The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1880-02-25


tablished her claim to the estate lef BY
John Cartrey, all of which had grow as
was proved out of the land owned BY aer.
Harvesting on a Large Dakota Farm.
Ride over these fertile fields of Dakota,
md behold the working of this latest
triumph of American genius. You are
in sea of wheat. On the farms manag-
ed by Oliver Dalrymple are $4,000 acres
In one field. There are other farmers
who cultivate from 100 to 5000 acres.
The railroad train rolls through an ocean
OF gram. Pleasant the music of the rip
ping waves as the west wind sweeps over
the expanse. We encounter squadron
OF war chariots, not such as once swept
over the Delta of the Nile in pursuit of
an army of fugitive Israelites. not such as
the warriors of Rome were wont TO drive,
with glittering knives projecting from
the ankles to NOW swath through the
ranks OF an enemy, to drench the ground
with blood, to cut down the human race,
as If men were noxious weeds, but chart
OTIS of peace, doing the work of human
hands tor the sustenance of men. There
are twenty-five of them in this one bri-
gade of the grand army Of 115, under the
marshalshlp of this Dakota farmer. A
superintendent upon superb horse, like
a brigadier directing his forces, rides
along the line, accompanied by his staff
OF two on horseback. They are fully
armed and equipped, not with swords,
but the implements of -wrenches,
hammers, ehisels. They are surgeons
in waiting, with nuts and screws, or
whatever may be needed.
This brigade OF horse artillery sweeps
by in echolon- close order, reaper fol-
lowing reaper. There is a sound of
wheels. The grain disappears an instant,
then reapers; iron arms clasp it, hold it
moment in their embrace. wind it with
wire, then toss 1t dlsdainfully at your
feet. You hear in the rafting of the
wheels the mechanicism saying to itself,
"See how easy can do it!''
An army of 'shockers'' following the
reapers, setting up the bundles to ripen
before threshing. The reaping must or
dinarily all be done in fifteen days, else
the grain become too ripe. Tie first
fields harvested, therefore, are cut before
the rlpening is complete. Each reaper
averages about fifteen acres per day, and
is drawn by three horses or mules.
The reaping ended, the threshiug be-
gins. Again memory goes back to early
years, to the pounding out of the grain
upon the threshing floor with the fail
the slow, tedious work Of winter days.
Poets no more will reherse the music of
the fail. The picture for February in
the old Farmers almanac is obsolete.
September is the month for threshing,
the thresher doing its 700 bushels per day.
driven by a steam-engine Of sixteen
horsepower. Remorseless that sharp
toothed devourer, swallowing it's food as
fast as two men can cut the wire bands,
requiring six teams to supply Its de-
mands! And what cataract of grain
pours from It's spout, faster than two men
can bag It!
The latest triumph of invention in this
direction is straw. burning engine, utlllz-
ing the stalks of the grain for fuel.
The cost of raising wheat per bushel is
from thirty-five to forty cents; the aver
age yield, from twenty to twenty-five
bushels per acre. The nearness of these
lands to Lake Superior, and the rates es-
tablished by the railroad-ffteen cents
per bushel from any point between Bis
marck and Duluth-give the Dakota
farmers wide margin Of profit.
Since the first turrow was turned in
the Red River Valley, in 1870, there has
been no failure of crops from excessive
rams, blight, mildew, drought, rust or
other influence of climatology. The
chlnchbug has not made its appearance;
the grasshoppers alone have troubled the
farmers, but they have disappeared. and
the fields are smiling with bounty. With
good filth, the farmer may count upon
net return of from eight to ten dollars per
acre per annum. The employment of
capital has accomplished beneficial end,
by demonstrating that the region, instead
of being incapable of settlement, is one
of the fairest sections of the continent.
Nor is it a wonder that the land-offices
are besieged by emigrants making entries
or that the surveyors find the lands,
''squatted'' upon before they can survey
them that hotels are crowded; that on
every hand there is activity. During the
months of May, June, and July, 1878, the
sales of government land were nearly
100000 acres, and the entries for the year
will probably aggregate 100000, taken
in homestead, pre- emption, and tree
CLAIMS. There are other millions of acres
as fair and fertile, yet to be occupied.
G. G. COFFIN, in Harper's Magazine for
March.
A. COW that is MIXED three times a
6av will oivo moro yni1k and v;o1d -,o.o