Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1884-02-29
LETTER TO THE ALERT

! ~ Complying Win your appeal 70 The
farmers and business men to furnish state.
ments and matter for your Emigration
Paper, which will reach many hundreds
Of people, there Will no doubt be divsksi-
fed opinions: 1t is 10 be hoped, how
ever, that they Will conform themselves
to facts. 1t is not always the large re-
ports that convince the farmers who are
| seeking new homes that it would be the
place for them. Small returns, when the
reasons for it are given, will attract more
earnest attention. For instance, where
the plowlng and seeding has only halt
been done, OF droughts and storms have
reduced the yleld-of the latter am glad
to say there has been but little; OF the
former, 1t prevails largely from the fol.
lowing reasons: Men Of limited means
wish to get rich too fast. As the farmsn
here generally nave the best of credit, on
account of the confidence mere hauts and
dealers, as well as manufacturers
hav. in tho productlveness of the soil.
they over-reach and try to do too much:
where they are able to farm IN q good
manner one hundred and sixty acres,
they generally rent or get four or i've
hundred acres, run IN cebt for some more
teams and machinery, mortgage what
they have, go ahead and run tue seeder
over as much as they possibly can, and
then half drag their land and leave 1t to
Providence or some one else to give them
= good crop. When they come to thresh
they find only half a crop-about 10 bush.
els TO the acre, sometimes l5-when they
have made up their minds for at least 20
or 25, which they ought to have had, and
40 doubt would had they done their work
well. Then, to cap the climax, they start
to plow using IA inch plow, cutting
20 inch furrow, skimmlng as light a.
they can and get it done, which leaves
the ground prepared only for poor crop
the next season.
These are actual experiences with me:
have been farming here since 1875,
besides l have had the management o,
the Lloyd Farms, SO we'll known here.
since 1873, consisting of 5000 acres oil
cultivated lands in tins county, and $40
IN Barnes county, besides $40 acres OF nv
own, and l have always been aLle to pro-
duce from 3 to bushels to the acre more
where the work was properly done. For
instance, this last season, with all the
drawbacks, when no one expected to get
more THAI half crop, and was so re-
ported all over, where the work was
properly done We got from Is to Is busl.-
els to the acre; where the half work WAS
done they got from to 10. Now where
people can make living aud get such
crops as they do from the work they do,
certainly have tho strongest faith; and
firmly pelieve that for people of limited
-:eans, who want to get home and are
willing to work for it, there is no better
country than this. And where tiere are
such chances for this class Of men. wha,
better chances docs the merchant and
capitalist want?
There have been great many reports
as to the actual expense oil farming riyen
to the public, and all agreeing upon the
expense to he sl2.5O per acre to get the
first crop. This includes breaking, seed.
seeding, harvesting and threshing. Nov
this would be the expense to hire 1t Ill
done. My farming has been done on a.
together = different plan and consequent
" cost less, as the above figures have q
fair profit for the man who does the work.
Every farmer should own his own stock
and machinery, for which he must charge
fair percentage for wear and interes., ss
he may have bought on time and have to
pay interest. Good machinery will wear
ten years with but little outlay If proper
" taken care Of Ny experiences are
that all over ss.o0 for the first crop aad
a6. 90 for the second are clear prollte to
the farmer who owns his own stock ana
docs his own work. have always been
able to raise from Is to 30 bushels to tha
acre, for which l have always received
lrom soc to u 25 per bushel, which hse
left me . nice profit Of from q to o. per
acre to make Improvements with, % ny
farm will show. And / started in lS7k
with very limited means.
The emigrant who comes to this coon.
try now has the advantage OF reatine
lands to work where he can Ges the soe3
furnished, 20 that be can MAKE hi Hrue
years impTovemen0 on his ols,a A
make expenses, % - 70 b rOaAy fse n
n-m A~ ehn TINA ~ Il Va><oo e.