St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-26
RUSSIAN CACTUS
Makes Its Appearance in North
Dakota.

Dakota.
Gen. A. o. Whipple, Of DEVILS Lake
n. D., recently at the Merchants hotel
said in response to GLOBE reporters
inquiries that there never had been in
the history Of North Dakota so much
inquiry for land for actual settlement
as there is today, aside from the boom
Years, when settlers came in swarmS.
The Great Northern Railroad company
is selling immense quantities OF land
for actual settlement, but the mortgage
companies are doing most. They are
selling their lands either at very low
figures for cash or on the crop payment
plan. Over fifty families of Dunkards
have secured land in the Devils Lake
region, and are expected to come in the
early spring. Farmers are learning TO
diversity, and are in better shape
to begin an era of prosperity than they
have been be fore for many years. There
is one thing in the way of selling land,
however, and that is the Russian cactus
agitation. He had made inquiry in all
parts of the state, and did not believe
there was any reason for the alarm that
has been expressed concerning it. He
has been unable to learn of any serious
complaint, except in Dickey county, and
there it is not half as bad as reported .
Cattle feed on it and like it; sheep eat
it, and goats wo1ld clean it out too
quick. 1t can't stand water, and it is a
very easy plant to destroy, if taken at
the start. 1t may be all right to make
provision for its determination, but the
agitation and the fears ca used by that
agitation will do more harm than the
cactus.
Finley Grant, secretary off the rail-
road commission of North Dakota, and
Commissioner Rasmussonsaid the cac-
tus had made its appearance in Dickey
and other counties on the southern line
of the state, and in dry season was
liable to spread very rapidly. 1t had
been discovered, however, that the
plant could not grow i'll wet season,
and entirely disappeared OH irrigated
land and in localities having good
rainfall. While it is alarming IN few
neighborhoods, the spread could and
they believed would be controlled. The
plant is properly salt wort. Cattle
and Shee like it, but do not feed on il !;
they eat it, however, 10 some extent.
Mr.. Rasmussen said they were down to
complete arrangements, among other
things, for an exchange of seed.
Farmers are generally taking advan-
tage of the opportunity to exchange
seed. Many of them ure obtaining seed
from the Saskatchewan country in the
Northwest Territory, 700 miles north
west of Fargo, and they do not ap-
preciate the 25 cents tariff on wheat i'm
ported for that purpose. But that IS
what the Mckinley law is doing for
them.
Secretary of State Dahl, of North Da-
kota, was very proud of the sale of the
capitol improvement bonds at pre-
MUM a few days ago, and says the
foundation OF the new capitol extension
is already laid and the work Of building
the south wing will be pushed early in
the spring. The convicts in the peni-
Tertiary at Bismarck are to be used 10
make the brick and do the masonry and
all OF the heavy WorF, including the
carpenter and joiner work. They are
used on the prison farm, and generally
in improving the state grounds and
buildings.
Hon. Eber II. Bly,, the old-time colo
mel Of the Sheridan house, Bismarck.
came down TO confer with George S.
Morrison, who is Interested with him III
the Bismarck water works. Morrison
was at the Ryan and is we'll known in
the Northwest from having superin-
tended the construction of the Northern
Pacific bridge at Bismarck, costing ST.
100000. MIR. BLY, says the farmers of
| the Missouri slope quit making spe-
clalty of wheat growing almost before
they began it. and the result is they are
i'll better shape than the farmers or any
other part of the state. Sheep, cattle
and horses are their fagorite pursuits.