Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1882-09-15

have the best soil anywhere III the North
west, and all We have to do is to let it be
known.
Too much praise cannot bc bestowed
upon the gentlemen who represented this
valley at the fair; good deal of the credit
of the demonstration belongs to them.
The James River Valley Display.
Minneapolis Tribune.
A couple Of boxes, each five feet in
length and filled with soil, lay IN front
of the James River Valley tent yesterday
morning. The soil in one was cut in Sec
tions from the upland and the other from
the valley. That from the upland had
two feet Of loan at the top, and beneath
this was three feet of calcareous clay de-
posit, such as insures permanence of the
wonderful crops of the James river valley.
The five feet in the other box was all loan
of the finest character.
1t Is impossible to look at the fine col
lection of produce from jamestown with
out amazement at the fact that country
which was lately mapped out as desert,
now turns out to be an Eden. The beau
tiful wheat, yielding from 20 to ~ bu-
shells TO the acre, the oats growing to the
height of six feet and yielding from 50 to
III bushels to the acre, and these yields
not being found on mere patches, but in
40 and so acre fields prove the mistake
made by those who have spoken of this
section of the country as being barren
Turnips are on exhibition measuring
nearly three feet in circumference and
weighing over IS pounds, grown on sod
broken in June; onions and potatoes, oats
and corn, all of fine growth and all raised
on breaking. These products grown un-
der such conditions are reply to those
who think that the farmer will see no re-
ward for his labor during the first year.
This Jamestown exhibition, complete and
comprehensive as it is, will do much to
convince the thousands who examined
it, that the lands of Dakota are not linn
tied to the growth of wheat merely
There is in the collection, it IS true, some
superb wheat. That this grows in the
James river valley to perfection is conce-
ded on all hands. But some little scepti-
clsm has prevailed as to its capacity for
producing a great variety of crops. The
fact is that corn, grains Of all kinds, vcge-
tables, and all sorts of small fruits. such
as Strawberries, raspberries, currants,
crab apples, and the harder varieties Of
apples, grow there to perfection. There
vet remain many experiments to be made
in growing other vegetables and fruits,
and the success which has attended the
efforts of the past, is tolerably sure eyi.
dence of success in the future.
The gentleman in attendance (Nlcssrs.
u. l.. Wilbur and Waldo Dennisl at the
jamestown collection were full Of enthu-
siasm concerning the country from which
they came. Of the good, pure water, the
healthy climate, the energetic and intelli-
gent people they had much to say, 1t is
said the rainfall has been abundant this
year, while last year was not season OF
unusual rainfall. Yet the vegetables ex-
hibited last year were equal to those now
on view. This fact and the evidence of
those who have lived on the spot for years
go to prove that the country is not liable
to drought any more than eastern states.
The wild grasses exhibited, from
meadows yielding three to five tons to the
acre, are even more nutritious than the
tame grass. The prairies are treeless but
thousands of young trees of which fine
specimens were shown arc being planted
every year and are dong we'll. \ spcci-
men of black walnut in the exhibition is a
conclusive evidence of tho fact that this
valuable tree can survive the Da-
kota winter. Trees abound in the
valley: there are oak forests 100 miles
north of Jamestown. n number OF
jamestown views were shown to the re.
porter revealing the most picturesque
scenery and one of the prettiest sites for
town on the Northern Pacific road. The
| climate is remarkably healthy. The
midsummer days are hot but not oppres-
s,ve. Because of the purity and dryncss
of the air degree of cid in winter that
would cause suffering in the East is
borne without Inconvenience.
1 There is a complete collection of such
building materials as stone, sand and
lime, winch visitors are invited to eX-
anime and pass an opinion upon. Also
here arc some bricks made from excel
lent clay which IS found in abundance III
the neighborhood of jamestown TINS
exhibition from the James river valley
will do more to impress the people oi
Minneapolis and the surrounding country
of the amazing fertility of the soil from
whence the products came, and the great
, future which awaits jamestown than Il
large number of phamplets could posi-,
biy do. They arc proof positive which
cannot possibly be gainsaid or dlsbelieved
The Jamestown committee desire to re-
turn thanks to the managers OF the fail
fer then CovyteisS,