The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1897-09-17
DEER CREEK FARMERS' CLUB.
An Interesfing Description of the
Dakota Wheat Fields-A Talk
on Road Building.

The club met last Saturday afternoon at THE
Highlands" the beautiful residence Of Mr..
John Xoores, near Bel Air. There were present
Mr.. Henry Silver. president, and Messrs. John
Moores, e. P. Moores c. Louis Ellicott James
Lee Il. Harris Archer, Thomas Lochary. John
B. Tysong, :. y. Williams, Thomas n. Robin
son, W. b. Hopkins. W. Beatty Harlan, James
F. Kenly. Messrs. B k. Grimes, OF King
Georges county, Va, b. Frank Hanway, G.
G. Street, and Harold Scarhoro were present
us vi-itOrs.
Messrs. Elicott. Hopkins and Lochary, the
committee on inspection, reported that they
found the farm i'll first condition. Special
mention made OF field of white corn
which the committee pronounced rs good as
any seen anywhere. The ears were very large
and well filled out ut the tips. Many of the hills
contained four stalks. each bearing a heavy
ear of corn, and on some hills five or more ears
were found The field was clean and well
worked. The wheat stubble was found nicely
set i'll grass, the cattle looked very well. Mr..
Moorc.' sheep were-as usuaI-of the bet t
| The fine shoats in the hog pen came
| in for favorable mention. and much
| praise was bestowed upon beautiful bay
mare which was found i'll the stable. The
unanimous verdict was that everything about
| the farm was in tirst-class condition. 1t was
also remarked that Mr. Moorrs was the only
farmers far as heard from, who had corn cut
| up and cora ground plowed.
| After partakiu9 OF a bouutful repast the
| members gathered on Mr.. MoOrcs' cool and
! spacious front porch, where the usual formal
| discussion Of Il subject was dispensed with and
| Mr.. james Lee, by request, gave an entertain
| ing account of his recent trip to the National
! Farmers Congress at St. Paul, Mimi, which he
attended as delegate, and ,particularly, of the
! sights he saw during an excursion through the
| famous wheat fields OF the DallotaS. Mr.. Lee
said, in part:
AT the Congress the experimental station
| fellows talked Il good deal. Lots of other
| subjects were introduced such the silver
| question. postal savings banks. government
| ownership OF railroads and railroad discrimi-
nation, but whenever the discussion veered
! toward politics il was generally switched or
| | went by the Pennsylvania Railroad, Via
| Pittshurg, Columbus and Chicago, and saw lots
| of corn, but none as good us we have i'll Har.
| ford. ! WAS particularly impressed by the
| IMMENSE acreage OF sprir y wheat which was in
/ shock in the fields and being thrcshed. ! was
| Informed that it was turning out about II tC
| II bushels per acre-an average yield wher
I they have crop, but sometimes ii fails entire
w. No winter wheat is grown in that section
II saw 4 number OF threshers running. III,
| wagons drive up on each side Of the machine
| which cuts the bands itself, two men feeding
| The straw carrier is pIvoted and throws the
I straw alternately on each side of the machine
where it i hauled away a short distance anC
burned after the machine is moved. Straw il
| also used az fuel for the engines. In II lew
| cases they were making semi-circular ricl
| behind the machine, with only one man on the
rick An elevator raises the grain and pour
| il into n box wagon in which it is hauled to tn,
railroad elevator. These cannot belong to thu
farmers and must be kept open all the time
The wheat is invariably threshed direct from
. the shock.
zone farm which l saw in Dakota, near tn
| Minnesota line, belongs to some Pennsylvan
inns. 1t employs 33 binders. The blowing i
done by gang plows of the very best stee
| From three 10 five horses draw each gang
They were blowing again for wheat among tn
shocks. Gang-plows would not work here.
: In parts OF Minnesota the same ground ha
4 been i'll wheat continuously for % years DakC
Ia has notbeen settled So long and they say ther
, that they have not noticed any diminution i
l the yield. This cannot be said, however, of til
older fields in Minnesota. The prairie sod is IL!
e lIally first put in flax. In Minnesota last Sa
: urday wheat was bringing 81 per bushel, up
T | Dakota il was 81 cents.
The labor of threshlng is done by gangs c
- 20 or 30 men which 20 with each machine.
large kitchen wagon, with sides that let dow
goes with them and feeds them. Each machir
thrcshcs from 900 to 800 bushels day.
d An Oregon man gave me some nformato
d about the price Of horses. He said it was tru
that IL certain kind OF horses are very low al
mentioned lot of 1000 horses which wei
. sold for $3.50 each, but these are wild horse
When you want good, wcl-brOken horse
weighing from 200 to 400 pounds each yo
d cannot buy them for less than 5000 tn $500
e span.
{, "A Nebraska man spoke of cattle, and
"a said if he can get the same price per pound tn
e he pays, he thinks he is doing well, as corn is
cheap. They feed corn in the field and folio
rs the cattle with hogs. I saw tran-load
y Montana cattle which looked as if they won
" weigh from POO to 400 pounds each al
were of good quality.
A man with good health, grit and son
d money can certainly get along out ther
u There is Il great scarcity of wuter,and saw
?" timber except what had been planted for VIII
AZ breaks. There must be forests somewher
ie though, for there are immense lumber mi
y at Minneapolis. The land il all level"
III hlr. Lee also spoke of his visit to Armour
10 Strengthening establishment in Chicago, and 4
v great Pillsbury Touring mills in Minneupol
ne This drew forth remark from Mr.. Jol
Moorcs that we are all taxed TO keep up t