Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-12-02
Dakota a Good Country-Good for
Cropping and Stock. RAISING and
Some IN the Way Of Biz
yards.

Edl tor Grant County Herald,
DEAR SIR: E0closed find two
dollars, amount due the HERALD.
AS | have seen no communications
from the west lately perhaps few
lines from Dakota might not be M.
interesting to the readers of your
paper We have now been residents
of the Territory nearly two years
have raised and seen two crops
grow, and consider, with our obser-
vations and our test of the soil, that
we can speak with some under
standing of it's productiVeness.
Wheat last year promised an abun-
dsnt crop, until about two weeks
before harvest when very warm
weather caused many of the top
kernels on the heads TO blight,
which materially cut down the
yield. AS the threshtrs told OF
from eight to twenty bushels to the
acre, the average would be f. urteen
or fifteen bushels. The crop paid,
for none was sold for less than one
dollar per bushel. Oats were
heavy crop and measured from for
ty 20 eighty buoheie per acre. Pc.
tatoes equal in quantity and quality
to tbs beat grown in Wisconsin. Ali
other vegetables and vines do well
here. We raise fine melons and
squashes on sod. This year wheat
threshed from Is to 80 bushels per
acre, and will ayers &c, think,
throughout Moody and Brookings
counties, % bushels Oats are not
as heavy as last year-aIl the way
from 20 to 65 bushels per acre
This is grand soil for barley. 1t
will yield 45 bushels to the acre
with fair preparation of the soil.
Corn, the leading crop 10 Grant
county when | LETT, has not been
thoroughly tested in this vicinity.
The ground being principally sod or
cropped but one year pays better
sowu in small grain. Nineteen.
twentieths of the corn have seen
grown hero is sod corn aud Yields
from ten to twenty bushels per acre,
1t however costs nothing but the
seed and planting. see no reason
why old ground will not produce as
good corn as can be G own in Wis
consin. 1t can be planted earlier
than there and the frost will catch
it no sooner. We notice many
changes have taken place here with
in the vast year and generally for
the better. in the place of having
to haul our lumber 10 build with 35
miles, we find ourselves about mid
way between two cast and west
railways which furnish us material
for buildings and yards, and also a
market for all our surplus grain,
which the farmers are selling and
paying up the merchant, ard in
many cases haulir g home lumber to
take the place of sod. School dis.
tricts have been organized and good
school houses are now TO be seen in
nearly every district. Land has APP
preciated from one to two hundred
per cent 10 value. The reIinquish.
ment OF claims that could be bought
last spring for one or two hundred
dollars can be sold now for from
three to five hundred dollars. The
immense immigration to this coun.
try, with the railroad facilities and
abundant crops are working benefi,
cially to the interests of Dakota
Wheat started at valuation of
about 70 cents in our markets 10
September aud No. l is now worth
aud has been for three weeks from
81 to 80 cents. Much of the wheat
raised here is bought by Minnesota
mill companies, ground into -four.
and not li;tle # it shipped back
to Us, fer which We pay from SO to
So. % per hundr, d. And this fac
sugg SITS to nv mind what we are
sorely 10 need OF aera and north OF
here-moTe mills to make -four.
From FlandreSu TO Sioux Falls, 8
distance Of 40 miles there is no deti.
eieney of fourii mills, there being
at and between the two points fge
good mills and large one under
construction at the latter place with
capacity to manufacture one
thousand barrels of -four day.
Eighty acres of land with the water
power was bought last fail at cos,
of $4,000 by ST. Paul company
North of Flapdresu and as far up
the river as | have any knowledge
| of there is not mill-something
| think, which has been overlooked
in the rush for land or something
else for there is plenty of water in
the stream with q considerable fall.
There are mauy settlers who go
from 80 TO so miles to Flsnireau to
mill, which is not necessary howev
er, for they could sell their wheat
and buy -four. Bot our Norwegian
population will haul their wheat so
miles TO mill rather than exchange
! 1t for -four. During the months OF