The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1886-05-25
A BIG WHEAT FARM.
THE GREAT VALLEY OF THE
RED RIVER OF THE NORTH,
A farm of $4,000 Acres--How 1t
is (uitivated-fr0sperOus Towns
Growing Up-A Yoke Of Elks.

A Farm of 10000 Acres--HOM It
is ('ultivated-fr0sperOus Towns
Growing Up-A Yoke Of Elks.
Mr.. W F Dalrymlle, OF Dakota, with
his brother Oliver, Is owner OF the larp.
est wheat farm in the world. In re.
sponse to Inquiries made by q reporter
for The New Nork Mail and Express
while in taat city recently. be gave some
Interesting par ticulsrs OF how his farm
is managed. The farms consists OF u.s.
600 acres, on $1,000 OF which wheat WAS
grown the past season. 1t is in the val
ley of tue Red river of the N.rth, on
the west side OF the river, in tue north
ern part OF the Territory; and if esti-
mated in ohlong form, il would make
a strip Of laHd ssxteen miles Tong .by
five miles broad.
"In addiuon to its being cultivated BY
the most improved machinery" said Mr..
Dalrymple, 1.-The farm requires, st GER
tain seasons, between six hundred and
eight hundred men to q d In blowing,
6arvestinR, thr.shing and moving the
wheat. We own Eve hundred horses.
which are also ussd on the farm, and 10
the busy part Of the season We employ
about three hundred more. The yield
averages tsenty bushels TO the acre. 1t
is sown 10 the spring and taken of In
the fall. The kind is that known as
M. l, hard spring, Il takes It's self.
binders to cut and hind It, and twenty.
five steam threshers, RAINING during the
harvesting season, to thresh 1t. These
machines will aversee 1900 to 300
hushtl. q day. Tie seeding begins
April 10 and The harvesting three mo- tbs
later. 1t Is Gown With the aid, OF horses
and machines. The farm is divided into
subdivisions OF 2,C00 acres each. and
each ia managed by q superintendent.
All the superintenden!s are responsible
to general manager and oil report TO
him daily. This 10 done not only by
means Of horses and buggies, but also
by telephone, for telephcns wire con
meets everv pait of Q division with its
headquarters. and each division head.
lquar,ers is connected by telephone and
telegraph with the general managers
office. The latter is connected by tele
i graph with the main telegraph lines ol
the country. Water 10 carried through
galvanized pipes to all the beadqaartert
by means Of elevated tanks fed from the
river nv windmills. There are six rail
road stations on the farm. ON the North
jern Pacific anc the Manitoba railroad
The headquarters on each division in'
cludes large boa,dine-house, dwe!
ling house for the superintendent, q barr
to acct immediate seveDty.6ve horses. .
large grsnary and numerous oulbuild
. ipgs.
"rhe valley of the Red river is some.
thing enormous. 1t is 800 miles long
by forty to fifty miles wide. Ten years
ago the whole country along the wesI
side, where we are, vas unoccupied
there NIT heing coo acres under pillow
Tor distance OF 200 miles either up oil
down the river. Now i is substantially
one vast wheat field, s.t'l'd, occupied
and improved. A number OF towns o.
from !, 1,00C to 2,C00 inhahi,snts each
have sprung up and are rapidly growing
. Fargo, on the river. has reached popu
lation Of from 10000 to $4,000 in q tev
wears. The river is navigahle from
Fargo TO Lake Winnepeg. At Ergo j
is like the Chicago river, about 200 fee
vile. We have steamboat snd sever
barges that run 10 Duluth. on Lake Su
! perior, 10 connection With the farm. Th'
. land on each side of the river is rich
fertile soil, and rises less than foot &
the mile as il recedes ION the river. A
, little timber is to be found along th'
river, the trees being of oak, maple anC
ash. bot Ii only extends inland q few
rode. There are two railroads running
, up and down the valley its whole length
|, The nearest Indians We have are the
Chippew was, who have reservation hftJ
miles east of Us. But they are quite
friendly, and in fact the county is a'
} safe from any Indian trouble as are any
OF the more settled States. The spring
: we went out there, nine years ago,
, Iremember that General Gutter and BIZ
, men passed through the valley on thei
way to the B ark Hills, and q compan,
/. OF scouts was raised in the valley to &C
: ccmpany him The Indians had heel
I moved from the valley o shoit time pre-
E vious to the west side of the Missouri
to reservation abuut 200 miles from US
r at is no colder in winter than a
r Minneapolis and St. Paul. The winter
are cold. yet the effect Is no more sever
. than where the mercury as Is or 20 de
: grees higher, because the atmosphere i
o so clear and dry Spring opens so tha
. farming begins by April Is and close
e sbout November Is. This compare
4 we'll with New York and Pennsylvsnia
E The winters a.e. more severe and con
a tinuous than here, bat are not muc
). longer. We do q, have as much sno'
, as tails 500 miles south Of Us, becaus
E II the dry atmosphere. The summer
!. are warm and pleasant, the air pure an
o bracing. The Territory will compar
q we'll with Minnesota and Iowa as to q
!. the elements Of productveness. Gu
n staples are wheat. barley. oats. fox an
roots. Native grasses flourish we'll an
can he matured in the smaller varieties
Game and fishingf Plenty OF bott
Among the game are wild ducks, prairi
chickens, deer. an,elopes and elk. all q
which are 70 be found iu abundance u
and down the valley. II used TO be
e great hunting ground for budslo, and !
pieces the ground Was found fairly whit
: with their bones, so much go that '
= had to cart them away. An interestin
/, instance OF What We get hold Of once /
q while is that two large elks which
resident OF Fargo captured. He yoke'
them together and drove the team ahou
g the town for some time. They had i'm
. mense torns. twice the size OF anv deer's
, and called forth no end Of attention
y They were finally sold st St Paul for
4 large price at the State fair"
Our Progress.
/, As stsges are quickly abandoned wit
r the completion OF railroads, 80 the hug