The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1896-09-12
No Place Like South Dakota.


| No Place Like South Dakota.
a Former South Dakotan Draws Some
| Telling Comparisons Wishes That
He was Back How They Farm Ii
! the East Stick to South Da.eata,
The following letter appeared in tht
last issue Of the Washington Times:
| As l have received several letters froD
my old friends in Dakota and they al
write that the crops are COED there this
year. But still The people continue tc
groWl, and find fault with the country.
can no longer hold my peace. IT you
iWill be kind enoughto allow me space
I in your columns, would like to say te
my friends, it has been eight months
since l packed up and bid niy friends
and old Dakota good bye. and came tc
| the great state of New York that was
Gragged up to me to be such fine coun.
try. i am located ten miles east of tie
city OF Troy, a very fine looking country
and good place to enjoy Ito III. il a
man has plenty of money, but Tor poor
man, or man who wants to farm, he
earns his money harder lhan he does in
South Dakota. and to corylncem friends
that am right, Will tell them how
fbnv farm in Na,u Nnrl,
To start with, they are one hundred
years behind the West. In farm tools
they use an Old iron beam plow. some.
thing like the one Noah had in tho ark
They root around among stone, and stir
up the soil as best they can. Then thev
harrow it with a steel spring tooth har-
row, butt srong to stand the stone; then
they sow the grain by hand; then they
harrow it three or four times. Their
corn land they ijnp the same war; then
they mark it ont one way three and one
half feet apart, with tile same piow they
used to plOW the land with. Flowing a
good furrow; then they cross mark it
witha hand made corn marker, so to
have it rowed both ways; then they draw
manure and drop fork full in every
hill; then take a hoe and cover ii with
soil; then they plant the corn with a
hoe; then they drive stakes all around
the field and take common white wrap
ping tWine and string it all around and
across the field to scare the crows away
to keep them from pulling up the corn;
then when 1t is large enough to cultivate
they take down the twine. roll it up and
lay it away for another year; then take a
cne handled plow and one horse and go
through it twice in row both ways;
then they take one horse five tooth cul-
tlvator that is built strong to stand the
stone and go through it twice in a row
both ways; then they take one horse
hitler and go through It and hill it up;
then they hoe it, and they tend potatoes
the same way.
| have in seven acres OF oats, they are
good crop, but spent more time put.
ting them in, and harvesting them, than
ever did on twenty-five acres in Dakota
and 1T is the same way with all crops.
they never put in crop without manur-
ing the land, for they could not raise
anything il they didn't. The farmers go
to the city of Troy to the livery stables
and give a dollar load for manure and
draw it ten or fifteen miles and put it on
their land. thought I had cut light
crops OF hay IN Dakota but | never cut
as light crop rs have here this year.
| have heard men say in Dakota that
Dakota was no stock country. Now
would to tell you my friends that there
is more nntriment III one acre Of Dakota
grass than there is in two OF timothy
grass in the east. They cut their grass
mostly with scythe. for the land is too
rough to run machine, anl thay cut
their grain with cradle or scythe SO as
to pare it close to the ground, to save all
the straw.
1t has becu nearly as dry here as it
Woo IL oaaoor IdoS ftdI. Ih6f tell IHe
they never had it this way before. Bat
l find by inquiriDg that they have dr.,
weather here the same as they doin Da.
kota. have had crops of corn in Dakota
that looked just as promising at this
season Of the year as it does here now
am on arented farm, have to furnish
my own team, harnesses and wagon ani
half the seed grain and pay half the
taxes, anl get one half the crop. 4
man who isn't able to furnish his owr
team doesn't get but one-third here. Tht
old moss back would chase a flea through
hell for his hide and tallow, il he coult
sell it for twenty-five cents. They hav,
a queer idea Of the western people, the,
think they are kind of a wild set o
human beings. One old lady said to u
when We first came here, you look rea
we'll, don't sec but what You look a
well as anybody. have heard people il
Dakota say that Dakota was no place t
educate children. Now would like I
say to you that the schools in Dakota ar
100 per cent better than they are here
| / don't want 20 brag, but my girls hav
attended two schools since we came her
and my oldest daughter was far the bes
scholar in the school and there were fort
acholars in one school that she attended
4 have often heard the farmers in Da
4 kota say that the merchants skinne
them on everything they bought of then
This is great mistake. l can buy good
OF the merchants in Washington nearl
as cheap as cheap as In the city Of Tro,
We pay five cents pound for granu
lated sugar; from 25 to 40 cents for CO.
fee. so cents for tea, and can buy shirt
and overalls cheaper i'll Dakota than
can here. don't believe there is an
country where merchants do business O
: n smaller t,rO(it than 4thou Ia in nol.ot,