“The Pioneer History of Pocahontas County, Iowa” pp 704 - 706, by Robert E. Flickinger, A. B. B. D, published by Fonda Times, Fonda Iowa, 1904

BRODSKY, Louis (b. 1857) merchant, farmer and stock raiser at Plover, is a native of Dubuque County, Iowa, the son of Onifred and Mary Brodsky. His father was a native of Poland and, coming to this country located at Dubuque, where be died when Louis was 15 months old. His mother afterwards became the wife of Vit Payer and in 1876 located at Pocahontas. Louis, that year engaging in store keeping, was the second merchant at Pocahontas. Nov. 20, 1876 he married Katy Sladek and the next spring located on a farm in Dover township. In 1884 he moved to Plover and, engaging in general merchandise, was the second merchant at that place. After a few years be relinquished his interest in the store that he might give his attention to other enterprises that had enlisted his interest, a farm, creamery, elevator, and lumber yard.

He now is the owner of 320 acres of land adjoining Plover known as the Ploverdale Stock Farm, that he has improved with a large dwelling house supplied with modem appliances for convenience and comfort, large horse and cattle barns, several hog houses, two silos that hold 200 tons of ensilage and a number of other necessary outbuildings. The silos were the first built in Pocahontas County. He has erected ample buildings for raising a large amount of stock and taking good care of it from year to year. He built also a large hay depot at the railroad station that he might handle that commodity, buying or selling it as circumstances might suggest.

He received a number of premiums on his exhibits of pure bred cattle at the Iowa State fairs of 1892 and 93, and in 1895 was accorded 21 first premiums at Ruthven, and swept everything at the Big Four fair at Fonda. His large and fine exhibits on these occasions attracted wide attention and his annual public sales have attracted buyers from neighboring states, including Kentucky, as well as from all parts of Iowa.

The following exhibit of some of his public sales shows what he has accomplished in the way of raising fine stock in this section and the substantial increase in the prices received during recent years.

At the time of the sale, March 15, 1899, which was held in a large tent, a special brought a train load of people from Rolfe. Col F. M. Woods, of Lincoln Neb. served as auctioneer. Two of the cattle brought $410 each and two others $500 and $505 respectively. Sixteen Percheron horses were sold that day for $4,315, three of them bringing $300 each and two others $415 and $455 respectively. A set of herd books and a share of stock sold for $132, making the assets that day $15,547.

At his first sale in 1894, 51 young hogs were sold for $1,020, an average of $30 each; and in 1895, 44 head were sold for $1,675, an average of $38 each.

At his last sale, Oct 8, 1902, a cow, 7th Mysle of Pleasant View brought $1000, and four others, $525, $560, $570 and $580, respectively. A special was run from Rolfe and the bids were received by Col. Woods, Al P. Mason and Ralph Barklay. Meredith Bros. sold the same time and place 26 head for $2,970, an average of $114.23; making the gross receipts of the sale $11,230. At a combination sale at Rolfe on the previous day by Claus Johnson, N. A. Lind, Anton Williams, T. H. Fisber, M. P. Hancher, A. G. Hewlett and W. J. Price, 50 Short-Horns were sold for $7,600, an average of $152 a head.

He has shown a preference for percheron hones, short-horn cattle and poland china hogs. Short-Horns of a very superior quality have been sold at his public sales, including Scotch Dorothys, Mysles, Marsh Violets, Lovelys, Schotch-topped Rose of Sharons, and other desirable families. His herd usually numbers about 100 head and three-fourths of them are thoroughbreds. He was the first in the northeast part of the county to embark in raising Short-Horns on a large scale, having commenced in 1889, and a large share of the credit of making Pocahontas county a well known center, where the best cattle in the land may be found, belongs to him; since most of the other breeders were encouraged by his example, profited by his counsel and obtained their first supplies of stock from him. He and other farmers in that vicinity have Short-Horns that are not surpassed any where in size, quality and pedigree.

He has endeavored to raise as true stock as can be done with the best blood and feed, and to secure speedy maturity. He has realized the importance and value of thorough discipline in feeding and taking care of the stock, and never entrusts the care of the heard to a stranger nor exposes any of them for sale until they are in prime condition. Finding that public sales are somewhat expensive he has concluded to adopt the plan of both buying and selling as far as possible, at private sale, in the hope, that he can make sales to his patrons with profit at a much lower rate.

He is a man of excellent business habits and is held in high esteem in the community. He is a good representative of that class of enterprising men, who build up a community and secure for it a good reputation abroad. He was president of the school board three years, 1890-92.

His family consists of five children, Josephine, Frank J., Louis, Frances and George. Frank and Louis attended the State Agricultural College at Ames, and the former is now proprietor of the Plover creamery. In 1900 his father re-opened this creamery, and it has been managed on the plan of each farmer having his own separator and bringing only the cream to the creamery; and about ninety separators are now in use in that vicinity.

ANGORA GOATS.

Mr. Brodsky is the owner of a farm of 500 acres, on the triangular strip of land in Lee county, that is at confluence of the Des Moines and Mississippi rivers. On this land he made an intelligent experiment, worthy of special notice. This land, like others in that vicinity was covered with a natural growth of weeds, vines and shrubbery, that prevented agricultural operations and its removal with an axe and brush hook would have required a great deal of time and money. Instead of pursuing this, the common method of clearing these lands, he enclosed it and put 400 Angora goats upon it. The result was a surprise to the old settlers in that section, one of whom remarked, "your goats in one year have cleared more land and done it better than we have done in forty." Some of the people drove miles to see their work, and the board of supervisors appointed a committee to investigate and report the results of this novel and profitable experiment. The goats manifested a relish for every kind of young tree growth, except hickory, and their clip yielded ninety cents each.. It must always be remembered, that this admirable trait of the goat for clearing wild lands, tends to make him a dangerous visitor to the garden, grove and orchard.