Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1892-07-21
HERE ANR THERE.
SIR. Price Makes ComparisonB Between
.ThLn State and Washington

This State ana Warrington.
GUY. Wash. june %: With the judi
cious and conscientious McManima in
western Washington and yours truly
in eastern parts, where wheat is king, you
should be well informed in regard to this
Pacific northwest. This place is about
the center Of the most valuable pillow land
in Washington, known as the Palouse
country. which also embraces some fine
lands in Idaho. The winter was rainy
and muddy, freezing by night and thaw-
ing days, with snow enough for sleighing
for about three weeks in January. March
was more pleasant month than April.
The three spring months were cooler than
the same usually are in Dakota. June 81,
22 and % were frosty and gardens were
much injured. My potatoes, with tubcrs
large enough for the table. are brown
with frost bitten leaves, while beans and
vines were destroyed. Frost is most de-
structive on low land. Old settlers here
declare there is usually frost every
month in the year. There have now been
three hot days, 90 above in the shade and
800 in the fields, and wheat is suffering,
some say, very seriously.
We like the climate OF Dakota better
than this. To make sureoi a paying crop
of wheat here the farmer is compelled to
summerfallow about every third year,
blowing and narrowing to destroy the
wild oats and other weeds. Dakota farm
ers should try this plan. Plow deep when
the ground is moist, then harrow or culti-
vate to destroy everything that sprouts,
then plant in wheat late in the fall 10
sprout early in the spring. The wet. open
winter here rotted some of the seed sown
last fall, but Dakota winter would not
injure many grains. Taking the state of
Washington in every locality where wheat
culture is attempted. the uncertainty is
as great as in South Dakota. Some cult
fallow, but they get only ten or twenty
bushels of corn TO the acre and have no
market for potatoes. One man piled up
and covered with straw 400 two bushel
sacks last fall. They were not worth the
cost Of handling. He burned the straw
and most of the tubers in the sacks re-
main there now, not worth drawing
away
The market for butter aud eggs is good.
but pasturage is very poor. Weeds mo-
nopolize the grazing land, and cows to do
well require some grain feed all summer.
Fruit and all planted trees left without
constant cultivation perish in few years
by the hot. dry summers. Fruits COM
mercial success only on the irrigated low
lands along the Snake river.
Spokane is the coming great city of
\ eastern Washington. The country tribu-
tary to Spokane is not by nature or devel-
opment more valuable than that tributary
TO Pierre. Pierre's commercial import
ance should rapidly increase in the near
by coming years. Before the close of
Harrison's next four years she will have
taken forwa ard bound.
There is nothing west of the mountains
ranges. Twenty-ii five dollars per ton is no
uncommon figure for hay. Hay for ship
ment to Spokane sold here this m onth
SIS per ton. Should place of any extent
covered with such grass as now shades
the soil OF South Dakota be discovered in
this country, there would be no time lost
until every acre was occupied. Many
people here dislike the climate, which is
much more windy and disagreeable than
we expected. The progress of this vicini-
ty is much retarded by the fact that half
or more than half Of the land is not deed
ed, being claimed both by tie squatter
and the Northern Pacific Railroad COM
pany. AS occupants on this land pay no
taxes other farms are assessed very high.
The FREE PRESS was delayed for
week by the great wsshout 1t Missoula,
Montana, but now arrives regularly and
is read with home appetite. What
write about this country is correct, as
understand and observe. S. r. PRICE.