Oakes weekly Republican. (Oakes, Dickey County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1898, 1893-10-06

OF factory whistles and the clattcr OF
the wheels of trade the people of the
east have swept with their telescopes
the far west for the glitter of gold
and the broad domain of the western
states for the fruits of agriculture
alone. One city at least Oakcs in
this state of golden groups of grain
and great herds of cattle has caught
the eye of the east, and the query
comes, what new wonders has natures
store house given to enrich.
LOGICAL VIEW.
The western part of the state is
well adapted for grazing and has un-
til late years been looked upon as
somewhat doubtful grounds for farm
ing, owing to lack of moisture. 1t
has been demonstrated, however, that
in North Dakota, as in Iowa, the set
tlement of the country, the breaking
up of prairie sod, cultivation and
planting of trees has universally been
followed by steady increase of rain
fall sufficient for growing and water
ing living crops. The writer distinct
ly remembers twenty years ago, when
he first came to northwestern Iowa.
the general cry was this is too dry IA
country and too poor soil ever to
make anything of the ground: better
abandon it and go back southeast to
the Mississippi river and let the In
dians. buffalo and prairie dogs have
this land. Today not a foot of it
can be bought for less than $50 an
acre and most of it at Il much higher
price. Today the drouthy, arid lands
of Iowa are called the garden of
America and richly y deserve the title.
1t will be the same with North Da-
kota; gradually the same cause will
produce the same effect in North Da-
kota. A few years ago only narrow
strip of land along the west side of
the Missouri was thought suitable for
the growing of crops; today that mar
row strip has become extended won
derfully, two hundred miles at least,
and all over the state are evidences of
liberal production. On every hand
ye writer has been careful observer of
climatic changes over the entire prai-
rie country: for over twenty years we
have made it careful study.
AS A GRAIN AND STOCK COUN-
TRY.
Ten years ago this very Dickcy
county was not considered as farm
ing country only fit for grazing.
Now what do we observe; great fields
of golden grain almost ready for the
granary, herd, of fat stock, beautiful
groves of domestic timber, richly
painted barns and farm houses, and
many of the farmers not only have
money on deposit, but are stock hold
ers i'll banks; this is not all we see.
Fields of corn almost ready for the
granary, which will yield from % to
is bushels per acre this fall. Even
five years ago it was supposed that
corn would not produce 10 bushels
per acre. But the work of civilization.
transformation and evolution produce
climatic changes, with above results.
A farmer informed We writer. and was
i'll position to know, that cereals, in
Dickey county, yielded on an average
as follows: Wheat "a bushels per
acre, flax II bushels per acre, oats 56
bushels per acre, barley 33 bushels
per acre, corn u bushels per acre, and
that cattle, horses, hogs and sheep
would almost grow spontaneously if
left alone, and that especially sheep
would live and thrive the year round
on native grass diet.
We desire to call the attention of
the reader to the fact that this is 60
ing to be great corn belt, hence a
stock raising country. Corn here is
generallya safe and sure crop. While
there is no sudden jumping off
place" where corn ceases to be safe
and sure, the corn belt is generally
made to include all that section of the
state for distance of so miles north
of the southern line; or say 300 miles
north of the southern boundary of
Minnesota.
TOPOGRAPHY.
The surface of North Dakota con-
stitutes vast domain of undulating
prairies of great extent, diversified by
a few low hills and ridges and with
out any mountains of any size except
i'll the extreme southwest, where the
lower slopes of the Rockies and the
broken country of the Black Hills be-
gin. The peculiar lay of the land,
the rivers and little lakes will bear lis
out in the statement that the rainfall
will increase each year as the country
becomes settled.
The wonderful fertility of the
SOIL
and the entire absence of sloughs and
waste land will continue to attract
settlers, and from this time on the
development of the country will be
rapid and continuous.
1t was soon found that the soil was
of wonderful productiveness, being a
black loan lnderlaid with clay sub
soil. Other sections of the country
have perhaps as good a surface soil,