Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1881-08-12
NORTHERN CROPS.

Farm
and 5000 Bushels Surrendered to Grass
hoppers.
Correspondence of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Valley City, d. T., Aug. 7.-One must
needs go some distance off the line of
tire Northern Pacific railroad to get an
adequate conception of the extent of
agricultural development in this part of
the territory of Dakota. For many miles
notably west from Valley City, one
sees but the fringes of civilization
from the car windows, and then, norih
or south of the patches of wheat, virgin
soil, bounded only by the limits of
human vision. And so it would appear
in this neighborhood. If one would be
undeceived, and that most pleasantly.
let him alight on this beautiful place
and drive north three miles to the sum.
NIT of the bluffs on which Kindred
manor house is to stand, and on which,
even at this time, the most complete and
substantial farm buildings in the
territory are situated. The road from
Valley City is in good condition, and as
one crosses the bridge spanning the
Cheyenne, the surroundings are seen to
be more than ordinarily striking for
Dakota. which is in the main monoton.
GUS prairie. Mr.. Kindred made wise
selection when he drove his stakes here,
His house commands majestic view in
every direction, and he is sufficiently re-
moved from the railroad to escape the
thousand and one vexations which G
railroad with all its unquestioned advan-
tages contributes. And he has been for
tunate in another respect. His land is
rolling and therefore we'll drained. AS
the soil is remarkably fertilr, the crops
ought to be very prolific. And they
have been.OAs 4drove upto the house
yesterday my attention was invited to
the most striking scene I had ever wit.
messed. Relieved of the dull monotony
of a dead level the land in every direc-
tion presented spectacle such as one
may view in Dakota alone, and in but
few spots even in Dakota be it said,
Something like 500 acres of wheat are
already harvested and stacked, and elev-
en- harvesters with forty horses and near
~ fifty men were gong the rounds and
bowlng the rich harvest to the ground.
But 1 despair of presenting the picture
as 1t exists. You must endeavor to ina.
gine it, and then be assured the most
vivid imagination cannot do it Justice.
Far to the north, east and west the
stacks of grain are seen, and the eve
dwells on the picture till it wearies of
the feast, because even with the truth
spread out before you it seems impossi-
bic of conception. There are so many
elevated spots from which one can look
at the picture and see new features every
time that it seems like going from one
entertainment to another.
Tho Kin1ra1 for,o, oo,,soko - mn
acres, worth three years ago S. an acre,
preaching $50. 1t is principality in
itself and requires the revenue Of a
princlpality to administer it. The crop
this year will aggregate upwards of co..
OOO bushels. with less than quarter Of
the farm seeded to wheat, the total nun
Der of acres being 800 to wheat and 5O(
to oats. This 800 acres ought to have
produced 25,0OO bushels, and would have
done so if the grasshopperslhad not com.
mitted their ravages three weeks ago
Their handiwork is abundantly evident
even on casual examination. They
begun when good deal of the whea
was green, and broke the stalks just be
low the heads, the consequence being
that thousands and thousands OF head
toppled to the ground. Mr.. kindred
originally estimated his loss at 16 pei
cent. of the entire crop, and I am satisf
ed from examination that he did no
over estimate it.
Ispent day at the Steele farm, which
will give net production of about four
teen bushels to the acre, notwithstand
ing Steele's estimate is higher. There il
some wheat on the south side of th,
track which will not yield over ten bush
els an acre, while that north of the tract
will do much better, yielding il
places 25 bushels to the acre. I thinl
that this farm, on the whole, may b,
considered success, although it is th
advance guard of the farms of Dakot
in the matter of locality. The grount
will not equal that Of kindred farm
throughout; but grasshoppers ant
drought aside, the proprietor may coun
on paying crops each season. 1 ascer
tained at the Troy farm that the pro
prietors do not expect over eighteel
bushels an acre, and give as a reason fo
the decreased estimate the ravages of til
grasshoppers. Are we to have vista
tion from these pests another year? ]
so, the outlook in Dakota is dark indeed
The ancient fallacy touching their visi
only every seventeen years does not pas
current in Dakota. They have bee
here before, and returned this yea
without notice.
Threshing will begin Oh Kindred farr
| Tuesday. 1t is already in operation
this nelghborhood. notably on some {
| fba Gpo forn,c oorth oe Nr. L.;,l,al,