Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-11-29

Hutchinson county was taken up I'M
der the homestead. presumption and
tree culture acts, so that at present
nearly every section of land contains
from one to four settlers. The southern
part OF the county is principally settled
by Russians, and the northern part by
Americans. The majority of the people
have gained little besides the advance
IN the prices of their land, which is now
considered worth from 81, 200 to $500
for quarter section, almost anywhere
in the county, and believe now is a
better time to go to Southern Dakota
and buy land at these prices, than 60
to the frontier and get land at govern
ment prices.
There are many Inconvenience that
are very expensive off fifty or one hum
dred miles from railroads, especially a
country where there is no timber or
market for produce. so l think it would
be cheaper now to buy land at $1,000
to 81, 500 for quarter section, in the
vicinity of q railroad, than have it given
you sixty miles away.
Most of these settlers build temporary
sod houses and barns. The Russians
were accustomed to building these
houses, and they make quite per-
manent house of mud and straw. They
find this material plentiful on the
prairies After taking off the top sod,
they pillow up the ground, mix it with
cattle or horses until it is thoroughly
mixed. 1t is then nodded by hand into
bricks, and the sides of the houses are
laid up two or three feet at a time, when
they are left few days to dry in the
sun, and the same process is repeated
until the house is finished. In this way
they manage to make very cheap and
comfortable house that will answer for
a few years very well. Parkston is CEN
trally located to market the product of
about 450 square miles. Almost every
acre IS available for cultivation. 1t is
doubtful, however, if Southern Dakota
can be considered as good a wheat
country as the Red River Valley, along
the Northern Pacific. 1t is better adapt
ed for raising stock than Northern
Dakota. A fair average crop of corn is
| from 40 to 60 bushels, oats from 90 to
IS, wheat from 20 to 50, and flax from
II to % bushels. The latter is gener-
ally raised on sod or breaking, which
produces a crop the first year and can
be sown from May to June Is. l have
been told that Scotland, the nearest
railroad town in Hutchinson and Doug
las counties, has shipped more flax than
any other station in the world The
farmers market about $4,000 bushels of
flax during the threshing season. The
roads are excellent. You can seldom
find as good roads in new country,
especially iii the fall and winter months,
when they become hard and dry, for
very little rain or snow falls during the
winter months. They seldom get over
foot of snow, and that generally dur
ing the months of February and March,
and then it seldom stays long. Wagons
are used all the year round. This gives
the farmers an excellent chance to do
their fall and winter work, as husking
corn and hauling grain to market, as
they have the best roads during the fall
and winter season, when it is most
needed.
They generally have plenty of rain
during the spring and summer months
to produce good crops. although they
suffered considerably in some sections
last summer. Farmers who are required
to borrow money have to give three
per cent. month for the use of money
and chattel mortgage. This seems to
be the general custom.
With all of these drawbacks they
seem to be hopeful, and with the new
railroads built they feel confident of
making a success. have not given as
bright a picture of Dakota as many of
the correspondents who have generally
overdrawn their representations; but it
would be well enough for those who go
there to find the country fully as good
if not better than represented, and they
| Mt fLa,, ha co hoJlv