St. Paul daily globe., 1895-11-22
AFTERNOON SESSION
Opens With Paper by Albert NJ.
Powell

The afternoon session was called to
meier introduced Albert NJ. Powell,
who discussed the agricultural Ad-
vantages of North Dakota" His ad-
dress was as follows:
The vital question of the hour to
thousands of farmers in all parts of
the old world, or on the worn-out farms
of our own country with young men
who are crowded out of the home nest,
with hundreds of mechanics and clerks
of all classes and conditions, is: Where
in this vast universe, with the ability
that [ possess, and the capital at my
command can | better my condition.
The reaction Is now upon u.s. and the
flow of population is again trending
from the large cities to the rural dis
tricts and to farming localities. After
twelve years of experience and not a
few hard knocks in North Dakota, [
can truthfully say without the least
qualification that the possibilities-nay,
that the probabihties-of success in al
most every walk of life can be found
much surer in our great state than in
any commonwealth that today is bid
ding for immigra tic1-not excluding the
states of the Sunny South" which ap-
parently, but at first thought only,
settler. But the South has not that cor
dial welcome and heipfulness for him
that we ever extend In their excessive
pride they have no use for the laborer
or the man of modest means.
Before this body of thoughtful men it
would be twaddle for me to assert that
our new commonwealth is an ''El Do
rado," where money could be picked
up in the streets or where everybody
could get rich in three years and re-
turn to the East. Happily, those ideas
have long since been exploded.
The Agricultural DrOduCtS. including
cereals and vegetables, in our state the
past year have been prolific almost be-
yond belief; and even at the low prices
prevailing with us there as everywhere
thousands of our farmers have been
enabled to pay off their debts and have
their homes free, and hundreds of new
settlers who have bought improved
farms on the "crop-payment plan"
have been able, in adition to a good
living for themselves and their fami-
lies, to pay from one-fourth to one
third of the purchase price of the land.
AS an illustration, let me refer to the
success of Elder John w. Hartsock,
Dunkard, formerly from Knox, Ind,
bought an improved farm of 800 acres
for 81, ZOO on the crop payment PLAN
and was able the first year to pay 81, $50
of the purchase price out of the pro-
ceeds of his grain, after reserying
enough for seed for next year and liv-
ing expenses until another harvest-and
has hundreds of yellow-legged poultry
for the visiting brethren. This pay
ment of $50 represents 10 per cent on
$l3,500 or 80 1-3 per cent on the cost of
the farm which averaged $3.50 per
acre. Mr.. Hartsock knows a good
thing when he sees it, and as evidence
of that fact has since bought ON the
'crop-payment PLAN .160 acres Of wild
land adjoining his farm. He is now ON
his way to Indiana to induce some of
n tn h
Dakota and share his success, which is
not at all exceptional. 1 might add
that Mr.. Welsh, the party who had
sold this farm to the good elder, has, in
his twelve years farming in our coun-
ty, accrued the modest cash sum of
$4,000 from the original capital of $3.50.
He has just returned to his old home in
Canada and will do immigration work
for ''pastime" this winter, and re-
turn to North Dakota with the spring
birds.
A summary of statistics which I
have taken at random from 81 indi-
vidual farmers in all parts of Ram
sey county, covering 6,l99 acres Of
bushels per, acre, which. even at 40
cents a bushel, makes $13.16 an acre;
LOSS acres of oats give average yield
of 5412 bushels per acre, which at the
unprecedentedly low price of 15 cents
bring SS.17 per acre; 346 acres of flax
y
per acre, which, at so cents per bushel,
bring a return of S24.24 per acre: 1.72l
acres of rye give an average of 36 6-10
bushels, which, at % cents, makes re-
barley average yield of 81 Clio bushels
per acre, which, at II cents, give re-
turn of Sc. 80 per acre.
The figures quoted are fraught with
especial significance when it is re-
membered that millions upon millions
of acres of a fertile land tha SIN
ever shown can be bought on long time
and easy terms and low interest from
So to $15 per acre.
North Dakota welcomes the immi-
grant with an open hand and a hospi-
tality that is simply unbounded. Par
don me If L make a personal allusion.
l have the past summer, at my own eX-
pense, and consuming very many
weeks of time and covering, in some
single drives, two Or three hundred
miles of travel over our broad prairies,
showed the Dunkard brethren and 9TH
ers our advantages, and not altogether
with the expectation of an immediate
profit for perhaps not more than half
made purchases and settled among us,
yet this labor has certainly already
been well rewarded. We have as yet
only had the first results of our labors
for the tide of immigration to us has
only fairly begun.
We need more railroads, we need
cheaper transportation, especially for
emigrants, and cheaper freight rates to
transport our products to market. Con-
sidering that it is costing one-third of
the actual net value of our cereals to
ship them to Duluth or Minneapolis,
the candle of our material progress is
burning at both ends. A reduction of
even two cents per bushel in this trans
portation charge would mean saving
Of half million dollars on this years
North Dakota crop. The railroads can
well afford to furnish transportation
to emigrants for almost nothing, look
ing to the future for recompense.
I do not mean to speak so much of
what we have as of what we have
not, and of what we want-and want it
badly. Our wants are large and many,
for we are nothing if not ambitious.
This your committee recognized in
giving to our Budd Reeve "The Earth
SOIL CULTURE.