St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-18
BLACK HILLS WEALTH.
The Great Stock Interests Wintered
Almost Without ANY Loss of Cattle.
A LAND OF MUCH TIN.
Big Calf Crop---Never More Prosperous
Smelling Works Pr0mised---A
$4,000, 900 Deal in Tin.
Special Letter to the Globe.

RAPID CITY. Feb. 15.-NeXt after the
mining interests. the grazing and agri-
cultural pursuits of the Black Hills
claim attention. This region has been
greatly favored during many months
past in the way of climatic conditions,
and no indication is given of cessation
of the manifest good will of the AL
mighty. A better winter for stock on
the range was never experienced than
the one now drawing to a close. The
only Inconvenience undergone by the
cattle and horses out was during the
week of Jan. IL to 10, when the cold was
severe. That storm, however, was the
first OF the season, and it found the
stock in the pink of condition. The
grass OH the uplands was plenty and
well cured, and water was abundant in
the streams and water holes, so that the
stock was fat and strong and well calcu-
lated to stand a siege of even longer
time than week. The only losses that
are reported SO far are those of small
| farmers whose stock, being Enclosed,
| Soughtrefuge in drOveS and were drifted
III and SmOthered by snow. Nor are
these cases many. From the best sources
| OF information, careful estimate places
the
! ENTIRE STOCK LOSS
| for Black Hills and contiguous ranges
resulting from that storm at less than
100. Range riders and herd owners,
who have travelled the ranges very thor
0ughly since the storm, report no cattle
| dead i'll punches, and only here and
| there one that has frozen. All the stock
| were starved to some extent, but the
| snow went off before the animals were
| greatly weakened, and they are now
| strong and hearty once more. The
| promise for good calf crop is excel
| lent, too. The stockmen are happy over
| the prospect, for with the almost GER
talnty of 415-cent market next fall,
they feel that more prosperous season
was never experienced by them.
| On the other hand, the tiller of the
| soil is rejoiced to the innermost depths
| of his soul-such of him as has soul
| TO be. stirred. For, if the winter has
| been prOpitiouS for stockmen, it has
| been equally good for grangers. The
! frost penetrated the ground deeply,
| and it does not need scientific educa-
! ton to tell that the action of the frost
| in disintegratlng the soil, and put it
in shape for planting, is far better than
| the most persistent Sub-Soiling or other
| artificial methods. The snow that has
| fallen has come so as not to interfere
| with the stock, and yet to insure the re-
| punishment of streams and springs.
1 The crop of last season was luXuriant
| one, and has been all or nearly all
marketed. The prices brought by prod
/ uce have been equal to those of the
| Chicago market, and still there is
| NOT ENOUGH GRAIN
raised to supply the home demand. The
mills must go outside the region to find
| wheat sufficient to run on the year
round. although this is good wheat
country. Oats is the principal crop,
but the market here is never over
stocked with this cereal. Corn came
into favor last summer to some extent.
| While the Black Hills will never rival
| Southern Iowa as corn-producing
| country, it was demonstrated last year
| that corn can be grown on the creek
| bottoms here very successfully, as high
as thirty-five bushels to the acre
having been harvested Off sod.
The acreage put to crop. this
year will be largely increased over
| that of last year. 1t is not a very en-
couraging statement to make that less
than 10 per cent of the available land in
| the Black Hills was cultivated in 1887,
| season of almost
| 49, UNPRECEDENTED PROSPERITY
| among the farmers. By available land
| is meant land that is of no use save for
| agricultural and grazing pursuits. The
increase in acreage this year will
amount to at least 100 per cent. The
| farmers are showing signs of life.
If one will hold ones ear close to the
| ground and listen intently the dull re-
| verberatiOns of boom can be easily dis
tinguished. And it is not so far distant,
| either. The operations of the many
| mining deals that have been incubating
for months are about cOnsummated, and
| there is soon to commence one of the
| busiest seasons in the mines since 1873.
| That its results will be far more sub
| stantial than the outcome of that year
| none doubt, for all are prOfiting by the
| experience of the years gone by and the
| mistakes then made will not be repeated
now.
DEADwOoD Is AGAIN MOVING
| to the erection of reduction works. The
project now has the appearance of sue
cess. A plant with capacity of at least
| fifty tons daily will be established to
work the refractory ores from the Ruby
basin and Bald mountain districts. This
plant, if success, will be doubled in
| capacity. The date for the re-
turn of Capt. David Cook, who
represents powerful English syn
Cook spent some $4,000 in purchasing
tin claims for his company, and took
bonds on almost as much more, running
until March Is. These will undoubtedly
be taken up, as in his correspondence the
captain so expresses himself. A mill
capable of reducing 100 tons of rock per
day will be erected at the outset, and
employment furnished to 200 men. The
smelter will be built in Rapid City. The
Eta mill, the property of the Hominy
Peak Tin company, is i'll readiness to
start at any time. This is the company
that has made such a furore in England.
Its SlO,OOO,OOO deal is about closed. The
sale carries with it an obligation to con-
struct a narrow-gauge road from Rapid
City to Hill City, a distance of thirty
miles. This is already surveyed, under
the name of the Rapid City Il South
western. When Prof. Vincent, of Lon
don, man of worldwide reputation
among mining men, was here, he said
to the GLOBE correspondent that the
Rack Hills was sui generis, a perfect
type of so wonderful formation that
nowhere on earth was its counterfeit,
nowhere its equal. Few people have
ever seen this region who will not in
dore the professors rather enthusiastic
statement.