The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1896-11-21

Writer In the Farmers Journal and Live
Stock Review Gives This County Attention.


Writer In the Farmers Journal and Live
Stock Review Gives This County Attention.
A writer in the Farmers Journal and
Live Stock Review, Of Buffalo, N. Y,
says in recent article that to those
living ip old, settled states and attend
ing their county's fair in large. comfort
able buildings, standing in grounds OF
their own, and filed with fine display
OF agricultural products, live stock and
the work OF the housewife, fair in a
newly-settled country would be novel
ty. We are in receipt OF the premium
list OF the Iron county (Mich.) Agricul-
tural Society's fifth annual exhibition
held at Iron River. Now Iron county is
in the upper peninsula OF Michigan,
nearly up to the shores OF Lake Superb
or, where the seasons are short and the
winters cold, and to the mind Of the
farmer OF New York, Ohio, or Indiana,
the idea OF farming way up there would
appear TO be preposterous, and yet II is
done, and tho quality Of grain,
vegetables and f,uit raised there would
surprise one.
Iron county was only organized in
1885, being taken from the territory set
out from Marquette, Menominee and
Gogebc counties; IL was mostly forest,
except in the near vicinity OF the towns
and little farming had been attempted.
Although the winters are long, the snow,
which covers the ground from two to
four feet deep, keeps the ground from
freezing much, and when IL melts in the
spring, verdure soon mantles the eai th
with thick green, enabling cattle,
sheep and horses to find sufficient food
for their sustenance by the end OF April.
Oats are grown at a good profit, being
unusually heavy, often weighing as much
as thirty-fve To forty pounds to the
bushel, and yielding sixty-five TO eighty
bushels to the acre. Rye, barley and
buckwheat are grown with advantage.
and yield large crops. Hay is excellent,
often cutting from two to two and-a-
hall tons per acre on lands which have
uever been plowed, but only cleared
from brush and grass seed sown on it.
Wonderful crops OF potatoes are grown.
Beets, carrots, bagas, turnips, cabbage,
and all root crops grow nicely. A Gu
cumber was on exhibition, which meas
ured nearly four feet in length also a
tomato, which weighed four and three
fourtbs pounds. There we're also man.
moth hard and sound cabbagss, nearly
as large as a bushel basket, bagas OF
twenty-five pounds and over, and other
vegetables in proportion. All hardy
varieties OF fruits do excellently. Rasp-
berries, blackberries, blueberries, straw
berries. gooseberries and currants grow
wild, and the tame ones are very nice,
both in size and flavor. There
are several thousand acres OF govern
ment and state lands which may be
homesteaded. Also many large cor
porations purchased lands for the pine.
These companies removed the pine. and
will now sell the lands. The land Ia
worth from 50 to 81 per acre, depending
on the quality OF timber thereon and
distance from town. There are many
fine locations for town sites. The
finest birdseye maple, birch and bass
wood can be found. There is room for
at least 5000 more farmers, and all
honest. Industrious and sober men who
Come aud cast their lot and help to
develop the country and make homes
for themselves and families, will be wei.
come. Located on ths county road, be-
tween Iron River and Crystal Falls, is
the poor farm, consisting OF iorty acres,
twenty OF which are under cultivation.
The poor house proper is 20x60 feet,
with wing 20x30 feet.
1t is "Sportsman's Paradise" for
wild game abounds, and the lakes and
rivers are well stocked with pckereb
| black haas. gpeckled front. etc.