The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-01-25
"SHALL | STAY AT HOME OR GO WESTp'
Dakota In Dreams and In the Stern
Realities.
Mortgaglng Farms to Buy Seed for
RuInous Crops.
Awaldo County Man Gives Some In
teresting Facts.

osay az nOme OF 20 WeStP Is q letter
from Waldo county man, who Is a CORES
pendent of the Belfast Age under the sigma
ture u. Fl. b." His opinion is that the
young man who remains in Maine and farms
with the same spirit as he would In the
West, will get rich. Dakota Is specially
treated as follows, in letter dated az Fort
Totem
Dakota climate seems to have been i'm
proving wonderfully In the past two years.
Last winter came and went, hardly giving us
enough snow fol- sleighing: summer came.
bringing drouth which lasted about three
months: in September we got 20 inches of
rainfall, but 1t came too late to be of any
use. Everything in the line of vegetation
had natured very poorly, not more than half
a crop being realized, and everything else in
comparison.
The wheat raisers seem to have suffered
the greatest loss. Men who came TO Dakota
from the States flushed with money, ambi-
tion and courage to contend with the severe
northern elements have, through misfortune
arising from natural causes, become utterly
poverty stricken, endeavoring to make a
rapid fortune by the wheat industry, the
latter being the staple article, in fact, the
only produce in this country that demands
ready market.
"One year ago last spring prospects were
favorable for heavy coming crop. Every
one expected an abundant harvest Every
thing went well until August came, when
the wheat was In its milk, then deadly
frost settled down over the scene Of prosper
ity. and men awoke on the following morn
ing only to find their summer toll had been
utterly wasted. their bright future turned to
darkness, and what could be done to bright
en- 1t? Absolutely nothing. Those who
were fortunate enough to have their crops
on high land did not realize the loss of those
who had low-land wheat, owing to the larger
percentage OF moisture that accumulates on
low land.
previous to this great calamity, which
nearly resulted In bringing the Dakota
farmers to utter ruin, on an average, wheat
crops had been generally good, and after 1t
the people had an idea that it would be i'm
possible to meet with another such failure,
and SO sacrificed all Of their remaining
wealth, and even mortgaged their teams, i'm
PIGMENTS and farms, to procure seed for the
coming spring. The seed was sown under
the expectation Of great result and whole
fortune in the bargain. but adversely pre-
vailed again. A heavy drouth destroyed
nearly everything. In all these six counties,
Benson, Ramsey, Eddy Rollette, Towers
Nelson, the farmers did not realize more
than three per cent. Of their wheat crop on
an average, and that was taken away almost
as soon as 1t came from the thresher, to
cover some mortgage debt that had become
due. Horses, mules and oxen were disposed
of at auction or sheriff's sale to cover debts
that had been contracted during the spring
or summer In procuring farm implements or
seed wheat.
Locally speaking, there Is hardly claim
IN Parsnn county bat what 10 n.ortsascu.
What can the people do under such trying
circumstances? Now there are two seasons
In succession that they were compelled TO
obtain seed wheat on credit. 1t is ques-
ton. indeed. where the next is coming from.
The government has provided each family
with two cords Of wood from the military
reservation in this county. That Is quite
lift. l believe Eastern relief societies are
doing something in the way of contributions
in that line, but shall Eastern people not tire
Of helping our Western brothers when they
try to help themselves and fail? I think the
most generous act that could be done In the
way Of assistance to the poor of Dakota by
the people Of the United States is to move
them out of the country. That would in-
deed be generous act.
but now we will turn to our average New
England farmer. II man is the owner Of
ten acres Of land in Maine he can realize
just double the income that our Dakotan can
who owns 100 acres. OF course there is no
doubt but what such statement looks ab
surd to great many. / will eudeavor to
explain. III a Dakota farmer plants an acre
OF ground in potatoes and realizes hundred
bushels the chances are he has no market for
them. Even If there is demand for them.
he is compelled to sell them at a very low
figure, something like 10 or 20 cents per
bushel Butter Of first quality sells for 10
cents per pound, eggs are from 10 to 20 cents
per dozen. These are the average prices the
year round. Now we will turn to our ten
acre man in New England. This man can
keep cow by hiring pasturage, or maybe.
two, one horse and as many hens as he de-
sires, and il he is successful poultry raiser
he will be able to clear a dollar a day at
least, reckoning on four dozen Of eggs per
day, at the present rate eggs are going at in
Belfast. Now four pounds of butter at %
cents per pound, would be so cents, and one
hundred bushels of salable potatoes would
be $45 or $50. Now these calculations are
made on smaller scale. What is there to
induce young man to leave his home and
come West to fail? Rem ain at home and
farm with the same spirit as you would in
the West and you win get rich''