St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-17
DAKOTA IN WINTER.
Budd Reeve Draws From
the Experience of Eight
Years.
The Colder the Winter the
Bigger the Next Wheat
Crop.
The Social Pleasures and
Material Advantages Of the
Severe Cold.
Why the Prairies Were Made
West and Not in
the East.
Enecial Letter to the Globe.

can,
But vindicate the ways of God to man.
That is just the doctrine and just what
we will do: "Vindicate the ways of
God to man." We must do this in order
TO be happy and get the true value and
enjoyment out of the blizzard and long,
cold winter.
AS stated in previous letter, serious
ness and truthfulness are always to be
kept in view. l have waited and tested
the country eight years before venturing
to publish an opinion. This is certainly
using due caution and sincerity.
After spending eight winters i'll Da-
kOta, am prepared to say it is a pleas
ant place to live in winter, and in many
respects possesses superior charms and
advantages.
Fertility and productiveneSs are adj
mitted and established facts. AS With
out this, everything else would be a
failure and labor would be In vain. we
take it as basis on which to build and
make all claims and calculations for the
foundation of wealth and of home.
The reward of the harvest is the attrac-
ton and inducement held out by Da-
kota and the Red river valley. Every
intelligent man in America can make
affidavit, that for abundant crops, Da-
kQta
STANDS AT THE HEAD.
One golden harvest succeeds another,
as circle succeeds circle and wave sue
eeeds wave.
but how about living on an open
prairie and enduring a long, cold winter
and the bliZZards?" These are the kind
of questions the ignorant and vicious
are constantly asking. 1t is to be pre-
sumed everybody knows what prairie
is. But as there may be some school
children who have not learned
all the definitions yet, ] will
give one. A prairie is that part of the
country where nature in anticipation OF
mans comforts and wants and in SYM
patty with labor has gone ahead and
: cleared all the stumps, stones and hills
away. and scattered them around and
piled them up in different places, prin-
cipally over the East, and left one broad,
beautiful land like Dakota, polished and
leveled down. where millions of acres
can be plowed and harvested without
spending an hour to clear the ground.
God went over it with His great smooth
ing irons, the elements, in advance of
mans coming, and wiped out ages in
the use of the grub hoe. This is q
prairie.
George Washington was always re-
ferring to destiny and Ignatius
Donnelly's "Francis Bacon" alias
civilian Shakespeare" about "a des-
tiny that shapes our ends"
believe in "deStiny" and divinity"
Just as much as Mr.. Washington and
Mr.. Bacon did, and there is one of two
things certain. When God formed the
great Western prairie, He did so either
because He got tired seeing people
down East
LIVING IN THE WOODS,
grubbing and picking up stones gener-
alton after generation, and he turned
the elements loose to clear the way and
prepare everything in advance of mans
coming to make settlement and farming
easy. Or, if this was not the reason,
knowing that Christopher Columbus
and Lief Ericsson would cross the At
lantic and strike the eastern shore of
the continent first, he piled up great
hills and mountains, and big stones and
big trees, so that when the pilgrim
fathers came over to America their sur
rOundings would seem more natural
and homelike, and they would be better
cOntented to stay. Perhaps the average
thinker can't see any thought in this
that is food for reflection. But for one
moment suppose Dakota had been
placed alongside of the Atlantic shore,
instead of back in the centre of the
continent out of sight. If the lay of
the land had been arranged in this way
when Columbus struck it, instead of
thinking the world was round and he
had discovered new continent, he
would have returned to Isabella and re-
ported that he was stopped in his vOy-
age, and had to turn back, by running
against
THE BED OF THE OCEAN
living above the level of the sea. and
that the world was as flat as pancake,
and all his fond anticipations would
have vanished. Nothing but mountains
and trees, and rocks and rivers would
have been evidence to Columbus of a
landing place. If there is a man living
who can't see in the formation and ar
rangement of the American continent a
''deStiny" and divinity" then he
must be stone blind. The settlement of
the prairie had to be reserved for the
most advanced state of science and
civilization. The use and habitatiOn of
the great prairies are only made pos
sible by the aid of great and mighty
railroads. By means of transportation
and communication; by means of the
present improved pillow, harvester and
thresher. 1t makes but little difference
where man is located now, if he is on
good piece of land within easy distance
Of a railroad station. The railroad
brings the markets and comforts of the
world and lays them at his door. But
you ask what about wood and water
and all thnSo things
ON AN OPEN PRAIRIE?
A man can pillow and SOW six acres of
wheat with single span of horses in
three days. Ii he gets twenty bushels
per acre at 60 cents per buShel he will
keep the price right down to hard pan,
and not build any hopes on anything
uncertain. Six acres of wheat would
bring him S72. For this money the rail-
road company will lay him down from
Pennsylvania enough of the best hard
coal to run his stove year. This beate
chopping wood all to pieces, and is an
easier and quicker way to get fuel than
it would be if it grew on his own farm
In the shape of trees. He can take his
plow and raise wheat and buy coal
cheaper and quicker than any other
way. If you want to get a boy tired and
disguised and ready to run away from
DOlllC ny bllC IliilC llC 10 ulbtcll, hCCD
with an old ak in his hand mauling away
at woodpile. and if he ever gets min
ute to sit down or wants to go any
where, tell him he can't go, for he must
stay at home and chop wood. In Da-
kota man doesn't have to spend a life
time
CHOPPING AND GRUBBING
to clear small garden patch. He can
break the wild soil and reap rich
harvest, and can turn it into money and
buy any thing he wants. When you
look over the prairie, and don't see any
trees. bear in mind they can be set out
Just where you want them, and as you
want them and grown hundred times
easier than you can cut down forest
and grub farm out Of the woods.
Don't sigh for forest in which to make
home, without you have mania for
grubbing. You can open up a prairie