Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1891-09-10
AN ADVOCATE IN MICHIGAN,
The Fair Land Of North DakOt:,
Written up III an Unusually
Fair Manner.
Would Start Il Ranch i'm North
Dakota if II New Home
was Wanted.
A Red River Newspaper Advis.
ing the Wheat Grower
to Stack Grain.
Good Words From MICHIGAN,

$iOOu words From Michigan.
In his editorial correspondence Col.
Sanford of the Lansing State Democrat.
has succeeded in telling the Michigan
people good many home truths about
North Dakota, and setting forth the
merits of the country in clear and un.
biased fashion. His letters were written
from jamestown, and the following are
some of the points made in reference to
the state as farming country:
The farmer of the Dakotas is about the
most Jubilant individual that you can
find. After several years of indifferent
crops, Dakota this year fairly laughs with
a harvest. BY the time this reaches the
reader, North Dakota will have secured
the most of her crop, And it is a truly
marvellous yield. No man ever saw more
beautiful and inspiring scenes. The
growth of wheat. oats, barley and flax is
The soil is of unlimited
richness and the growth of the cereals is
unparalleled even in Dakota, and the
yield will be from 20 to 35 bushels of
wheat, and 80 to IS bushels of oats.
The far famed James river valley is
coming to the front grandly this year.
For two or three years the Red river
valley has had rather the best of the
crops, but this year the reverse is true
and the James river valley 10 pluming
herself at the expense of Fargo, the
metropolis of the Red. To an impartial
observer there seems to be no Just basis
for the warm rivalry between these fam
GUS valleys. Each probably has no su.
perlor as a wheat raising district in the
known world. The thousands and thou
ands Of acres of grain, yellow and ripe
for the sickle, are indeed a glorious sight.
No whera else in America can ANYTHING
like 1t be seen.
But 1T Is not to grain alone that North
Dakota is looking for wealth. She is
now paying decided attention to stock.
No farm is complete, or properly man.
aged, now, without it's herd of cattle and
flock of sheep. There are also horse
ranches scattered through the country
This is adding greatly to the productive
wealth Of Dakota, and in few years it
will be almost as important as grain
raising. The succulent grasses of this
region are very nutrjtive, and are espec-
tally adapted to stock raising. The pas
ture continues good until late in the fall,
indeed the pastarage may be said to last
all winter. Not few of the stock raisers
will tell you that they did not put their
sheep in pen or corral once during the
winter. More commonly they have the
the straw stacks 10 run to, and the prai.
rie grasses and the straw stacks will
bring the stock through the winter
in good condition.
Now, with full view of the situation
not unmindful of the fact that Dakota
has suffered somewhat from drouth dur
ing some years in the past, am prepared
to say from somewhat intimate ac-
anaintance with this country for the past
ten years. that North Dakota offers bet
ter facilities to the poor man who is will.
ing to work than any other section of our
country. Here ha may get farm of un-
surpassed richness for nothing. He is
not compelled to clear away luxurious
growth OF timber and wait years before
the land is cleared of stumps, but he may
break his land and get a crop of flax or
potatoes the first season, or he may even
get fair returns if he sows oats or wheat.
His stock is growing up about him with
the least possible labor, almost none at
all. Railroads bring the markets to bis
very doors. The improvements in farm
machinery make his farm life anything
but the laborious drudgery which our
fathers ccntended with in the states east
OF the Mississippi. Drouth sometimes
the yield of his crops; but
care and good farming will 60 far to les
sen these evils. The country is full of
farmers who have had fair crops notwith-
standing the dry seasons. AS an in
stance of this, one among many, we heard
Prof. G. A. Sanford, who was formerly
of the Lansing schools,
but was impelled by failing health to
become Dakota farmer, say the other
day that his wheat last year, which was
about tho worst ever known here yielded
II bushels to the acre.
It may not he wholly without interest
to the numerous readers of the State
Democrat to say that the professor is
meeting with gratifying success in tilling
his farm of two sections, near Corinne,
which is one of the finest portions of
North Dakota. His greatest difficulty
being II miles from market is about to
be neutralized by the 500 line which this
year builds to Valley City and will pass
through his immediate vicinity.
The man who gets farm in North
Dakota while it may be had without
money and without price, and who goes
to farming and stock raising with indus
try, economy pnd perseverance,, will make
a living and acquire home with as much
certainty and as little labor as he who
looks the wide world over for place in
which to exchange his Drawn for a home
and livelihood. Any part of our
country is afflicted with occasional draw
backs. These are exceedingly liable to
be ephemeral and local. This season
northern Michigan and parts of Wiscon-
sin are suffering from drouth. Dakota
is having an abundance of rain; next
year it may be different. No part OF
our country is free from drawbacks, but
one year with another Dakota has no
more than her share. II ever fell com.