Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-07-21
Great Possibilities for North Dakota.


tlon of the homeless thousands of the
country that is due to North Dakota,
to northern Minnesota, and the con
tiguous regions. In all the older
settled states are thousands of tenant
farmers there being in Iowa, alone,
over 10000, each of whom is annually
paying more for the use of the land
of another, than would be adequate
to provide a farm of his own in North
Dakota, in Minnesota, or elsewhere
along the line of the Great Northern
railroad in it's route across the con /.
nent.
Beside being the greatest wheat
producing region of the continent
and perhaps of the world it is equally
as we'll adapted to a diversified system
of farming. There is a fascination
about wheat growing inaswuch as in
about ninety days after the seed is pu
in the ground the harvest comes with
its golden grain and its reward for
the summers toll. This, however, is
not at all times a realization nor has
it been in any other wheat producing
country. Wheat growing has its draw
backs, in the elements, in the insects
which may infest the growing plant
and render the toll of the husband
man abortive. To avert both dangers
as far as possible the farmer as speed
lily as possible should avoid placing
all his eggs in single basket as he
does in only growing wheat.
This may be readily done in the use
of the Immense fields ofsucculent gras-
ses spread out in luxuriant abundance
in all directions as far as the eye can
reach, in the propagation of domestic
animals, the country, its productions
and its climate, being specially
adapted to cattle, horses and sheep.
A person who can take with him a
quantity of young COWS. good team
of horses and wagon will find
everything spread out before him in
munificence for his use in the millions
OF acres OF government lands supply
ing all that he may require for both
summer and winter in the form of
grass and hay. AS speedily as pos
sible he should have cattle, sheep and
horses to consume all his coarse grain
which should be his principal grain
crop, thus enabling him to condense
and send his products to the markets
in their concentrated form. Hogs too
can be profitably fattened upon the
coarse grains SO abundantly produced
from it's soil.
Choice government lands as pro-
ductive as may be found on the con-
tinent can be entered as homestead
within one or two hours drive OF
thriving villages with stores, banks,
railroad, postoffice, telegraph, schools
churches and esta bllshed markets.
The filing fee for entering these lands
is about $14, after which some six
months is given in which to make the
home upon the land, five years resi-
dence and occupation giving title to
the land, during this time and for two
years thereafter it is exempt from tax
alton.
OF these lands in the Crookston
land district in Minnesota there are
1,194, 595 acres subject to homestead
in the Grand Forks Land district
which comprises tue counties of
Cavalier, Grand Forks, Nelson, Penn
bina, Walsh and Eddy in North Da-
kota there are over 400, 1000 acres sub
Ject to free entry and in the Devils
Lake land district which includes
eleven counties there is a total of g..
1856, 600 acres subject to free homestead
entry, and in the Mouse river country
the land office for which is at Miuot,
!, North Dakota, there are over 1000, OOC
in seven counties subject to free OF
homestead entry.
While wheat growing may be, and
probably is, the readiest means by
which necessities of the home and the
family may be provided for, it is
, nevertheless true that for lasting and
continued prosperity, the occupants
OF these immense tracts of productive
land, should, by steady steps in thai
direction tend to diversified system
which should include sheep, cattle
horses, poultry and the dairy. The
water. the soil, the climate and every
thing else is favorable to these indust
ries upon profitable lines and with
glorious results.
! In the early settlement of Iowa the
people of the central part of the state
were 100 miles and more from the
navigable rivers upon Its borders
lumber and provisions only beina
there obtainable. In the Dakota anc
Minnesota government land regior
, these are placed within a few hours
reach OF these lands and at prices fol
lumber more cheaply than at any in
terror place in Iowa, while the prices
of other things compare favorably
with the prices in our own state.
In our own county its market TO,
wheat up to 1865 was from IS to 100
miles distant, the round trip with a
load requiring on an average one
week Oh the road, the man producing
1000 bushels, as many did, being from
home to market it 20 weeks of the s:
ia the year. With the railroads III
ready in operation in all the territory
mentioned a trip and return home is
possible the same day and good gov