USA > Indiana > Rush County > Centennial history of Rush County, Indiana, Volume I > Part 6
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
Bull's' get) has had more influence in making a world- wide reputation for Rush county than all other factors combined, and in this broad assertion we do not bar even our great men-lawyers, doctors, writers nor statesmen."
"Blue Bull" had neither lineage, notoriety nor off- spring when Jim Wilson, of this county, bought him from Dan Dorrell, of Lawrenceburg, Ind., in 1865, and vet Mr. Wilson, who is remembered as a man of remark- able "horse" sense, possessed of a judgment "so correct and unusual in the recognition of that which was great and superior in horses that it almost amounted to genius," declared of him that "he is the greatest horse of all." and in spite of all his unfortunate environments "Old Bhie Bull" vindicated himself as no other great sire ever did, justifying fully his owner's judgment and predictions. It was as late as the fall of 1871 that the first descendant of this plebian wonder obtained a standard trotting record. "Purity, " his daughter, dam "Susan Loder" by "Daniel Boone." took a record of 2:30 flat at Cincinnati. It was then that "Wilson's Blue Bull" first became known to the horse world and from that time until the horse's death in July, 1880, the Wilson stable was the Mecca of speed breeders from all over the country. A contemporary newspaper account says that "the history of . Blue Bull' has been described as a romance in turf literature : it is also a reality of the most interesting char- acter to every intelligent student of the science of breed- ing. His pedigree was obseure, and he was for a time used as a 'teaser,' the humblest office of the breeding farm. One cannot imagine a horse placed in such umfav- orable circumstances, being bred to mares of the common- est quality, and as a rule of no known breeding, to show ability to sire speed ; and it all came to him in the latter part of his life. With such a combination of surroundings . Blue Bull' conquered fate and while the sires of other states, with the aid of the most fashionably bred mares, were slowly achieving fame the unknown hero of Indiana
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
was producing a family of trotters which later placed him in the very front rank of equine fame. * * 'Blue Bull' is the sire of sixty in 2:30 and his daughters have produced 173 in 2:30."
This horse has an imposing marble monument erected to his memory where he lies buried on the Wilson farm in this county, with an appropriate inscription recording his achievements and showing the establishment of a great trotting family. Before leaving this subject it is but proper to note that the fastest horse ever bred in Rush county was "Alhambra," 2:081/4, which paced a quarter of a mile in 27 seconds. "Alhambra" was sired by the famous pacer "Legal Tender," 2:27, bred by J. M. Amos, of Noble township, long one of the leaders of that notable group of horsemen which contributed so much to the fame of Rush county in the days when more attention was paid to horses than now.
DELETERIOUS EFFECT ON COUNTY FAIR
But this craze for fancy horses was a mixed blessing. The speed element had a deleterious effect on the fair. Purses that were too large were offered, and an extravagant expenditure of money followed in all departments. In 1879, a Floral hall was built at the grounds. Matters went from bad to worse, and in 1893 there was a financial deficit of $749.97 aside from build- ings and a new barn which cost $1,063.63. In 1895, the indebtedness had increased to $4,500, and, of course, the interest of the members of the association flagged when nothing but ultimate ruin appeared before the organiza- tion. A committee of members recommended that the fair grounds be sold at a sheriff's sale to cover the debts. A new fair association was formed in December, 1895, with a new constitution and a capital stock of $5,000 in 250 shares, and this took over the affairs of the old asso- ciation in January, 1896, when it bought the fair grounds at a sheriff's sale for $3,765.81, this being the only bid.
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
This reorganization instilled new life into the county fair, and in 1896 it was more successful than it had been in some years, but while it was held annually for several years thereafter, it failed to prove the success hoped for, and the last Rush county fair was held in 1915.
THE PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY
Another movement which had in view the unification of the farmers, and at the same time aimed to better their condition socially and financially, was the organization of the Patrons of Husbandry. In June. 1873. Rush Grange No. 211, was granted its charter by the State Grange. and organized with many of the foremost people of the county as its members. Meetings were held twice a month, and mich good was accomplished in the way of wholesale purchasing of machinery and other farm necessities. But the fact that it was a secret society brought down upon it many unwarranted accusations -- chiefly that it was political in its motives and was also warring against the professional and business men of the towns, but in time these doubts as to its character were dispelled. The Grangers had a plan for obtaining correct crop reports by which every member of a grange was to report the crops in his neighborhood, a summary of these reports was to be sent to the county council. the county council was to report in turn to the State Grange. and the latter to the National Grange. The information thus obtained was to be condensed into a general report which was to be forwarded to every grange in the country. This system proved to be a rather cumbersome piece of machinery, however, and has long since been abandoned.
Through various other agencies such as the press, the state agricultural department, and farmers' institutes greater knowledge on agricultural subjects was dissemin- ated throughout the rural communities. In 1861, the Rushville Republican became alarmed over the appear- ance of the chess weed in many fields in the county, and
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
sought a remedy for this economic evil. In the same year this newspaper propounded the question "do cut- worms turn into grasshoppers?", and stated that a veri- table scourge of these worms was upon the farmers- that in one instance a field was literally swarming with them, to the extent that the ground looked black with their crawling bodies and in many places the ground was denuded of vegetation. To prevent the ravages of the army worm, farmers were advised to plow a trench around wheat and corn fields. In 1870, the Republican devoted a column in each issue to farmers and their busi- ness, and this plan was continued for some time. Leading farmers of the county submitted their opinions to the public in this way, and much information of a valuable nature was disseminated throughout the community.
Farmers began to co-operate with each other more and more. In 1871, Messrs. Guffin and Daubenspeck organized the Rush County Stock Sales Company for the purpose of holding auctions, and at these much fine stock was sold. In 1880, the Wool Growers' Association of Rush county was organized with George W. Reeve as its president. In the early '90s there was a creamery "boom," a half dozen or more creameries being started, but as this is not a dairy country most of them were short lived. In 1904, Rush county farmers had exhibits of fruit at the St. Louis exposition, and in multifarious ways, too numerous to mention, the horizon of the farmer has become broadened, and his activities more diversified, until agriculture, from being a haphazard occupation. has grown to be a business where only the progressive and efficient survive.
MARKET PRICES OF ANOTHER DAY
Market quotations noted in newspaper files of the vears indicated follow :
Quotations
1855
1857
Flour, per bbl.
$8.00 $4.50
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
Flour, per ewt
4.00
2.25
Grain-Wheat, per bu.
1.50
.60
Corn, per bu.
.45
.20
Oats, per bu.
.30 .20
Bacon-Hams, per lb.
9@101/2c .15
Sides, per lb.
.061%
.10
Shoulders, per lb.
6@7c
Lard, per lb.
.08 1-3
.15
Butter, per lb.
.15
.15
Eggs, per doz.
.15
.08
Potatoes, per bu.
1.25
.20
Sugar, per lb.
.08
11@121/2c
Wool, per lb. 20@25c
Ten years later, in 1867, the Rushville markets showed a marked price increase, largely due to the condi- tions prevailing during and shortly after the war, as follows :
Flour, per bbl.
$ 13.00
Flour, per cwt.
6.50
Grain-Wheat
2.10@2.20
Corn
.45
Oats
.50
Bacon-Hams, per lb.
.221/2
Sides. per lb.
.18
Shoulders, per lb.
.14
Lard, per lb.
.11
Butter, per 1b.
.30
Eggs, per doz.
.20
Potatoes, per bu.
1.50
Hay. per ton
15.00
Sugar, per lb.
.16@.20
The following table will show the approximate aver- age prices of wheat, corn, and hogs, every ten years, beginning with 1870 and ending with 1920, and for 1921 (February) :
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1921
Wheat
$.90
$.95
$.91
$.65
$1.00
$3.00
$1.60@$1.72
Corn
$.75
$.55
$.44
$.25
$.55
$1.25
$ .70@$ .75
Hogs
$5@8.50 $3.50@4.60 $2.75@4 $5.50@9 $15@17.50 $8.75@10.25
Owing to the repeated changes in the method of reporting the markets and also to the wide fluctuations in the early years caused by distance from market and poor transportation facilities, a more detailed review of the markets would entail such minute explanation as hardly to be desirable in this connection.
INCREASE IN LAND VALUES
The price of land has risen from near zero in the first year of the county and the days of the Brookville land office to the neighborhood of $300 an acre in 1920. In 1857, George and Andy Guffin purchased the old Hildreth farm in Noble township for $57 an acre. Fifteen years later, G. W. Brann sold his farm for $65 an acre, and then there was a slow climb until about 1900 when land sold for about $80 per acre. In 1904, the Ben Bravard farm in Posey township sold for $125 an acre, and until 1920 the price rose rather rapidly, at that time reaching a high-water mark of about $225, as an average-in instances as high as $300. Toward the latter part of that year a decline set in, caused by postwar depression and business stagnation, until in the early part of the following year it was again down to about $175 to $200 per acre.
The number of farms in the county is gradually decreasing, there having been 2,267 in 1900, 2,143 in 1910, and 2,044 in 1920. Some interesting statistics are given in the Indiana Year Book for 1919 concerning this county. There were in that year 201,009 acres in farms of which amount 103,733 acres were farmed by the owners and 97,237 acres by renters; waste land amounted to 2,631 acres ; acres of permanent pasture land 30,316; acres of timber land 11,136; and acres of land in orchards 3.155. There were 41,201 acres of wheat harvested in
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
1918 with an average yield of 20 bushels per acre, or a total of 824,020 bushels. Nearly 25 per cent more acreage was sown to wheat in 1918 than had been harvested. Rve to the amount of 4.076 acres was harvested in 1918. Corn is the great staple crop of the county, 68.720 acres having been harvested with an average yield of 44 bushels, a total of 3.023.680 bushels, of which 2.484,588 bushels were fed on the farm. In average yield Rush county ranks second in the state (exceeded by Union with 48 bushels). second in total bushels (exceeded by Benton), and ranks first in point of bushels fed on the farm. An average vield of 40 bushels of oats on 10.022 acres gave a total of 400.880 bushels.
Rush is pre-eminently a hog raising county, having led her sister counties in the state in this respect for the past five years. The member of hogs under six months old on December 31. 1918, was 45,966; over six months, 23.451: and the total number sold during the year was 119,954. It was the introduction of the Poland China strain hereabout along in the latter '80s that gave impetus to hog production in Rush county. The excellent records made along that line may be said to date from a public sale of hogs made by John H. Bebout near Rushville on October 3, 1889, and which was referred to in contempor- ary newspaper accounts as "the first exclusively Poland China hog sale of which there is any record." The Rush- ville Republican's headlines on the story of this sale declared " It beats the world! Ninety Rush county hogs sold for $5.792.40-average of $64.36." The highest price realized from a single animal in this sale was $625 for a one-year-old boar. In 1893 the Bebout herd leader, "George Wilkes." sold for $700, then a record price, and shortly afterward "Guy Wilkes," from the same herd, sold for $900. also a record price at that time, and from that time on hogs have been a mighty good thing for Rush comty. It is a far cry from the old "razor backs" and "elm picelers" that roamed the woods hereabout in pio-
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
neer days, feeding on mast until time to round them up and drive an unruly herd of them down to market at Cin- cinnati, to the sleek Poland Chinas and other pure bred strains of the present day, but "the world do move" and the hog has progressed and developed along with other things to which man has given his thought.
IN THE DAYS OF "MARKS AND BRANDS"
This reference to the days of the "razor backs" recalls the system under which the hog raisers hereabout used to keep track of their widely wandering porkers. Free to roam at will along the unfenced highways and through the open woods hogs and cattle took the country in common and it was necessary for each owner to have his individual mark or brand in order to make sure of coming into his own when it came time for the annual round-up. That there might be an orderly system and that there might be no duplication of individual marks each owner filed with the county recorder his individual mark or brand and all others were thus barred from using the same distinguishing mark. A special record book was maintained for this purpose. That was back in the '30s and the book, "Marks and Brands A," is still on file in the recorder's office, musty but in a good state of preservation. The register of marks and brands was kept by townships and the entries for Anderson town- ship farmers thus opens the record, the first noted being those of Henry Sagersee, "a crop and two slits in each ear;" William Sagersee, "a crop and slit in each ear;" Daniel Sagersee, "a swallow fork in each ear;" George Troutman, "a crop and slit in the left ear and an under bit in the right ear." Other initial entries in some of the other townships follow: In Jackson township- Thomas Sailor, "a swallow fork in each ear;" Walker township-Benjamin C. Plummer, "a crop and two slits in the right ear;" Union township-Isaac Arnold, "a hole in the right ear," Noble township-Henry Guffin,
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
"a smooth crop off of the left ear and a half crop off of the upper end of the right ear; Washington township- Benjamin Melser, "a slit in each ear," and so on, the old book showing that many farmers availed themselves of this system.
MILROY FARMERS' FESTIVAL
The Farmers' Association of Rush and Decatur counties, better known as the Milroy Farmers' Festival or May Meeting, was an organization that did much to develop group activities among the farmers of the county. The first of these meetings was held on the third Thurs- day of May (23d day), 1889, at the Methodist Episcopal church in Milroy, and organized by electing George W. Reeve, president ; John Arnold, secretary, and R. W. Montgomery, secretary. In the absence of Judge Cullen, T. P. Root delivered the address of welcome, and then followed a fine program of choir music, declamations, and papers, one of which, "Rural Homes and Rural Life" by W. R. Pleak, was discussed pro and con by Judge Bonner, Doctor Arnold and others. Dinner was served to all the visitors by the citizens of Milroy, and after a continuation of the program in the afternoon, the meeting was adjourned until the third Thursday in May of the following year, resolutions of respect and thanks to Milroy first being adopted. At the second meeting, in 1890. C. I. Ainsworth was made permanent president; (. W. Reeve, of Rush, and Hon. Z. T. Riley, of Decatur, vice-presidents : W. C. Mauzy, of Rush, and T. B. Peery, of Decatur, secretaries : and G. H. Puntenney and Senator A. M. Kennedy, committee on resolutions. The Decatur county contingent reported that the county had already availed itself of the recently allowed state appropriation for the purpose of holding farmers' meetings, and advised Rush to do likewise. Several papers were given, among which were " Fifty Years Ago" by Mrs. S. C. Thomas and "The Farmer in Politics" by M. E. Newhouse : the enthus-
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
iasm of the meeting ran high, and it was shown that as a class farmers were being more generally recognized than before, and that the term "mudsills of society," was fast becoming obsolete. The third annual meeting was held on May 21, 1891, and G. W. Reeve was made president and Dr. S. C. Thomas delivered the address of welcome. The program was more far reaching than the two prev- ious, including, in addition to the usual papers on farm questions, one on "House and Home" by Mrs. Ollie McGrew, on "Finance" by Judge Cullen, and one against the free-coinage silver bill by Hon. A. M. Kennedy. At the fourth and fifth meetings G. W. Reeve was retained as president, at the sixth W. R. Pleak was elected to that office, at the seventh and eighth Mr. Reeve again, and at the ninth, in 1897, J. F. Smith was elected. The princi- pal subject of discussion at all these meetings was scien- tific agricultural education for the sons of farmers, politics and home economics being of secondary considera- tion. The sentiment of the majority was strongly in favor of sending the boys, whenever possible, to Purdue Uni- versity, although there were some men who stood out against this course, maintaining that most of the instruc- tors and speakers at the university could learn more about good practical farming from the farmers of Rush and Decatur counties than the farmers could from them. This spirit of hostility to the state school, however, was gradually allayed, and co-operation with the state insti- tutions was heartily advocated. Each succeeding meeting was more enthusiastic than the one preceding, and the attendance at these popular meetings grew to such pro- portions that to take care of the throngs became a distinct burden to the town of Milroy.
RUSH COUNTY FARMERS' ASSOCIATION
One of the most important accomplishments in the county during recent years was the organization of the Rush County Farmers' Association. On December 11, 6
82
HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
1918, a meeting was called to organize a farmers' associa- tion. At the meeting the following officers were chosen : W. A. Alexander. president : John O. Hill, vice-president ; and Howard Ewbank, secretary.
Mr. Alexander was unable to accept the position, and at a later meeting D. C. Buell was chosen to fill the vacancy. The association decided to charge no member- ship fee but to accept all who were willing to join and pledge their support to the organization. When eleven of the twelve townships were organized and about three hundred members secured, the Indiana Federation of Farmers' Associations was organized. It was then evident that Rush county would have to reorganize on a paid membership basis and no further work of organiza- tion was done until August when the officers were called together to discuss plans of reorganization on a basis that would conform with the requirements of the state organi- zation.
The officers divided the county into four parts and selected one man for each quarter to advertise the prelim- inary meeting to be held at Rushville on August 20. 1919. It was arranged at this meeting to have at least two men from each township attend the district conference of the Indiana Federation of Farmers' Associations at Shelby- ville on August 26. Thirty-five farmers were present. They elected Howard Ewbank temporary chairman and decided on a $5 membership fee. From this point Mr. Ewbank directed the organization until the permanent organization was formed with over 1,000 paid members, approximately 50 per cent of the farmers of the county. By November 30. 1920. the membership was increased to 1.465. The present officers are Fred Bell, president; Charles V. Spencer, vice-president : Howard Ewbank, secretary, and Jesse W. Peters, treasurer. The board of directors includes one member from each township in the county, as follows: Fred Jessup. Ripley: Walter Bitner, Center: JJ. L. Hayes, Washington; Jesse Price,
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
Posey ; Frank Jones, Jackson; J. A. Looney, Union; D. M. Dearinger, Walker; John O. Hill, Rushville; George Smith, Noble; Robert Campbell, Orange; J. C. Power, Anderson ; and Fred Goddard, Richland. The directors are allowed per diem salaries, but the officers, unless engaged in extra work for the association, receive none.
FARMERS' CLUBS AND INSTITUTES
The Mays Farmers' Club had united with the Center township farmers' organization, and after December 1, 1919, the new organization continued the work of the Farmers' Club as a community organization. During the past three years the club has been buying its fertilizer from the local dealers at a neat saving over the old plan of buying individually. The local dealers are glad to get the trade at a reduced price because there is a great saving in collecting the orders. Monthly meetings have been held at which excellent programs have been given. The club at the present time claims approximately seventy families at a membership fee of $1 the family.
Five thriving farmers' institutes are now organized in the county and are doing a good work in bringing farmers together to discuss farm problems. These five institutes, all having state speakers, are: Arlington, with Zeno Hodge, president; Milroy, Ray Selby, president ; Moscow, Paul Gosnell, president; Mays, Bert Trowbridge, president, and Fairview, Grant Hinchman, president, this last being a joint institute embracing one township in Rush and one in Fayette county. In addition to these five institutes there is one at New Salem, of which George Smith is president, that does not have state speakers. The institutes are also doing much toward promoting a community spirit, it being decidedly noticeable that there is more interest in community affairs and a finer spirit of co-operation than where such influence has not been felt.
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
WORK OF THE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL AGENT
The work of the county agent's office has been of great service to the agricultural population of the county. This important phase of the farming industry was com- menced in September, 1917, under Marion F. Detrick as co-operative extension work in agriculture and home economics with the Purdue University department of agricultural extension, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the Rush county board of education co-operating, and when the Rush County Farmers' Asso- ciation was organized it was made party to the work. In his report for the year ending November 30, 1919. Mr. Detrick said that whatever success the work had achieved had been due largely to the co-operation of the farmers and their organizations. The work has been conducted chiefly along the lines of improving the crop yields by the control of diseases and insects, by making a study of the needs of the plants to make a maximum yield, and by demonstrating the methods of feeding the crops to the best advantage. When the land was new, soil fertility problems were unknown, insect enemies and plant diseases were uncommon, and land was cheap and taxes low. The chief essentials of success were a strong arm, a good wife, and a new piece of soil, but today success in agriculture depends largely on our ability to devise methods of saving the arm, and the wife, and making an old soil act like new. With the farmers organized, they are beginning to capitalize each other's brains in a way that is mutually helpful, and are working together for the solution of problems that are common property.
On March 1, 1920, Donald D. Ball assumed the duties of county agricultural agent, and in a clear and compre- hensive report of November 30, 1920, portions of which are here quoted, gave a quite detailed account of the scope of the work of his office and the Farmers' Association. That this organization had been giving some consideration
.
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
to the outlining of a program of work to be undertaken was shown by the fact that as soon as Mr. Ball came to the county he was mnet with requests to do work in corn disease control and loose smut control. Committees were appointed to co-operate with the county agent in working out the plans for these lines of investigation.
Because of lack of time no further effort toward a program of work, outlined in co-operation with the asso- ciation, was attempted for the year, but upon the recom- mendation of the officers of the organization, the agent decided to continue a number of projects already started by his predecessor. Accordingly, a program including the following lines of work was submitted to the president of the association for his approval :
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