Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1892-03-11
WORTH A 500, ,0OO. 900
THE SOUTH DAKOTA CROP or
1901.
$500 ~ $3.50 Is what tho Farias Nave
Yielded for Every Man, Woman and
Child- The Farmers Are Paying an
Debts and Saying More Land.

Yielded for Every Man, Woman and
Child- The Farmers Are Paying OM
| Debts and Staying More Land.
A Very Pros porous lssr.
THE year 1891 stands rs an illustra-
tion Of what South Dakota Is able to do
! for the world. RrieAy stated. the agri-
| cultural output for the year was "a fol-
| lows: Wheat, 0.n00, 600 bushels, worth
| SIS, OOO. OOO; corn 3O.tOn,O0O bushels.
worth Sia. .OO0, 600: 0a a co, OOO. 600 bush
els, worth 81, 90 900. flax GO 1000,
worth s.. OOr. .0la. This gives total; ;of
i'G G.tspB. .00e bushels IL ssafns ~ertA A;x,-9
| 100000 Adding the value Of barley,
rye. potatoes, cattle. horses. hogs. but
ter and eggs, etc .<le. total value Is
between 100000, 900 aid $llO, COO, ,OO0.
This estimate is not intended to cover
the mining, cattle, ana agricultural
output Of the Black Hills. but that par-
| ton OF the state which lies east OF the
| Missouri River, aud which has y popu-
| lation of little less than aOJ,O 900 souls.
| An income from the farms of 500 to
| $3.50 for every man. woman and child in
the country is u most gratifying result.
When one stops to consider that only
small part OF the land has vet been
brought under cultivation, he can i'm
agine q result that would have been
dazzling had South Dakota been rs
| thickly settled a> any Of the older
States. The crop Of 1871 iustiiies the
| o.ten-asSerted claim that South Dakota
will ultimately become the homo Of
millions of prosperous people The
sooner the people come, the better IL
| will be for them.
Notwithstanding the immense crop
Of 1887. there were about the year no
| features so unusual or strange as to
make such u crop impossible for any
season TO be sure, the crop. taken as
a whole was much larger than &M ay-
erage one, yet almost any year one
learns OF 4 field Of wheat under favor
able circumstances yielding - or 30
| bushels of wheat. while in exceptional
cases 40 bushels have been threshcd
ont. The noteworthy thing this year
was that the large crop vas limited to
no section. 1t was widespread. 1t was
a very poor field OF wheat that did not
yield Is bushels Of wheat, while thou
| sands OF acres averaged 81 bashels to
the acre. There are scores aud scores
of instances where 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 sufii-
cient 70 buy itself once.
South Dakota has wonderfully rich
soil and a bright warm sunshine which
| causes rapid and prolific growth of
| vegetation under favorable cireum-
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 the two years preceding 1891 was q
lack of rain. II must be remembered
that the first settlers of q new country
are poor. 1t takes several years to get
thet land d..under cultivation. 10 erect
buildings, to procure live stock. To pur-
chase farm machinery, and to get re-
serve fund to meet emergencies. Not
having gained these without getting
heavily into debt. the pioneers of South
Dakota, when the two years VI drouth
came. suffered just as the pioneers Of
all parts OF the country have suffered.
Aud yet during these years large part
of the state raised excellent crops,
while some farmers were able to make
both ends meet. ntii 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 discu sSed and tried with
wonderful results. was never thought OF.
The rainfall OF 1891 which goes upon
record as u year of big crops was by no
means an unusual one. The showers
were timely and the country had moth
ing more than a fair opportunity to show
its possibilities.
Not only did the South Dakota farmer
have y bountifnl crop. but he received
good prices for that portion which he
has thus far sold. 1t has been carefully
computed that $50 will pay every ex-
pense, including interest aud taxes as
well as cost OF labor. OF growing an acre
OF wheat. When therefore the farmer
received from SIS to $50 per acre for his
grain 1t can be seen that he has made u
big profit. The majority of farmers
have been able to pay all their chattel
Indebtedness. interest, aud in many
cases to take mp the mortgages on their
farms. and even tEen to have money
left II is not an easy thing for an
eastern farmer to realize the large sums
OF solid ca II which the south Dakota
farmer has this year received for his
crops. Thousands Of small farmers
who without any hired help cultivate Y
quarter section, have received from
81. 900 to $1,000 for their grain. while
those who farm on u larger scale have
raised crops worth as high as 5000
two-thirds of which is clear profit.
1t is to be remembered that these re-
IL 4,
from land worth from $50 TO 500 per
acre. and from land which needs con-
slant dressing Of expensive fertilizer:
but on the contrary from land which is
valued at from $40 to $50 per acre aud
which has never yet received any en-
richment save that which nature has
provided. Much Of this landS can he
bought for even less than $40 per acre
II becomes natural to ask why land
which can produce so large crops can
be bought at SO low figures. II ls sim
ply that there is so much Of it. A few
wears ago thousands Of persons came
west simply TO take uD land as y specu-
lation. After getting title these per-
sons went back east, and their land Is
now un0ccupied. Then. too. those who
live in the towns took up land. and the
sous and daughters OF farmers secured
from one to three Quarter-scctiOns. 1t
thus happened that there Is FOR sale
more land than is now under cultiya.
ton. This explains why the price Is SO
low.
The cheap lands Of South Dakota may
offer no attraction to the Eastern farmer
who is able TO look out upon his broad
acres. with fine buildings, and plenty OF
live stock, ali free from debt. However