CUILDINGS ON HOUSTON FARM 

 "White Soyoll — more later!" 



THE HOUSTON FARM HOME 

 A high line is all it needs. 



HOUSTONS CORN CRIB 

 100 acres of corn this year. 



^i->-i- 



Not Far From Lincoln, Logan Co. 



If you happen to land a plane with 

 a balky motor anywhere near Lincoln, 

 in Logan county, get on the phone and 

 call Merle Leslie Houston who lives a 

 little way out of town. He'll hustle 

 over and get you fixed up in a jiffy. 



Now, Houston is a farmer, who has 

 .'!20 acres to care for but he's used lo 

 jumping around to help out stranded 

 pilots. Back in 1917-18-19 he was in the 

 ."Jrd Motor Mechanics outfit, attached lO 

 the Army air service and spent a good 

 share of his time at Orley J'ield, near 

 Paris. Then he put in several months 

 at Gieveres, another Army air field. 

 Kvery day, when the transcontine.Uiil 

 plane pas.ses over his house, he casts a 

 wistful eye and critical ear skyward. 

 He can tell you right off whether vhings 

 are running smoothly up there. 



Merle is 42 years old. We can't .say 

 that he looks it. More like 35 wou*d 

 he right. He's a husky guy with a :.olid 

 set to his neck and head. If you >iidn't 

 know him you might say that he looks ;i_ 

 little hardboiled. But make no mistake 

 about it. He isn't in the slightest. On the 

 other hand, we don't recommend that you 

 make any passes at his jaw unless you're 

 prepared to spend some time getting up 

 from where you land on the ground. 



"I expect the Houstons have been 

 around in this county for about 7(1 or 80 



MERLE HOUSTON AND FARM ADVISER 

 Anderson. "We Houstons have been in Lo- 

 gan county 70 or 80 years." 



You Pass Merle Les- 

 lie Houston's Place. 

 Drtop in Anytime— Pref- 

 erably in a Balky 

 Airplane 



years," Merle said. "My father lives in 

 Lincoln. Hi" was born in Hartsburg. His 

 father came from Scotland to Fall River, 

 -Massachusetts and worked in ihe cotton 

 mills there. Then he came West lo Logan 

 county and bought a farm aiijK raised 

 his family. We Houstons have been 

 around nere ever since." 



Merle's iather moved on to the present 

 farm in 1900, when Merle was about 7 

 years old., W hen Merle married in 192.i, 

 he moved- onto the farm and has run it 

 ever since. There are two brothers and 

 a sister. One is at home in Lincoln with 

 the elder Mr.. Houston. Another is with 

 the Lincoln Casket Company and the sis- 

 ter teaches Domestic Science in vhe Lin- 

 coln H.gh School. It ajipears thtre will 

 continue to be Houstons in Logan county 

 for .some time to come. 



Twelve years ago, Marie Baker^ a farm 

 girl living 5 miles west of Lincoln, was 

 going steady with a young man the other 

 side of Lincoln. It all goes to show ihat 

 distance lends enchantment. So, on 

 February 24th, 1925, Marie Baker be- 

 came Mrs. Houston and has been going 

 steady with Merle ever since. Marie 

 Houston is quiet and a bit shy. She is 

 charming and has a way of holding her 

 chin that shows spirit. She isn't very 

 strong but we'll gamble our monthly pit- 

 tance that she knows what she's about, 

 what she wants and how to get it. And 

 of course Merle has a way about him 

 too. What Marie Houston wants, she can 

 pretty well bank on Merle trying his 

 darndest to get for her. 



For instance, there is the brand new 

 Klectrolux refrigerator. It runs on gas 

 and Mrs. Houston keeps it a shimmering 

 white. The home is comfortable, sub- 

 stantial and kept in excellent shape. 

 They have a nice car and both Merle 



and Marie get a lot of pleasure 

 out of taking long trips in it. 

 It's insured in the Farm Bureau company 

 and so they know that they are protected 

 wherever they go in the United States 

 or Canada. The truck is insured too. 

 Merle is trying to talk up the idea of a 

 high line from Lincoln out along the 

 main pike. The phone is in of course, 

 but he thinks that there could be a lot 

 of time, money and labor saved vo way 

 nothing of greater comfort and pleasure 

 if the farmers nearby could get power. 

 Marie concurs in this. She'd have some 

 labor saving eiiuipment to help her in 

 keeping house. 



Merle built a running water .setup that 

 certainly helps around the farm and 

 home. The tank is set fairly high near 

 the barn and gives sufficient pressure 

 in the pipes to take care of full bath 

 room facilities, with hot and cold running 

 water. 



The land itself is planted in mixed 

 grain crops. 100 acres of corn. fiO of 

 wheat, 55 oats, and the rest in clover 

 rasture, lots, woodlots, etc. His grain 

 will go through the cooperative elevator 

 and Illinois Grain, etc. Merle has a base of 

 15."i hogs. His specialty is cross breds, 

 mostly Spotted Polands. He is raising 

 less than his base this year. They are 

 all vaccini;ted with Farm Bureau serum. 



MARIE BAKER HOUSTON 

 Has been going steady with Merle (or 1 1 

 years. 



AUGUST, 193G 



