Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-03-28

y.
Not very long ago I made the above
quotation to a woman l very well
now, and she quickly replied with
mother quotation, "A setting hen
sathers no feathers" / smiled; / could
rot help it, her reply seemed very apt.
sut l still held to my theory, for Of
curse we were talking about the FEAST
ility of leaving Dakota and lettering
ourselves.
Icould but ask the question that gen.
rally settles discussion: Who among
he many who have left this section
ave bettered themselves? We could
,either n of us think of any one and
We had heard from a good many. Sew
raj families went to Manitoba, but
ortune did not smile upon the change,
r upon the changers, any more than
he did those left behind. There were
theirs who went to Washington, that
Colorado of the emigrant, and what
Jews came from there? The grass was
,reen, etc, but life seemed even a
'rea ter struggle for existence than it
lad here. This year friends visiting
here report people living in fine houses
IS being absolutely hungry. How
many are there here who have not
enough to eat? / doubt if there are
my. How is it with Nebraska? How
S it with Texas? Wheat went five
bushels to the acre in Texas, in the
Panhandle region, not a whit better
han it did here, and there is a greater
difficulty in making butter there than
lere, which means a great deal to the
farmer.
Others have gone back east" as they
ay, to various sections, but the reports
coming back are not f~1attering, and the
roe rs-forth have been satisfied to re-
turn. Letters from Ontario, Can, say
that crops have been almost total fail
ures for the past three years. How
about Oregon? People are going wild
about Oregon, but what do we hear
from people actually living thereP
Wheat has been a good crop but by the
time it is hauled fifty miles to market,
expenses paid, how much will there be
left, when it brings twenty-five cents
\ bushel? / should think there might
be the bran left, but not much more
Some of the grain will not 6e received
after it is hauled all that long distance.
This l know for a fact.
! One family living in Walworth coun-
ty, s. d., were dissatisfied. They
broke up and went back to Michigan;
they were not satisfied and went to
California, and staid two or three years:
then after coming east to the Worlds
Fair, came back to Dakota, bought an
extra section of land and have settled
down.
These are not fancy tales; they are
all true and CLEANED from actual facts,
if not from letters to myself from those
received by friends whose words can
be depended on. C.
! For those who believe in Hicks, the
weather prophet, let me say that he
prophesies the worst of the drouth over
for North and Northwest. He gives us
promise of a good spring and early, of
abundant rains in June, and dry wealth
er after that. He advises people who
can get along to stay where they are.
1t is the South and Southeast, l believe,
hat are to suffer from drouth the COM
ng eason. So let us all take heart.
never knew any earthly Tor heavenly
rood to come from fretting and worry
ng, but | have known a good deal of
genuine prosperity and peace to come
rom work, earnest, persistent effort
we'll directed. 1t has been a mistake
% depend upon the wheat crop. There
will be no mistake in depending upon
diversified farming and stock raising.
Butter making is something that has
been only a secondary matter. 1t
should be placed among the things of
primary Importance. II each farmer
would buy a few cows and go to butter
making or cheese making, how long
would it be before every interest would
orighted.