The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-09-21
LIE PRESS.
The Northwest.
Dakota and Her Wheat Fields.

Dakota and Her Wheat Fields.
The well.to-do farmer Of the Pine Tree Dtate
would consider the raising of wheat to the ex-
tent G a field of five acres little above the
average in that line. Usually from two to
four acres is the amount of land allotted to the
production of this grain. Consequently they
have very npsrfsct ides OF the magnitude
with which the wheat raising industry Is TO-DAY
carried on in some of the Western states and
territories. This branch of farming, however,
has been developed so recently and so rapidly
In the last named section of the country that
she attention of the people everywhere is now
being called to the facts az they are.
That broad belt of the country known as Da-
kota was, until within few years, regarded as
q most unfavorable plsce for settlement. a
broad, monotonous prairie, without elevations
of any kind to give variety to the landscape,
wanting III forests, and boastins of no water
powers which would attract emigration or in
time build upa fiourishing common wealth,
the territory seemed in no way favored, and
its futsrs was rarely painted in glowing colors.
Her fame, however, began to be extended dur
ing the Black Hills excitement. Gold was
discovered In the South Western corner, and,
although prospectors and pioneers came in
they were not of the class that could be desired
for would-be farming country. As this flash
In the pan went out aud Dakota was less fire.
uuen ly heard of, those settlers in the Northeri
aud Eastern part of the territory began tillipe
the soil which hit erts hsd received but little
attention As the Iaud seemed suited to it,
and the people of the state east of them were
inclinea to wheat raising and had met with
unprecedented success in that line, that grain
was planted In Dakota's rich soil, and with
what result is shown by the thrifty aud pro
ductive farmers now scattered over the i'm
mense tract lying adjacent to the Northern
Pacific Railroad in the Red River valley.
II was the fortune of the writer to make a
tour of inspection to these now celebrat ed
wheat fields of the North West. OF late they
have been talked and written about 50 exhaus-
lively that journey b the North West with
on silt IN Dskota's wheat fields must be
chronicltd as failure.
se3 a. an essS matter to d.
eide how t. enter Dakota; but now her bound
lry il pierced by from four 10 six railway
lines, all the roads declaring that they are
traversing the most fertile and promising pari
OF the country. To strike Fargo, the key to the
wheat country, it is necessary to take what is
commeay called the Manitoba road.
Fargo 10 to Northern Dakota what Boston is
20 New England. Situated at the head Of nav
igation on the Red river, which separates the
tsrritorg from Minnesota it commands an iul-
portant position 1t is the inlet and outlet for
the Northern Pacific section. Settlers coming
In rendezvous at Fargo; mslcontents going out
bid farewell to the territory at this point. Here
al supplies accumulate, and are distributed
through the surrounding country; while the
banking exchange transactions with the East
are made here for the whole country about.
It has been truly called q magic city, being
only eight years old and Boosting now OF tive
thousan nd people, one h4ndred and fifty stores,
including many fine blocks, waterwo ks,
FIRE department, graded schools four banks,
one national, beautiful post-ofice and two
daily papers There is evidence of thrift on
every hand. With its fine commercial situa-
ton, and its location in the best wheat raising
country in the world prosperity seems thrust
upon it.
From th u point west the traveller can take
but one road, the Northern Pacific, which is
now completed beyond Gendive, on the Yel-
lowstone, in Montana. This road which is now
meeting with prosperity in transportation and
travel, is pushing its work on with great Wig
or; and 1t is expested that the iron belt from
Superior to the Pacific will DO completed DUR
ing 1888. The road runs through country OF
unsurpassed f-rtilty aud iss undeveloped re-
sources will early attract prospectors and set
tiers 10 that part of the country which it trav-
erses
Leaving Fargo the train runs directly west
over an almost perfectly level section OF coun-
try. The broad prairie is stretched out on ev-
cry side, dotted here aud there With farms, the
product of which consists almost entirely OF
wheat. In some parts the surface is undulato-
~, though what could be called hill cannot
be seen. The country is most enyiabe one
for railroad buildsss. ThSrs are no deep cuts
OF bard and rocky soil, no lodges OF granite to
cut through, no sopng hills requiring heavy
grading. On the other hand for miles there is
found perfectly straightforward piece of
track, on land almost as level as floor with
out a swerve or turn; an arrow from the rear
car door almost back to the horizon. In such
seciions, with large land grants and other gov
eminent aid, it is no wonder that the cost OF
construction can be greatly exaggerated aud
fraud perpetrsted unless careful attention and
investigation le paid 10 the details of building
AS you proceed West the wheat farms seem
to be more extended and less cut ur; when
twenty five miles west of Fargo, Casselton is
reached, where is situated the ideal wheat
farm of the world the most complete and best
managed grain fields to be seen on either con-
tinent. operated by Mr.. R. Dalrymple of St.
Paul. This farm and it's proprietor have gained
. worldwide repnt, ton. Descriptions o the
former have appeared in the newspapers and
magazines till it is pointed to as mark OF the
success reached in this line of farming, and
what may be attained by good management
strict economy and favorable weather.
The farm proper comprises some $4,000 acres
situated on either side of the railroad near
Cssselton, which, by the way, is place of
some Ten hundred people. Like good many
other farms in the Northwest it was, or could
have been, purchased very low. The Pacific
road, having iron the Government generous
land grant in times of depression sold their
stock ut merely nominal figure; and now in
payment for their lands they received at par
their preferred stock which was originally pur-
chased woefully deprecated. Holders of the
railroad stock have therefore purchased a vast
amount Of it along the Red River Valley, i'll
fact, most of the land along the road has been
taken up; but back there are thousands of
acres calling for the hardy farmer to try his
fortune in furnishing bread for the world.
TIE soil is OF that deep, RICH loamy charac-
ter found throughout Dakota and is particular
Iy dspted to wheat raising. requiring no
fertilizers aud naturally as moist as is necessa-
~. artificial means of enrichment are never
wanted. Free from trees, stulnps, stones,
fences or obstacles of any kind, vast sections
can be worked as field with nothing to
its beauty in appearance or completeness in
cultivation. Beginning with five thousand
acres ,se proprietor of the Dslrymple farm has
each successive year opened five thousand acres
of new land, till now there are 30, 600 acres un-
der cultivation: and the work is carried on
with the regularity. promptness and perfeetion
of farm of ten acres II is SO divided that the
labor of harvesting goes on with wonderful "a
pidity, and. although tbs sections are distinct
Ia themselves, the whole is systematically car
ried on under one head.
In wheat raising the bulk of the work must
be performed in comparatively short time.
Inasmuch AS nearly all the grain over the farm
ripens at once, TO harvest thirty thousand acres
of it within the short period allowed by nature