Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-07-04
P AND DOWNS.
Such is the Life of the Dakota
Farmer-a Mixture of Auver-
sity and Prosperity.
Our Agricultural Editor Sketches a
Few More Burleigh County
% YeOmen.
Some Have Had Bad Luck for
Years, but Think that the
Tide Has Turned.

~SAS3 ""o eA"S
Tide Has Turned.
HARD LUCK.
w. s. Hedges, with wife, three sons and
four daughters. came to Burleigh county
March 81, 1882. He vas worth $4,000. He
entered a homestead on section 34-139-79;
also invested in railroad land. He has
lost money trying to raise grain. He lost
one crop by hail, one by hot winds, one by
frost and one by drouth. He also lost
seven COWS in the winter of 1857
by not having hay, it being an extremely
cold winter. Two weeks ago the wind
blew the roof off part of his house and
blew the brick chimney down. 1t rained
so much since that he has not got it re-
paired. He has not been we'll this spring.
Two of his sons, now grown to be men,
have industriOusly worked and seeded the
land this spring to a generally assorted
crop. 1t bids fair to be a success. His
stock begins to show an increase. He has
eight head of horses and a mule team,
His land is on the north side of Apple
creek in a very good neighborhood. He
has a good well and the creek furnishes
water for the stock. Mrs. Hedges has had
a severe trial to look after seven children,
attend to the homework and many other
things that fall upon farmers wives. They
are all in hopes of securing a crop this
year. They certainly deserve a big crop
and high prices for a number Of years to
pay them for their outlay of capital and
labor, coupled with so much misfortune.
HERD OF HORSES.
East of w. s. Hedges 1 met Theodore
Warner, brother to Oswald Warner. They
came here in 1884. Theodore is living on
Low Sweets old home stead. He is herd
ing fifty head Of horses for the neighbors.
They were rolling fat and seemed as much
pleased at the immense growth of grass as
Theodore is. His mother and brother have
tree claims in this ~neighborhood.
P: JAMES D. M'DONALD
OF Bismarck owns 800 acres of section 80
1878. George Gabel has put in for Nc
Donald 30 acres of wheat and 30 of oats,
and will summer-fallow so acres. This
grain is good. The land-lay is all one
could wish for. John Gabel, his wife and
three children reside IN the Bob Grace
farm of 800 acres, on 3O-139-7S Mr.. Gabel
has put in 80 acres Of wheat, % of oats, 10
Of millet, IL Of rye and three of vegetables.
He, like all others, is very confident of a
crop. Still, as every storm shows up, they
think Of hail. He lost one crop by hail
and one BY. drouth and has had two good
crops. This farm has a very neglected ap-
pearance: The house is becoming dilapi-
dated. The out buildings are banked up
with huge piles of %decaying manure and
old straw. The weeds cover the old cult
waited land not in crop this season, and
have got a good start in Gabel's crop. Mr..
but he has to work out a good deal to earn
a living. He is working the land on shares
and only puts in what he has time for.
This is a very good section Of land. Of the
800 acres belonging to Grace, $50 have been
under cultivation and 70 under fence for
pasture. It's a great pity, now that the
land is wet down so deep, that it is not be-
ing summer fallowed. Someone interested
and knowing Grace should write to him.
If he will back young Gabel, the land can
be put in good condition for cropping next
spring. The compost on the premises
should be carted out on the land and
plOwed in.
STEWART NJ. HOWARD
,SWas born and raised on a farm in Frank
lin county, New York. In the year
1884, with his wife, he came to Bur-
leigh county and settled on the southeast
quarter of section S0-138-79, 100 acres, pay
ing $1,000 cash for it. He built a small
residence, a good barn and granary; also,
sheds for stock. He has a small herd Of
extra fine COWS and cattle-blooded stock
running mostly to Jersey. He aims to
keep COWS that will give the most cream.
sMr. Howard began with three cows-is
milking twelve now He does the milking,
except when hard drove with other work,
then his wife assists him. Mrs. Howard
manages the butter making. and that she
makes a success Of it has been proven.
During the year 1889 they sold 1000 pounds
for rs cents per pound in the city Of Bis
marck to regular customers, and have con-
tracts ahead for 1890 for all they can
make. he keeps all the heifers and sells
the steer calves. They have brought about
SO each: He raises and fattens on the
waste milk and forces i'm the fall with
corn, ten hogs, which have brought about
$$12 per head. Said Mr.. Howard: "Our
fowls bring about $50 a year. My 100
acres are all under cultiyation-80 acres in
crop and 80 to summer fallow. Also that
portion that I sow to milles will be plowed1
the manure from the barns and pens and
spread twelve to fifteen loads to the
acre, then plow it under, blowing
from six to ten inches deep.
| have in this year forty-tive acres Of
wheat, twenty of oats, four of corn, thirty
of millet and sixteen of rye. The rye was
injured by hail on the 18th of June. 1t
hailed here for about five minutes. I will
probably get from a half to two-thirds of
3aIcrop ofrye. I see that much of it is
straightening up again. I may have to use
the header or moving machine, can't tell
yet. ] find millet and corn mixed makes a
great feed: I use green corn as feed fire.
squently. l have had two grain crops that
paid since I began farming here; the 1886
crop was nineteen bushels Of wheat per
acre. Two years ago the frost hurt my
grain. I ground it and worked it off as
feed. The prices Of wheat have been very
5changeabIe. l remember that for three
years the prices were So, 80 and rs cents.
We will never be able to raise wheat to
export. While freights remain as high as
they have lbeen-18 cents to get a bushel of
wheat to Duluth or MinneapOlis-it will
drive all farmers out Of the wheat field ex-
cept to raise enough for bread and seed. It's
not the climate or the country that has
hurt us. Our local market is not as good
as formerly, and $nOwthat we must raise