The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-03-24
A BIG WHEAT FARM.
THE GREAT VALLEY OF THE
RED RIVER OF THE NORTH.
A Farm Of IS, 900 Acres-How 1t is
Prosperous Towns
Growing Up-AY Yoke
Of Elks.

| III GUC WOl1o. LII Az
sponse to inquiries made by reporter for
the New York Mail and Express while in
that city recently, he gave some interest
ing particulars of how his farm is man
aged. The farms consists of $4,000
acres, on $4,000 of which wheat was
grown the past season. It is in the val
ley of the Red river of the North, on the
west side of the river, in the northern
part of the Territory; and if estimated in
oblong form, it would make strip of
land sixteen miles long by five miles
broad.
Gin addition to its being cultivated by
the most improved machinery" said Mr..
Dalrymple, "the farm requires, at certain
seasons, between six hundred and eight
hundred men to aid in plowing, harvest
ing, threshing and moving the wheat.
We own five hundred horses, which are
also used on the farm, and in the busy
part Of the Season we employ about three
hundred more. The yield averages
twenty bushels to the acre. 1t is sown
in the spring and taken off in the fall.
The kind is that known as No. l.,
hard spring. 1t takes IT'S self
binders to cut and bind it, and twenty
five steam threshers, running during the
harvesting season, to thresh it. These
machines will average 1900 to 1,5O0
bushels day. The seeding begins April
10 and the harvesting three months later.
It is sown with the aid Of horses and
machines. The farm is divided into
subdivisions of 1900 acres each, and
each is managed by superintendent
All the superintendents are responsible
to general manager and all report to
him daily. This is done not only by
means of horses and buggies, but also by
telephone, for a telephone wire connects
every part of division with its head
quarters, and each division headquarters
is connected by telephone and telegraph
with the general managers office. The
latter is connected by telegraph with the
main telegraph lines of the country.
Water is carried through galvanized
pipes to all the headquarters by means
of elevated tanks fed from the river by
windmills There are six railroad sta
tions on the farm, on the Northern Pa
cifc and the Manitoba railroad. The
headquarters on each division includes a
large boarding house, dwelling-house
for the superintendent, barn to accom-
modate seventy-fve horses, large gran
ary and numerous outbuildings.
"The valley of the Red river is some
thing enormous. It is 800 miles long by
forty to fifty miles wide. Ten years ago
the whole country along the west side,
where we are, was unoccupied, there not
being 1000 acres under plow for dis
tance of 200 miles either up or down the
river. Now it is substantially one vast
wheat field, settled, occupied and i'm
proved. A number of towns of from
1000 to 1900 inhabitants each, have
sprung up and are rapidly growing.
Fargo, on the river, has reached pop1-
lation of from 10, 900 to $4,000 in few
wears. The river is navigable from Fargo
to Lake Winnepeg. At Fargo it is like
the Chicago river, about 200 feet wide.
We have steamboat and seven targes
that run to Duluth, on Lake Superior, in
connection with the farm. The land on
each side of the river is rich, fertile soil,
and rises less than foot to the mile as it
recedes from the river. A little timber
is to be found along the river, the trees
being of oak, maple and ash, but it only
extends inland a few rods. There are
two railroads running up and down the
valley its whole length. The nearest
{ Indians we have are the Chippewas,
who have a reservation fifty miles
east of us. But they are quite friendly,
and in fact the country is as safe from an
| Indian trouble as are any of the more
settled States. The spring we went out
there nine years ago, remember that
General Custer and his men passed
through the valley on their way to the
Black Hills, and company of scouts
was raised in the valley to accompany
him. The Indians had been moved from
the valley short time previous to the
| west side of the Missouri, to reserva-
ton about 200 miles from us.
s'It is no colder in winter than at Mime
apolis and St. Paul. The winters are
cold, yet the effect is no more severe than
where the mercury is Is or 20 degrees
higher, because the atmosphere is so
clear and dry. Spring opens so that
farming begins by April IS and closes
about November Is. This compares
well with New York and Pennsylvania.
| The winters are more severe and contin-
uous than here but are not much longer.
We do not have as much snow as falls
| 500 miles south of US, because of the dry
atmosphere. The summers are warm and
pleasant, the air pure and bracing. The
| Territory will compare well with Mime
| sofa and Iowa as to all the elements of
productiveness. Our staples are wheat,
barley, oats, fax and roots. Native
grasses flourish well and can be matured
in the smaller varieties.
"Game and fishing2 Plenty of both.
Among the game are wild ducks, prairie
chickens, deer, antelopes and elk, all Of
which are to be fc4,nd in abundance up
and down the valley. It used to be a
great hunting grouud for buffalo. and in
places the ground was found fairly white
| with their bones, so much so that we
had to cart them away. An interesting
instance of what we get hold of once in
while is that of two large elks which q
resident of Fargo captured. He yokcd
them together and drove the team about
the town for some time. They had im-
mense horns, twice the size Of any deer's,
and called forth no end of attention.
They were finally sold at St. Paul for a
large price at the State fair"
What the Indians Cost.
Outside of Alaska we have $50, 900 In
| 1;onu on5 ayoru h1ck curav and nan-