Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-08-09
LETTER FROM DAKOTA.


number of inquiries about this glorious
northwest. since writing a letter to the
MONITOR, | am prompted again to write
you and to give all the information pos
sihle in regard to this, the richest farm
ing country in the whole world, Kansas,
Colorado and golden California herself
not excepted. just think of the almost
numberless thousands of acres Of land in
the Red River Valley alone. which can
be cultivated to almost a single acre,
and each acre capable of producing from
25 to so bushels of wheat and you have
something worth thinking about; and
all the labor necessary to accomplish
this is to turn over the rich sod, which
has lain for countless centuries undis-
turbed and unknown. except to the wan
dering Sioux or the vast herds of buffalo
which roamed over its broad praries,
and whose bones are seen bleaching in
the sun. The present wheat crop prom
ises to be the largest and finest ever
known in the Valley. In walking
through field just south of town few
days ago, | saw wheat five feet in height
and heads seven inches In length, filled
to the very tips with large, perfect
kernels, and promising to the husband
man yield that would astonish most
Vermonters, who ever dug stones behind
a breaking pillow or swung fail over
flooring of ten bushels to the acre.
Harvesting has commenced in some To-
calities where grain was sown very
early, but is not general, and will not
be until the LIST or 10th of August, when
the self binders will have abundant
chance to show their respective merits.
1t is astonishing how much machinery
is sold in this vicinity. There are five
large firms in Fargo alone, representing
all the leading manufactures from New
York to Missouri, and the perfection of
the farm machinery is all one could
ask for. Having has been vigorously
pushed for the past few days and many
thousand tons have been secured to sup
ply the winters demand, the last years
supply having been limited. Hay in
March was worth $40 per ton delivered
in the city. 1t seems to every Yankee
; just as it seemed to me, that hay ought
to be so plenty in this prairie country as
: to be nearly valueless, but such is not
the case. There are comparatively few
tracts of land low enough to produce hay
in any quantity, the higher prairie land
bearing only short. thick grass, not in
sufficient quantity to pay for cutting.
There are. of course, no barns and the
/ hay is stacked in quantities of 10 to 20
1 tons to the stack. The feeding qualities
e of the grass are very great, as fine butter
, and beef being produced in Dakota as in
: central Illinois. or any of the great dairy
$ or beef regions of the country.
It The subject of the bad Lands 10.
e Gated west of the Missouri rivers is agi.
+ tating the minds of geologlsts and
II scientific men all over the country. Prof
!, Denton, Boston's celebrated lecturer and
q scientist, made visit to this wonderful
:. region about month ago. and on his
t. return east delivered course of lectures
e at Fargo on geology. In his lectures he
. spoke at length of these lands, and says
: they are the product of burnt-out Goa
mines-acre after acre of burnt scori;
# and alkali being presented to the view
|, He also reports that coal of a very fin,
e quality exists there in inexhaustabl
, quantities, so the N. P. r. r. and tn
, country bordering it will be supplied
II with fuel for ages to come.
lie Fargo is quite boastful over citizel
l. Che is not an M. D. either who is tn
husband of the divorced wife of DR.
Tanner of starvation fame. Havin,
wandered little from my theme of tn
y Red River Valley, will let this sufic
for this time, hoping to write again soon
v THOMAS BAKER, JR.
Colored muslin gowns and little plus