Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1883-12-12
PRODUCTS Of THE SOIL.

PRODUCTS OF THE SOIL.
The Region to he Traversed by the Missouri
| Valley T. Pacific.
Chamberlain Register.
In recent trips down the Missouri val
ley from Chamberlain to Yankton, the
editor of the Register has been making
close observations in regard to the coun-
try, the farmers, their manner of farm.
ing, and what will grow in the Missouri
valley.
The counties OF Brule, Charles Mix,
Bon Homme and Yankton are certainly
as fine soil and surface as ever came from
the plastic hand of the creative pswer,
The laying back for from ten to fifteen
miles is of wonderfully rich character.
The famous Red Lake valley is indeed
beautiful, and the farmers around it be-
gin to find there is fortune in the soil
il cultivated. Here We found extremely
large vegetables of the very finest flavor;
turnips, potatoes, onions, sQuashes, car
rots, cabbages, &C., almost every pile
being beautiful enough to exhibit at an
Iowa or Illinois fair. We were shown
into some of the cellars and caves impro-
vised to contain the bountiful crops.
Wheat, oats and corn were all prolific
crop. One farmer has as high as forty
bushels to the acre of wheat. Another
ninety.fve bushels of oats, and the com.
mon crop OF cod corn was thirty bushels
of a surprisingly good quality to the
acre. All the way from Red Lake to
Bljou Hills, the valley of Bijou creek,
running into Red Lake at Peter Nelson's e,
furnishes q most delih htful and rich val.
ley about five miles wide, gradually get
ting higher each way. The high bills, or
ground upon which Kimball is situated
extend clear to Bijou Hills. 1.-THE Hills
good quarry stone abounds. and the farm
onions that weighed pound and three.
fourths
At Castalis A. B. Lucas, the editor of
| the Republican, showed us q mammoth
squash that weighed ninety pounds:
potatoes that weighed three pounds
apiece, and other things in proportion,
and they seem to be 90 common that they
cease being wonderous to the people.
| At Bon Homme cabbage sat BY the
side of the dining Eoom door that was
dressed and ready to be cut up, five tiers
of leaves having been taken of, yet it
measured three feet and eight inches IN
circumference. In the farming land west
of Springfield, We cut bunch of second
crop of clover that measured twenty
inches high, and was % fine field as we
ever saw. One man raised Thousand
quarts of raspberries, and another as
many of strawberries, while number of
young orchards begin to bear apples.
There was no frost to injure any crops
at any point from Chamberlain to Yank.
ton.
}, visited the famous farm OF Reynolds
Bros at Wheeler. on the Missouri river
They have 1900 acres of land, about 40,
acres IN cultivation, and this year hav,
f l4O acres of corn. I learned from th
) manager of the farm that they have nov
gathered about forty acres. and that j
has SO far averaged them eighty bushel
to the acre. l saw the crops and brough
home samples. 1t is of the Blood,
Butcher variety. They are receiving
orders from Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin anl
Michigan for seed corn. They vii
gather about II 500 bushels. They keeK
about four hundred head of cattle and
large number OF hogs. Their farmin,
simply demonstrates what farmers cal
raise. Their crop of oats, fax, potatoes
and all kinds of grain and vegetables
they stated, were about in the same pro
portion as the corn, SO far as the yielt
was concerned. They did not raise muct
wheat.
The trouble with farmers generally i,
this valley has peen they do llttl,
} breaking and get seized with the specu
lative mania to prove up and sell out
Then they are all new and not yet used
to the situation. The further away yol
get from railroad the better farming
. you find. The farmer comes to stay; th,
, town people have claims out few mile
from town, and do not do any more thai
fulfill the Law, having other means ol
support. but when farmers understand
? that it is out of the soil that they mus
j, expect their wealth, and break fifty t,
!, one hundred and more acres
put in their crops il
i. season, and get down to business, the,
. they get returns for their labor. Blu
t when you meet man who talks OF goin
back as soon as he can prove up, and &c
ing iute some other business, look ou
i for poor farming. The day of sms
8 farming has gone by. It will do for Ne,
lorkers and men to raise garden "sass
close to great market. But to max
farming profitable in Dakota you mus
buy machinery. and in order to make th
: purchase of machinery remunerativ
8 you must have ground to work the m,
a chinery to its full capacity, and the ma
who has only fifteen acres of wheat an
few acres of corn will get left ever
q time.