The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-12-04

has done me. Oh, I'm satisfied. It's
all in lifetime. Better off than some of
my neighbors, for saved my machinery
shipped that by freight. Back toward
the hills they tell me they've good crops,
and soon as we neared the Iowa bottoms
we struck good crops. Seems as if the
bad luck had run in streaks. Don't ever
expect to go back myself. Haven't got
an equity in a foot of Dakots land or
anything else today-eXcept these" point
ing to the tow-headed children.
Case 5, Oct. "a comfortable Sunday
comp beside the river. Three wagons
well filled with furniture; the horses out
spanned, twelve in number. The hus-
band a clean, clear-eyed. through and
through prohibitionist, about 40 years
faded, precise, neat New Englander; four
sturdy. neatly clad, we'll hammered, shy
boys, from to II years Of age.
Were from Beadle county, South Da-
kota. We've lived there for nine years.
but we're going to try now on an Iowa
farm. Didn't sell my farm. Couldn't
sell it if l wanted to. but did raise s400
on 1.-two quarter sections Crops have
been bad, bad bad. Seem to get worse
every year. Last year l averaged four
bushels of wheat to the acre: this year
l aged one One of my neighbors
got sixteen bushels off 200 acres. But
don't mean TO say twas like that every
where. Some patches where they had ir-
rigated they got as high as fifty bushels
to the acre. Of course this was an extra
bad year; no snow at all last winter, SO
the subsoil was dry as dust. A good lit
tie river on my land went dry as bone
in July. But off irrigated land they
averaged thirty-seven bushels to the acre.
"Diversity in crops don't help. Tried
everything-cOrn. oats, wheat, rye, bar
ley, flax. Everything needs water just
the same. Believe in irrigation? Well,
Il hot
will ever make q country of 1T.
Case 6, Oct. 29.-Moving outfit, two
wagons and eight horses. One old man,
one old woman. two young men. one
young woman; five small children, the
oldest about s. Sharp, frosty weather;
the stream by which they were making
their night camp had two inches of ice;
the little children were crying with the
cold Their hands were blue and their
noses red. The old woman came forward
to be spokesman.
Its pretty cold weather to be moving.
You see I've got on my mans coat; ne
saws he don't feel the cold SO much. we
come from Nebraska; started four weeks
ago last Monday. Going to Minnesota;
we'll get to Mankato in two weeks,
guess. or maybe ten days, if we've luck.
We come from Chadron now. Tried 1t
pretty much in every part of the state.
Gout drouthed out? Well, l should say.
Three crops in thirteen years; that's what
we've had-just three crops in thirteen
years. Yes, sir, thirteen years we've
stood Nebraska, and nobody cant say
had q sign of crop for five years. All
last winter me and my daughter-in-law
over there chopped wood and the men
hauled it to town. We was in the rough,
woody part of Nebraska, where there
amt no soil only in patches; you can't do
nothing with that.
Il wouldn't wonder mite but irriga-
ton might do first rate. But one thing s
sure-the money amt there to do it. Not
now it amt Moneys something us poor
Nebraska farmers amt seen for a year.
Yes. sir. we started right out without a
cent in our pockets. Got to do it or stay
there and starve.
"Why not sell some of our horses? We
couldn't get $40 a head for them, and if
they was gone we couldn't move a foot.
No. stree; when we git to Minnesota we
expect to do teaming with 'em. That's
ali the prospects we've got before US.
No stree, we amt going back to Ne
braska."
To these extracts from note book of
emigrants' talk may be added little ex-
perience of an Eastern real estate dealer.
The second week in August he drove
through Holt county on an inspecting
tour. 1t was a very windy, depressing
day. Finding withered crops and desc
lation on almost every side, he was par
ticuarly impressed by the sight of a
patch of corn in fair condition. Six
hours later on the return drive, he passed
the same field, and to his amazement.
found that fair prospect wiped out Of ex-
istence; not VeStge of a blade re-
mained. The sand dunes had shifted and
completely submerged the three-fOot
stalks.