St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-09-14
A NORTH DAKOTA FARM.
What 1t Will Produce and How
There ia Profit i'm Them

PARK RIVER, n. D., Aug. 26.-KnOw-
ing your paper has wide circulation,
and that you deal SQuarely with matters
of public interest, | wish you to state a
few unYarnished facts relative to this
section-Walsn county.
mail you to-day some heads of wheat
(all picked from one sheaf) which was
grown on the farm of William Sprague,
Forest River, Walsh county, North Da-
kOta. / measured one head, six inches
in length, containing six rows of
kernels, and found it contained fifty
one grains of good wheat. Two years
and seven years ago we had the six-row
head with large yield. and this year |
have seen many acres which will yield
thirty-fve to forty bushels per acre,
though l think twenty-five bushels per
acre fair estimate for the section con-
tanning good wheat one-half of
Walsh and Pembina counties.
There are sections of the "Red River
Valley" that have never had a failure of
crop. West of range 55 the crops are
generally poor, though some wheat will
be raised, probably enough for bread
and seed.
The potato crop is good. and is always
a good crop here. II. Kellogg, near
Grafton, has twenty-five acres this wear
looking promising for large yield. He
raised nine acres of potatoes last year,
and was not able to supply the demand.
The hay crop, which looked so I'M
promising in the early part of July, has
improved beyond all conception, and
hay is now selling in our city at 81 to S.
per ton.
Should wheat be a good price, Walsh
and Pembina counties will have mint
of money this fall, and be abundantly
able to provide for the less unfortun-
ate.
Large and comfortable houses and
barns have taken the place of the prim-
tive sod shanty. Much attention has
been paid to identifying the prairie
homes by cultivating shade trees,
shrubbery, etc.
RaSpberrieS, currantS, strawberries,
etc, have been successfully raised here
in abundance by some of our more
energetic farmers.
The tax-exemption law has induced
multitude of farmers to plant shade
trees which in some places put on the
appearance of forest already.
Many who came here seven or eight
years ago with nothing are now wealthy
farmers and could easily sell their prop
erty now for 5000 to $4,000. / have in
mind man who bought 500 acres ON
wheat payments in three years, and
$4,000 would be no temptation for him
to sell out. There are good chances yet
for similar investments here for those
willing to work.
Farmers are turning attention to
mixed farming now, as they find cattle,
sheep and swine do we'll here. Though
I've lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota,
eight years here has convinced me this
is far better country for the poor man,
as well as the SpeculatOr.
Salaries are good, work plentiful to
those not looking for soft snap" and
the cost of living compares very favora-
bly, with the aforementioned states.
Our schools are much better equipped
as a rule, and within the reach of all.
In fact predict that North Dakota will
be the banner educational state OF the
Union in ten years,
Already many schools have splendid
libraries, and full line of modern ap-
paratus, with a good corps of teachers
we'll paid, for their services.
GEORGE CoLBoRN.