Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-09-04
LETTER FROM NORTHERN DAKOTA.
ITS Praiiics, Wheat, Billiards, Gophers,
and Uailstoncs.

4OuIStll, Ill llltts lllttulph' W. avn ~
kota, and alight in Grand Forks, on Red
River, about sixty miles south of the Can
ada line. The town stretches along the
west side of the river. 1t has seven lirst-
class hotels and number of second
class, several very good business blocks,
four churches, one sawmill and the lneVl-
table roller skating rink. Population,
six thousand. | have been here over two
months but the boys will be disappointed
when say haven't seen any one SHOT.
haven't even seen an armed agent" It's
safer here, indeed, than in New YORK,
where | came from. we hardly call UhlS
f'West" out here
Wen take the train for Arvila, twenty
miles west. That large brick building
lust ont of the town is the University OF
a salt "couee" The salt and alkai in
the water ruins the land Immediately
around it but don't think the land is all
like this. Now, you see, we are travel
ling over the open prairie Doesn LOOK
so dreary" Why, no, the railroad, the
the houses spoil our idea of bowling
wilderness. Five years ago however,
this was all a stretch of that kind of land
you see over there-short prairie grass
not sod turned. But now, as you OBJ
serve, the acres that are Stlll unDfOFen
can be counted
Here is the first house several miles out
of the Forks. That's an ordinary look
ing house, but before long you'll have
seen any number of claim shanties, -
about l0XlOXl0 covered with tarred pa
per IA comical little black box "holding
down claim.
How is land taken :" Well, You may
get 100 acres by the homestead, or by the
preemption, or by the tree claim. The
first requires five years continuous resi-
Il, .1ni, IA
months continuous residence and the pay
ment of 81 .25 per acre to the government.
The third requires that ten acres be pant
ed with trees four feer apart, within
eight years So you see, it doesn't take
very much money to start Il man in the
west m
Yes, sir, money is scarce out here. The
settler has to pay from ten to fifteen per
/cent and an enormous bonus. Fortunate
man he. if he can borrow from eastern
friends at eight to ten per cent.
This little village we are nearing is
Djdt0, about fifteen frame buildings scat
tered along the track. You see the inevl-
table grain elevator significant, isn't 1t
Notice the sign over that liquor saloon,
'No hard" The broke" settler on
the piazza is one Interpretation of the
motto, but we shall soon see better.
Now feast your eyes on those thousands
of acres of waving grain. beautiful
Why, its inspiring just to look at IT. Cd,
serve it is well headed out, and thick and
strong No beard on it very little soft
wheat up here. They grow Scotch tyfe
CLUB wheat almost entirely. You must
remember we are in the midst OF the IA
nous Red River Valley. This hard wheat
is much in demand-can hardly be grown
south of the middle of Dakota. south
Dakota millers get most, if not all, their
hard, from North Dakota.
They begin to cut in August, and
they can often seed the last of April.
Wheat here, often grows III ninety days.
Then the binders come into play. Yes,
that's one. "OutdoorS ," Why, bless
you, any amount of valuable machinery
from "a sulky pillow to a portable engine
is housed out here, under the open SKY !!
OF course, my Puritan blood boiled to
think of the waste when | first came here,
but then | see the reason now. You see
harvesting season must he rushed
through at so white Il heat that many lar
mers will get the first good work out of II
machine and then throw it away and get
another. But this Wasteful practice, and
that of leaving machinery outdoors all
the time is being abandoned, as the far
mers heads cool. These binders cost
from 500 to $50. As to threshing, sew
eral farmers form company and have IL
separator and engine. Their crew does
the work for the neighborhood.
1t IS difficult, by the way, to get good
hands out here, especially at harvest time.
Wages reach 500 Il day then, The aver
age wages are about $500 per month for
the season.
The grain threshed, it is taken to the
elevators, most of which are run by large
firms, pillsbury & Hulburt, and Brooks
Brothers, and loaded on the cars. 1t Is
largely consigned to commission men IN
Minneapolis, Chicago and Duluth. The
average yield is twenty bushels to the
acre.
Price - When the settlers first came
here they got Sl.25 per bushel No. ! hard
To-day ii is fluttering about seVentY-fVt
or eighty cents. The average price tol
the past five years is 50 30 cents. Most
all mans wheat Gf he seeds hard wheat
will be graded No. | hard unless 1t be
in some way damaged.
Now we will drive north, away from the
railroad track, which runs on to Devils
Lake. Think how rapidly the country
grows Six years ago the gOpherS ant
buffalo held these claims now you can
get land from the government by claim
east OF the lake, though you can west o
it it 5 all taken up. And the man tina
would get any land by claim in Nortl
Dakota must not stop to think about i
nore than two years.
Now We'll drive over the prairie kit
Uering,' as they say across section. Is.
tie way, even small farmers do things OF
q big scale here Every turrow is one
half IA mile long, You see the grass l
short and scant, but it is nutritious, an,
Timothy, however, does well we ma
hope To see here in time, as good grass ii
in New England.
Isn't this a bracing climate We al
most always have breeze. In winter W
have billiards.. Oh you needn't look 5
shocked a blizzard is dangerous onl
from travellers being unable to see hi
way. Ii blows the fine, dry snow 50 tina
all around is wall of impenetrabl
white The dangerous winds are COZ
fined TO Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska II
deed, high wind does less damage heI
than in New England. The winters III
no shams. The mercury is fond of drOl
ping doWn to forty degrees below zer'
You remember that Il few years ago pc,
pie thought that this region was uninhal
table. Many think 50 now. But dress car
fully and you are as well of here AS
New Hampshire. The man that tries
brave it, however, and exposes himsel
pays for it.
We don't have grasshoppers, locus
OF chinch bugs up here no pest can wi