Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1892-03-11
WORTH A $780, 900
THE SOUTH DAKOTA CROP OF
1901.
$500 to ss5o Is What the Farms. Have
Yielded for Every Ran, Woman and
Chtld-Thc Farmers Are Paying OFF
Debts and Buying Moro Land.


Eebts and Buying Moro Land.
A Very Prosperous Year.
TIE year 1891 stands as an illustra-
lion of what South Dakota is able to do
for the world. Briefly stated, the agri-
cultural output for the year was as fol-
lows: Wheat, CO. 900, 600 bushels, worth
S4s, 600, 900; corn 10000, 600 bushels,
worth ST.. 900, OO0: oats co, 900, 900 BUSH
els, worth SIS, coz, 900: flax COCO, 900.
worth $1,000. 900. This gives Il total of
LAT. COO bushels of grain. worth SIS
600. ooo. Adding the value of barley,
rye. potatoes, cattle, horses, hogs, but
ter md eggs. etc. the total value is
between Sl00, OOU. 900 and Sl1O, eco, 900.
This estimate is not intended to cover.
the mining, cattle, and agricultural
output of the Black Hills, but that por:
tion of the State which lies east OF the
Missouri River, and which has a popu-
lation of Il little less than 300. 600 souls.
An income from the farms OF SOD to
$3.50 for every and child in
the country is IL most gratifying result.
When II stops to consider that only u
small part of the land has yet been
brought undcr cultivation, he can im-
agine a result that would have been
dazzling had South Dakota been as
thickly settled as amy OF the older
States. The crop of 1891 justifics the
oftcn-asscrted claim that South Dakota
will ultimately become the home of
millions of prosperous people. The
ooncr the people come, the better it
will be for them.
Notwithstanding the immense crop
of 1891. there were about the year no
features so unusual or strange as to
make such q crop impossible for any
season. To be sure, the crop, taken as
a whole. was much larger than an av-
erage one, yet almost any year IL
learns of q field of wheat under favor
able circumstances yielding a5 or 30
bushels of wheat, while in exceptional
out. The noteworthy thing this year
was that the large crop was limited to
no section. 1t was widespread. 1t was
IL very poor field OF wheat that did not
yield Is bushels of wheat. while thou
sands of acres averaged % bushcls to
the acre. There are scores and scores
of instances whore men bought their
land in the spring and received from
their crops money enough to bear all
expenses of cultivation and pay for the
land twice, while there was perhaps
not an acre which did not yield sut1i-
cient 10 buy itself once.
South Dakota has IL wonderfully rich
soil, and u bright warm sunshine which
causes Il rapid and prolific growth of
vegetation under favorable circum-
stances. The principal feature to make
circumstances favorable is sufficient
moisture. The reason the public heard
so much of hard times in South Dakota
for thu " Years preceding 1891 vas q
lack of rain. 1t must be remembered
that the first settlers of IL new country
are poor. 1t takes several years to get
the land under cultivation. TO erect
buildings. to procure live stock. to pur-
chase farm machinery, IL to get Il re-
serve fund to meet emergencies. Nut
having gained these without getting
heavily into debt. the pioneers OF South
Dakota, when the two years of drouth
came. suffered just as the pioneers of
all parts of the country have suffered.
And yet during these years n large part
of the State raised excellent crops,
while some farmers were able to make
both ends meet. Until these years of
arouth came. none of the people of the
older portion of the State ever thought
for a moment that there would ever be
any deficiency in the rainfall. Every
year their crops were fairly good. and
the question of irrigation, which OF late
has been much discussed II tried with
wonderful results. VAS thought OF.
The rainfall of 1871 which goes upon
record as IL year of big crops was by no
means al unusual one The showers
We're timely and the country had noth-
ing more than Il fair opportunity to show
its possibilities.
Not only did the South Dakota farmer
have u bountiful crop. but he received
good prizes for that portion which he
has thus Jar sold. 1t has beer carefully
computed that $50 will pay every en-
pcnse, including interest and taxes us
we'll as cost of labor, of growing an acre
of wheat. When therefore the farmer
received from S15 to $50 per acre for his
grain it can be sc1l that he has made q
big profit. The majority of farmers
have been able to pay all their chattel
Indebtedness. interest, and in many
cases to take up the mortgages on their
farms, and eve then TO have money
left. 1t is not MI easy thing for an
eastern farmer 10 realize the large sums
of solid cash which the South Dakota
farmer has this year received for his
crops. Thousands of small farmers
MlIO viz any ultNd uEiP CulbiNtitG IL
quarter section, have received from
81, 600 to $ $1,000 for their grain, while
those who farm on Il larger scale have
raised crops worth as high as Sas5, 900.
two-thirds of which is clear profit.
1t is to be remembered that these re-
markable results have not been gained
from land worth from $50 to 500 per
acre, and from land which needs u con-
slant dressing OF expensive fertilizer:
but OF the contrary from land which is
valued at from $40 to SO per acre and
which has never yet received any en-
richmcnt save that which nature has
provided. Much of this land can be
bought for even less than $40 per acre.
1t becomes natural to ask why land
which can produce so large crops can
be bought ut so low figures. 1t is SIM
ply that there is so much of it. A few
years ago thousands of persons came
west simply to take up land as u specu-
lation. After getting title these per-
.ons went back east, and their land is
now u%noccupicd. Then, too, those who
live in the towns took up land, and the
sons and daughters of farmers secured
from n to three Quartcr-sections. 1t
thus happened that there is for sale