St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-26
A LAND OF FERTILITY,
Six Thousand Farms in One
County Inviting New
Settlers.
Enong' the Most Choice and
Productive in the Black
Hills.
Sturgis Is It's Metropolis in
the East Part Of the Fa-
nous Country.
The Methods Of the Land De-
paptment Favorable to
the Settlers.

Special to the Globe.
STURGIs, Oak, May 25.-This city
has several wants. A few of them are
enumerated below. First and foremost
among the wants of Sturgis is the locat-
ing of settlers in the country contigu-
Gus to us, upon the thousands of acres
of vacant land. The best and most fully
developed agricultural lands in the
Black Hills are situated in the eastern
end of Lawrence comfy, near this city.
The best of them lie along the Bare
Butte, Alkali, Elk and Spring creeks.
Thousands of acres have already been
taken up, but there are thousands lying
idle. Surveys recently made show that
enough land is lying idle in the eastern
end of Lawrence county to make 5000
farms of 160 acres each, land this land not
of a barren, unfruitful nature, but of the
richest loan, capable of producing any
thing that can be grown in the same
latitude the world over. The most mag
nificent farming land on earth lies idle
awaiting the coming of the thousands
seeking a new home in the West. First
come first served. The laws governing
the obtaining of these lands are not
difficult to comply with, and the settler
will find that instead of the close
guardianship of Uncle Sam being
hardship, it is of inestimable benefit
and value to him. Water is in album
dance throughout the eastern two-thirds
of the county. Running streams, bank
full the year around, make irrigation
entirely useless and unnecessary.
THE PRODUCTS
of the country are only limited by the
time, skill and patience of the husband
man. Grains of all kinds are grown as
only Dakota can grow them. The rich,
deep soil is easily broken and turned up
toward the rain. Farmers can plant
their seed with the greatest ease and let
nature take her course, assured that
when the harvest time comes his in
crease Will be from fifty, sixty to an
hundred-fOld. Wheat can be relied
upon to go from twenty to forty bush
els per acre; oats thirty-fiye to seventy
five; corn from sixty to one hundred.
Barley and other cereals do as we'll in
proportion. The finest hay in the world
is the Black Hills wild hay. Its equal
is not known. Stockmen never feed
grain to horses or cattle unless the ami
mails are engaged in heavy work. This
may seem like fairy tale, but no truer
words were ever spoken. Horses and
the like are fed on the native hay alone
during the winter, and the spring finds
them hardy and sleek, ready for their
summers work. The prairie and
mountain parks are open for the settler
to go upon, start his mower and gather
a crop of hay as heavy as he desires.
THE RAINFALL
is increasing with every season. AS the
sod of the prairie is turned over, the
fall increases proportionately. This
season has begun, as usual; heavy rains
having already fallen, and to-day an
other fine warm rain is steadily pouring
down. Undoubtedly the peculiar forma-
ton of the country is the direct cause of
the plenteous fall of rain during the
year. The strange contour of the hills;
their altitude; the radiating streams of
water from them, flowing through their
deep water-courSeS, in conjunction with
the two forks of the Cheyenne river, I'M
dOubtedly as a whole, are the cause of
the liberal showers of the spring and
summer.
This city of Sturgis is located on Bare
Butte creek, and occupies a site in a
most beautiful valley. Through the
town passes all roads leading through
the county, both rail and wagon, and
as consequence, the Sturgis business
men supply the settlers in the country
around, for distance of thirty miles,
with everything they need for family
or farm use.
The city is located just to the east of
the Black hills proper, and is sur
rounded by the foothills on the east.
1t is town that has immense possibilli-
ties before it, and for this reason they
are trying hard to upbuild the country
around, knowing that Stnrgis, with
10000 farmers occupying the farms now
lying vacant, would still remain what
she is to-day, the key city of the hills.