River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-02-02
THE LEIGH BONANZA.


some Fabulous Figures Concerning
the Experience Of Addison Leech. OF
Erie. Pa.-The Wonderful success OF
His Farm Near Fargo-A Fortune in
Few Thousand Acres--The Num-
Der OF small Farms in the Wheat
Growing Country How a Poor Man
Can get Ikich-- Facts About the Laws
of the United States HOW Every
One May Get a Farm Under Them.
Correspondence Inter-0cean.
Mr. Addison Leech, Of Erie, Pa. has
one of the finest farms in Dakota-and
that means one of the finest in the
world-about sixteen miles south OF
Fargo, on the line of the projected Eail-
road that will some day split the Terri
tory of Dakota across from its north
east to its southwest corner, and con-
meet Fargo and the Northern Pacific
with the Black Hills and Union Pacific.
The line is graded as far as Grand Rap
ids, and the iron will be laid that far
this fall. Next year it is proposed to
extend it to the Missouri river, some
where near the mouth of the Cannon
Ball and the Standing Rock Indian
Agency, and in five years time it will
reach the Black Hills, in case the set
Element of the country continues as
rapidly as it is now going on.
Mr.. Leech has erected an elevator
on the line of this road to hold the
grain until the iron is laid and the cars
are running, SO as to avoid transporta-
ton by wagon such long distance.
He proposes to erect five more next
year, as the enormous increase III the
acreage of wheat seems to warrant the
investment.
THE LEIGH FARM.
About year ago Mr.. Leech came
here from Erie, where he had resided
for generation, and was one of the
most enterprising and highly-esteemed
citizens, and purchased farm OF 1000
acres near Fargo, and $4,000 acres near
Tower City, a new town about forty
miles west on the line of the Northern
Pacific railroad For this he paid the
railroad company So an acre, making a
total investment of $4,000. He
came here again last spring, bringing
with him colony of workmen from
Erie, Pa, erected his houses and barns,
bought the necessary stock and ma
chinery, and broke 1000 acres of land
which he seeded to wheat. His first
crop is a very fine one, perhaps the
finest in this valley, and will yield at
least thirty bushels to the acre on the
average, and in some sections it has
already threshed out as high as thirty
five.
The most accurate estimate of his
crop fixes the total yield on the 1000
acres at $4,000 bushels, which will be
sold at 81 bushel. 1t will thus be
seen that the first crop reaped from
1000 acres, or one eleventh of Mr..
Leech's farm, gives him
A DIVIDEND OF 60 PER CENT.
upon his enormous investment, and
the earth refunds to him more than
one-half the price of his land, by the
cultivation of very small fraction OF
it; and the profit does not stop here.
The land that has been broken can be
readily sold for SIS an acre, now that
its yielding qualities have been so
thoroughly demonstrated, go that $780,
600 more should be added to the al
ready enormous profits of Mr.. Leech's
investm ent, being the increase in value
of the 1900 acres he has cultivated.
These figures seem almost fabulous,
but they are nevertheless accurate. /
have known Mr.. Leech since my boy
hood, and the accuracy of any state
ments he may make will be vouched
for by any resident of Erie, where he
has resided for many years.
Mr.. Leech has two stalwart SONS. He
will place the Fargo farm in charge of
one of them and the Tower City farm
in charge of the other. This fall he
will pillow the remainder of the former
farm and five or six thousand acres of
the latter, and will have next year
from 5000 to 10000 acres in wheat.
which, if the yield is as great as it has
been this year-and there have been
several better crops in this valley-he
will have all his money back and a
clear title to farm Of $4,000 acres.
But he proposes to sell q portion
about half-of his Tower City farm.
He believes in the future of the coun-
try, and bought for rise" The land
he paid IS an acre for can be sold to-
day for 81 or So in its unimproved con-
dition, and as soon as he demonstrates
by single crop its value for wheat cul-
tivation-and there seems to be no
doubt about tits price will double.
THE SMALL FARMS.
Twas talking with Mr.. Raymond the
other day about farming, and ! re-
marked that it seemed to me that the
rich men, the men with $4,000, and
$4,000, and $4,000, were monopo-
izing this wheat Eldorado, and asked
him if it would not result, some time,
to the disadvantage of the country.
"You are laboring under very COM
mon and very natural mistake" he
replied. "You think there are no
small farms here because you only hear
about the big ones. Dalrymple's farm
is known the world over because it has
been so extensively advertised as q
wonder in agriculture, and gentlemen
who come here to see the wheat farms
always go where the most can be seen,
and overlook the little ones altogether"
'sThen there are little farms ~
eyes, plenty of them. You know
every alternate section of this land be-
longs to the government and it is diff
cult to secure it in any quantity.
UNDER THE PRE- EMP1IoN LAW
any man or single woman over q years
of age can secure 100 acres, and some
times family consisting of a father
and three or four grown children get
GAO or 800 acres, but such cases are
rare. Under the homestead act a
soldier can get 100 acres, and under
the timber culture act anyone can get
100 acres by planting ten acres of trees;
and you will find that these wise and
generous laws have been taken advan-
tage of to larger extent than the pub
lie supposes."
''Is there any show for man who
has no money to pre-empt a claim?"
sLet man come here with team
next April He can find employment
during seeding time," continued Mr..
Raymond, ''for twenty days, and re-
ceive So day for himself and team,
and board. Then comes the breaking
and backsetting season, when he can
get s.. so a day and board for himself