u m b e r o f h o rse -d ra w n w a g o n s ..._...1 5 12 14 A v erag e m o n th ly w ages of th e d riv e rs 5 . . . ... ...| $62 80 $57.50 $54 50 A v erag e cost, p er p u p il, p e r m o n th 5... . . . | $ 433 $ 4.19 $ 4 44

School tax es p e r a c re o f fa rm la n d 5 ... ... I $ 1 06 $ 1.19 $ 1 16 School ta x r a t e (m ills)5 ... ...1 $ 37 $ .40 $ 59 JT h e O ra n g e d is tric t h as th e s m a lle s t e n ro llm e n t in its school because th e re is no vil-la g e in th e d is tric t as in th e tw o o th ers.

2T he e n ro llm e n t in ju n io r hig h school (7 , 8 a n d 9 g ra d e s) is 40 in H udson d is tric t, a n d in th e ju n io r high school (8 a n d 9 g ra d e s) in O ra n g e i t is 35. Je s u p has no* ju n io r h ig h school.

3F o r H udson a n d O ra n g e , th e se figures in clu d e o n ly th e te n th , e le v en th a n d tw e lfth g r a d e s ; fo r J e su p , th e n in th g ra d e is included.

4T h e a v e ra g e le n g th o f th e school ro u te s tra v e le d b y th re e m o to r busses in th is d is­ t r i c t is fo u r m iles. D riv e rs o f th e m o to r blisses fu r n is h th e ir ow n busses an d m a in ta in th e ir upkeep. T h e ir a v e ra g e m o n th ly w ag e is $100. E ach d is tr ic t ow ns its ow n h o rse-d riv en w agons, th e d riv e rs fu r n is h in g o n ly th e h o rses. T h e a v e ra g e cost, p er p u p il, p e r m o n th , fo r tra n s p o r tin g p u p ils on th e m o to r bus ro u te s is $4.

5B u lle tin o f Io w a S ta te T e a c h ers’ College, “ G ro w th o f C onsolidated Schools in Io w a ,” S ep t., 1921, pp . 8-11.

or high school assem bly rooms, are the scenes of m any com­ m u n ity m eetings. The schools have th e ir lite ra r y societies, Y. M. C. A .’s, Y. W. C. A .’s, boy scouts, girl reserves, and p aren t- te a c h e rs ’ associations. A full fo u r-y ear high school course, a long er term of school and all the com m unity ad v an tag es offered by these schools a t such a sm all ad d itio n al cost has sold the con­ solidated school idea to the patrons.

A h ap py m ixing of farm and village children is also found in the two d istric ts which include villages. In the H udson dis­ tric t, 121 of the 232 children live on farm s, w hile in the Jesu p d istric t, 205 of the 340 ch ild ren live on farm s.

SPECIAL SCHOOL WORK

Je su p provides an an n u al sh o rt course fo r older boys who have d ropped out of school before com pleting the eig hth grade, or the high school course. A special in s tru c to r is provided for th is w ork. The course is offered in m id-w inter w hen the farm work is lightest and is such th a t these boys can take the tim e to a tte n d school fo r a num ber of weeks. The w ork is so co rre­ la te d w ith the re g u la r school w ork as to m ake available the necessary equipm ent fo r effective w ork and practice.

MORE BOYS THAN GIRLS GRADUATE PROM HIGH SCHOOL A nother th in g of interest is the ratio of boys to girls who com plete the high school course in the p u re ly open co u n try dis­ tric t of O range. In th is d istric t the num b er of h ig h school

g ra d u ates of the first fo u r classes, 1918, 1919,1920 and 1921 was 48. Of these 27 w ere boys an d 21 girls. The sta te census of 1915 shows th a t all persons in Iow a who have a tte n d e d high or

p re p a ra to ry schools, 5 9 percen t are women, and th a t 64 p ercen t of those who have atten d e d these schools fo u r or m ore years are women.*

D IS T R IB U T IO N O P H IG H SCH O O L G RA D U A TES The O range and H udson d istric ts have about the same enrollm ent. Alm ost one-half of the children in the H udson d istric t live in the village of H udson. The H udson high school g ra d ­ uates fo r the first four years, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, nu m ber 53. Of this num ber 8 are teaching, 11 are in college, 6 are in business, 2 are fa rm in g fo r them selves, 10 of the young women are m ar­ ried, and 16 are a t home helping th e ir p arents. Of th e g ra d ­ u ates of the first fo u r classes in O range, 48 in all, 8 are teach ­ ers, 23 are in college and 17 are living on farm s, eith er m arried or single. Of those in college, th ree are tra in in g to become nurses and th ree are a tte n d in g business college.

V OCATIO NA L T R A IN IN G

D om estic science, ag ric u ltu re and m anual tra in in g are offered in all th ree schools. E ach school is w ell equipped to c a rry on these different lines of vocational w ork. H udson and O range schools to g e th e r em ploy one a g ric u ltu ra l in s tru c to r who de­ votes half-tim e a t each school. A music supervisor divides h er tim e betw een these same schools. Jesu p has a full-tim e ag ric u l­ tu ra l teacher. In each of the d istricts, the teach er of ag ric u l­ tu re is employed fo r 12 m onths of the year. D u rin g the sum ­ m er m onths he d irects th e club w ork of club m em bers and helps them p re p are fo r th e ir stock show exhibits.

SC HO O L AND COM M UN ITY A C T IV IT IE S

E n te rta in m e n ts and g ath erin g s w hich b rin g th e people to ­ g eth er a r e : lectu re courses, concerts, operettas, educational

mo-♦Iow a S ta te C ensus, 1915, p a g e X L.

F ig . 11. S ta te c h am p io n sh ip h ig h school ju d g in g te a m o f 1921-22 a n d th e ir in s tru c to r. Two m em b ers of th e te a m a re fro m th e H u d ­ son d is tric t an d o ne fro m O ran g e.

tion pictures, stereopticon pictu res and lectures, basketb all gam es, high school parties, declam ato ry contests, com m unity o rc h estra and band concerts, corn an d p o u ltry shows, com m uni­ ty fairs, stock shows, fa th e r an d son and m other an d d a u g h te r banquets, fa rm e rs ’ in stitu tes, com m unity club m eetings, F a rm B u reau m eetings, and others. All of these g ath erin g s and o r­ ganizations help to link th e schools, the farm s and the farm and village people to g eth er in th e ir m any common in terests. M ore com plete and successful cooperation in various economic e n te r­ prises have resu lted from th e people learn in g to know each o th er and th e ir common in tere sts th ru these m eetings and g a th ­ erings. People learn to know and like th e ir neighbors b e tte r and discover th a t th ey have m any in tere sts and problem s in common. T hey find the solution of th e ir problem s often m ade easier by in terc h an g e of ideas and discussions. E v ery consoli­ d ated school should be, in ad d itio n to a cen ter of learn in g fo r the childhood and youth, a g en e ratin g and service statio n fo r all in the com m unity.

T A B L E V III . SU G G ESTIO N S F O R SC H O O L B E T T E R M E N T A S G IV E N BY P A T R O N S

The fo llo w in g re p lie s w ere g iven to th e q u estio n , “ W ould you recom m end a n y ch an g es in the p re s e n t public school system a n d m ethods ?”

H udson | O ra n g e J e s u p Total S a tis fa c to ry , no c h an g e d e sir e d ... 33 | 45 ! 37 115 More s a tis fa c to ry t r a n s p o r ta tio n ... 14 i 9 12 35 B e tte r school bus d r iv e r s ... 14 I 5 9 28 C h an g e in c u rric u lu m . 8 ! 3 1 12 B e tte r discip lin e ... 1 •• i 7 T ax to o h e a v y ... ... 1 6 6 Give less tim e a n d im p o rta n c e to a th le tic s . . . . •• 1 1 2 3 C h ild ren go dow ntow n too m uch a t n o o n . . . . 2 1 . . 2 W arm school lu n ch in cold w e a th e r... 1 2 2 B e tte r c are fo r b e g in n e rs ... 2 2 No c ard p lay in g an d s m o k in g ... 1 2 2 L e t su p e rin te n d e n t an d te a ch e rs a lo n e ... i •• 1 F re e te x t books ... ! i 1 T each erag es o u g h t to be b u i l t ... l 1 O lder boys b o th e r y o u n g e r o n e s ... 1 i 1 M ore v is itin g by p a r e n t s ... 1 . . 1 1 School w o rk too h a rd . ... 1 1 U n ifo rm ity o f d ress am o n g hig h school g i r l s . . 1 1 1

O ver h a lf o f th e 223 fa rm e rs re p o rtin g on th is q u estion w ere satisfied w ith th e ir p re s e n t school system an d had n o c h an g es to su g g est. O f th e 10 7 fa rm e rs who rec-om m ended ch an g es, 58 p e rc e n t d esire m ore s a tis fa c to ry tr a n s p o rta tio n a n d b e tte r school bus d riv e rs. S ix teen o th e r ch an g es w ere m e n tio n e d by th e o thers.

T A B L E IX . ED U C A T IO N O F FA R M E R S A ND T H E IR W IV E S D ropped o u t of [ D ropped o u t D ropped o u t

school in o r . in o r w ith in o r w ith w ith g rad es | h ig h school college No. | P e r c e n t | No. P e rc e n t No. P e rc e n t H U D SO N F a rm e rs 59 | 73 | 13 | 16 9 11 (83 fa rm s ) W ives 56 | 69 | 15 18 10 13 O R A N G E F a rm e rs 91 | 72 | 21 | 17 15 11 (132) fa rm s ) W ives 83 | 65 | 30 I 24 14 11 J E S U P F a rm e rs 136 1 83 | 22 | 13 6 4 (170 fa rm s ) W ives 116 | 72 | 37 | 23 ₇ 5

The percen tag e of fa rm e rs ’ wives a tte n d in g high school is hig h er in each d istric t th a n th a t of th e ir husbands, tho the p e r­ centage a tte n d in g college is p ra ctically the same for both. A bout th ree p ercen t m ore owners th a n te n a n ts atten d e d high school an d college. One and one-half percen t more te n a n ts ’ >«»

-T A B L E X. FA R M L IB R A R IE S * H U D S O N :

In 69 fa rm hom es th e re a re a n a v erag e o f 84 volum es p e r hom e. 31 o w n e rs’ hom es h av e a n a v e ra g e o f 103 volum es p e r hom e. 38 te n a n t hom es h av e a n a v erag e of 60 volum es p e r home.

O R A N G E :

In 103 fa rm hom es th e re a re a n a v e ra g e o f 103 volum es p e r hom e. 61 o w n ers’ hom es have a n a v e ra g e of 105 volum es p e r hom e. 42 t e n a n t hom es have a n a v e ra g e o f 96 volum es p e r hom e.

J E S U P

In 89 fa rm hom es th e re a re an a v erag e o f 65 volum es p e r hom e. 41 o w n e rs’ hom es have a n a v e ra g e o f 69 volum es p e r hom e. 48 te n a n t hom es h av e a n a v e ra g e of 62 volum es p e r hom e.

F O R T H E 3 D IS T R IC T S : 263 fa rm hom es h av e a n a v e ra g e o f 84 volum es p e r hom e. 133 o w n e rs’ hom es h av e a n a v e ra g e o f 96 volum es p e r hom e. 128 t e n a n t hom es h av e a n a v e ra g e o f 73 volum es p e r hom e.

♦ L ib ra rie s of less th a n 10 volum es w ere o m itte d . A c cu rate d a ta w ere also la c k in g in a few cases.

T A B L E X I. P A P E R S A ND M AG A ZIN ES N u m b e r w hich go in to hom es d aily , w eekly, a n d m o n th ly

| H udson | O ra n g e JesuD O W N E R S : 1 ...i 69 I 82 | 85 ...| 30 1 17 45 ...| 68 1 65 86 ...| 112 | 158 154 ...! 10 I 50 16 ...! 289 | 372 386 T E N A N T S : 1 ...| 57 1 57 87 ...| 24 } 16 28 ...1 57 | 55 67 ... ... | 88 | 116 133 ...I 9 | 32 9 T o ta ls . . . ...| 235 | 276 :24 V ery few o f th e fa rm e rs claim t h a t th e y re a d a ll th e ir p a p ers a n d m ag azin es. Sev­ e n ty -th re e , how ever, said t h a t th e y a tte m p te d to re a d h ead lin es a n d g e t th e m a in ideas o u t of a ll th e ir p a p e rs. T he g re a te s t n u m b e r o f p a p ers an d m a g a zin e s fo u n d in one hom e w as 25.

T A B L E X II. N E W S P A P E R S —D A IL IE S No. hom es in d is tr ic t...| i H udson83

O ra n g e 132 J e s u p170 T otal385 D alies i W aterlo o (2) ... ...I 90 119 136 345 C hicago (4) ... ... 11 7 13 31 Des M oines (2) ... ...1 » 4 0 7 C hicago m a rk e t ( 1 ) ... ...1 11 3 5 19 K ansas C ity ( 1 ) ... ...1 5 5 7 17 C edar R apids ( 2 ) ... ...1 1 1 6 8 M inneapolis (1) ... ...1 3 0 2 5 D ubuque (1) ... ...I 1 0 1 2 St. P a u l (1) ... ...1 1 0 1 2 L incoln (1) ... ...1 o 0 1 1 T o ta ls ... ...| 126 139 172 437 W eekly local n e w sp a p e rs... ...| 67 14 47 128