The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1874-02-21

thermometer stood at 81 dec. below
zero During November, Ohio, In
diana, Illincls, Iowa, and even Min
nesota, enjoyed an era of mud, and
on the 5th OF December, as before
shown, at st. Paul the Thermometer
stood 251 6eg. below; seven hun
dred and ninety miles northwest
only u Dig. colder; and at Bis
marck staining only l6 deg. below.
Aud yet heAiies OF this evidence
in part to dana the country.
He speaks OF the storms which
swept over Minnesota and Dakota
in January 1878, and says that Da-
kota is subject to them. So is Ne
braska; think of its snow storm Of
last April; think of the hurricanes
which have swept ovel Illinois;
think of the shipping Destroyed by
gales on Lake Erie; think OF pro
perty destroyed last yearly storms
even in steady old England. Al
countries are liable to storms; Da-
kota not more than others "Not a
winter" the General says, : has pass
ed but some poor soldier las perish
ed at this Garrison" Under what
circumstances? Capt. u. L. Ames,
who spent the winter Of 1872 and
'73 at Fort Buford, informs me that
he never enjoyed q writer, even IN
the south, more than the winter
spent at Fort Buford He is a
southern man by birth. and is now
in Baltimore on leave.
Gen. Hazen speaks ofthe trouble
had by Capt. Joseph Anderson of
St. Paul, in filing a hay contract of
900 tons at Fort Butor6. He had
to travel over tractIof country
twenty-five miles in extent in each
direction from the post in order to
find grass sufficient to I'll his con-
tract. The country is high and roll
ing, with no sloughs or meadow
lands, and but little rive bottoms;
the grass is short and curly, une-
quaIled tor grazing, but absolutely
unfit tor hay. 1t cures standing, and
| have known cattle and horses to
keep in fair condition on it during
the winter without a mouthtul of
hay or grain. AS to Capt. Ander-
son, he is an enthusiastic friend of
the Northern Pacific country, and
has made arrange e-rsene- looking to
settlement at Bismarck next season,
whore he expects TO purchase $500
acres Of land and engage in agricul-
tural pursuits.
Others, writing down the country,
have alleged that nothing but white
beans can BE raised, but Gen. Hazen
admits that at Bufotd, even, "pota-
toes, native corn, cabbage, turnips,
peas, beans, beets, carrots, parsnips,
satisfy, cucum bers, lettuce, radishes,
and asparagus have grown abund-
antly and matured." Melons, pump
kins, squashes and tomatoes did not
mature. He admits that wheat, oats
and onions matured at Fort Bert
mold, $50 miles below Buford. |
have, but not at hand, a complete
statement Of the amount Of grain
produced at Berthold last season.
\ brother Of Col. Plummer, of Min
neapolis, was the farmer at the Bert
hold Agency, and he informs me
that the farming operations were en-
tirely satisfac tory, wheat producing
about 26 bushels to the acre. At
Bismarck, many experiments IN
farming were made last season, not
one of which failed. / have ten
acres under cultivation, and have
arranged to plant most of it with
" garden truck" next year. DR..
Boughter, surgeon, at Fort Lincoln,
last summer had five acre garden
and regarded it as successful in eve
ry respect. Fred Girard, interpret
er at Fort Lincoln. who has lived
twentysix years on the upper Mis-
souri,, is opening a farm on Heart
river, above Fort Lincoln, and will
plant and SOW 40 acres next sum
mer He has no fears as to the re-
suit. Mr.. Girard had five acres un-
der cultivation last season on the
site of the present cavalry barracks,
near Fort Lincoln, and every officer
at Fort Lincoln will bear me out in
the statement that it was a success
in every respect. Gen. Custar told
me, on the fifth day of December
last, that he regarded the country
from Bismarck to the Yellowstone,
on the line of the Northern Pacific,
as one of the finest grazing regions
in the w est, and extremely produc-
tive. To prove its productiveness
he said that in returning from the
he made 1t a point to
stop in the camps made when going
out, aud on several occasions noted
oats that had come up from grain
scattered in feeding their animals
when going out, that stood nearly
four feet in hight, with heads FIVE
inches in length. This in two
and % days from the time
the grain was scattered. | refer'to
Gen. Custar for confirmation of this
| saw corn about the
first of August which measured sew
en- feet nine inches in height, that
had come up from grain dropped by
feeding stock, and this without pIow-
ing or subsequent cultivation. The
I,,A;on, n, tho Rort hold on1 Er0nD5