The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-01-15
Rig Farming.

Big Farming.
4 TALK WITH Mr.. DALRYMPLE, THE GREAT
FAgMgR OF FARGO. DAKOTA-How HALF
MILLION BUSHELS or WHEAT WERE RAISED
IN ONE YEAR AT A PROFIT OF FIFTY PER
cENT.-THE EXTENT AND FERTILITY or THE
VALLEY OF THE RED RIVER OF THE NORTH.
(chicdgo 1!mes.l
MILWAUKEE, January 10.-Williom +.
DaIrymple, who. with his brother, runs the
largest wheat farm in the world, near
Fargo, Dakota Territory, spent Yesterday
here at the Newhall House. and was inter
viewed for the benefit OF the Times readers
who take an interest in the progress OF ag-
ricutursl affairs. Mr.. Dalrymple was found
ouile willing to let others into the secret OF
how TO run A township farm and make mo-
nev at it.
He said that the past year be had bar
vested % 900 acres OF wheat and nearly
1000 acres Of other grams. The wheat had
Yielded at the rae Of twenty-tbrec bushels
10 the acre, IN The aggregate over 300 ,OO0
bushels. wbicn had becu dsposcd OF IN
Euliilo at a clear profit OF over half dollar
u bushc-thus making the profit OF the
farm for the year over quarter OF miiilon
dollars. THIS, he said, was several tunes
what the land had C st. Tne wheat bad
been loaded on the cars directly on beng
tbroshed. and taken 20 Duluth. whence IL
was shipped {, Buffalo. where 1t sold ut an
average price of nearly II ~ q bu>hel. The
freight from Fargo TO Bull,Io had net much
exceeded twenty cents per bnsbcl. The
cost price OF raising The wheat to The time
OF LOADING il in the ears had been fifty cents
bushe. when asked whether
HIS SYSTEM OF FARMING
would not eventually run oui the land, be
renlied that il would not necessarily. since
as soon as the land showed signs OF deterio-
rating il could be changed into pasture. and
would be better than new ground Tor the
purpose, as II would nave become sohd from
! the culIivaI1u. Part OF the farm had been
u der cultivation five years, and TINS had
Welded better than The never land. The
ONLY fault the land has at first i that It i too
ricn, and IT Is OF course an Improvement TO
il TO reduc' lis fertility tn a certain extent.
During the past year, he SAID, they hdd
not broken quite rs much land as usual,
| Only four thousand acres. Previously De-
tween i've and six thousand acres bad been
! broken annuity. and It was the intention 10
continue breaking at this rate unil the
Wholp seventy.6ye thousand acres OF land
which they o ned should have been brought
| nOder cultivation, or u much Of 1t rs could
| be SHARED from meadows, which would Do
needed to supply
THE HORSES
used in working the farm. These al pre-
sen, number 400, and will probiDly have to
increase wi b The growth Oi The f1rm. rs II
was quite doubtful il steam could be made
/ h.. hlpn dane : 4 o.
ceS,fully in lhre>hing. straw being used a.
fuel. bur all ATTEMPTS to plough wlIb the
: cam plougns manufactured in this 'un'ry
had proven failures. chiefly, he thought. be-
c,u.e they are oDerated on the locomotive
plan and are not adanted to the variable
condition Of the soil, and are more eXpen-
slye than horses. In England the ploueh'
are drawn hy stationary engines with cham
attached. and he believed tnat if steam
plrughiDg can be made practicable on bis
farm it is in this way. The experiment VIII
be made this wear, hut he doubted whether II
would be found profitable, as horses would
sill be REQUIRED on be farm for cutting grain
and banling il 10 market. H. sfaed that
bc does not make any experiments IN the
usp Of farm machinery, but allows the mlnu-
ficturers TO prove the merits OF their I'M
| movements by a seasons work before IN
ypSting in them The farm is divided into
tracls OF two thousand acres each, and encu
OF these tracts l. provided with set ol
farm-buildineS, and Is presided over 10y 4
| foreman, who receives salary OF 500 pei
month during the working season, or 81 ,OOt
per annum, while ordinary abOrers are paio
SlS Der month. He has exclusive charge Ol
his tract and i held re>pOnslb Tor IT.
management. II had been found that 3
>pirit OF emulation arises between the dlf
fcrent f0remen, and thev are usually ~
anyiou. for heavy yield OF grain a. though
tDpy owned the land There is no opp0rtu
nity left, however, for peculGtiOn on iht
part OF the fotemen, ms three sets OF book
are kept ana other precautions taken t(
prevent any hing of the kind.
Mr.. Dal'ymple spoke enthusiastically Of
| TIE GREAT WHEAT BELT
living in what might be called the basin G.
Lake WIunipeg. His farm Is situaed "
The ValIev Of the Red river OF the NORTH
when emptieS into Lake Winnipeg. aud or
the line OF the Northern Pacific railway
rhis Valley, he said. contains an area o
wheat land fully three times a. large IL
Wisconsin. While TO the norlbward of ms
in British America, Is the Valley Of tht
a.ka chewan with an area OF 4SO.OOC
>dnare mites, or more than len times tDa'
If New York State, and fully three fourth
of when is well adapted for wheat-raislDg
Throughout bis whole extent OF territory
The innate aud soil are all that could be de-
red, and the wheIt produced is the fintsi
m the world, being all "bard," and com
manding the highest plice. The climate l.
cool in summer aud dry after harvest, 20 that
the two greatest dangers 10 wheat-Ialslne
and hirvesfIng- heat and rdln-1re e>caped
The outlet for the wheat OF this immense
regIoO, tie said, will he by way OF Lake Su
perior. and there is no probability that IL
VIII ever 10 any great extent he shipped Il
either Milwaukee or Chicago. The Red
r.yer is nay'eable for 800 miles from Lake
| WINNIPEG, ana on this the wheat raised IN
The great Saskatchewan Valley will bt
transported 10 Fargo, whence 1t will bt
shipped 10 Lake Superior by rail The
Sask i'cbewan il navigable for l,500 miles oi
irs Iengrn, and Of cour-e viii give The Ca
nucks cheap transportation 10 Lake Winni
peg. There VIII be no probability that The
grain viii be sbipned through Huds bay
t. which Lake Winnipeg Is tributary, u'
Hudsou ,frait is closed to navigation fully
nine months Of the year.
| THOUSANDS OF SETTLERS,
| he said. are now rushing into this, and be-
| fore nianv wears the world will wonder al
tn- agricultural wealth which will be de.
yeOped.
lie stated that the heavy rate OF profit
which MS f,rming operations had yielded
the present year we're due, in large
| M asurp m thp size Of his farm and thai