Courier Democrat., 1901-01-31
Cbe State Day. by Day.. ),
ITS VARIED PRODUCTS.

ITS VARIED PRODUCTS. ="
Wool, Corn, Flax, Ignite Coal and
Fish Join Wheat.
. Wool, corn, linseed oil, Ignite coal
and fish have all come in to share hon
ors With wheat in North Dakota. So
far from being an exclusively wheat
growing state, or a wheat and cattle
state, the. Flickertail state, while claim
ing both these products as hers in a
pre-eminent degree, yet published re-
ports from different and widely-separ-
ated portions of the state show such a
degree of progress in other lines that it
is no longer possible to correctly speak
of North Dakota as in any sense eX-
clusively or most adyantageously de-
voted to the raising of the worlds
greatest cereal. Reports come from the
western town of Mandan that the
North Dakota Wool Growers associa-
tion will meet in Bismarck on Feb. s;
the agricultural college at Fargo is
showing to the farmers how the notion
that corn cannot be successfully grown
in this state is mistake, and that not
produced to greater profit to the
farmer; Ignite coal from the Wilton
mines, on the Bismarck, Washburn &
Great Falls railroad, is coming into
economical use, not only for public
building and residence heating but for
furnace use in factories; the oil mill in
Grand Forks is running overtime with
day and night forces, turning out, ac'
cording to reports from there, 1,1OO gall
Ions of Oil and ten tons of Oil cake per
day; and now comes the report from
I.aNoure county that fish from the
James river are being sold at retail at
80 cents per bushel.
That corn has been and can be sue
cessfully produced in North Dakota has
been proven beyond peradventure of
doubt. On the big Grandin farm, To-
Gated just adjacent to Mayville. supt.
Charles McKissick has raised corn for
a number of years, with very gratlfy-
ing and profitable results. The raising
of corn with him has advanced beyond
the governmental stage, and has proven
a profitable adjunct to wheat raising.
He has made it pay profit OF $2O per
acre on large fields. The agricultural
college at Fargo has been making a
valuable series Of experiments in the
matter of the best kinds and the best
modes of culture of this cereal. with
the result that great stimulus has
been given to contrasting. 1t Is
claimed, as a result of experiment at
the college and from the experience Of
successful farmers, that more money
accrues to the pockets of the farmer
f1,nf
than from raising cereal crops for mar
ket. This is the result reported by
some of the best farmers in the state.
The Question of the value and usabil-
ity of Ignite coal for fuel for general
heating and for factory furnace pur-
poses is one Of much Importance to this
state, as the supply of Ignite coal in
the state is practically unlimited. The
experiments just completed at the Far
go-Edison plant as test of the heating
qualities of the product of the Wilton
mines are, therefore, of the greatest in
terest. At the state normal school
building in Mayville Ignite coal has
been in use for several years. Until re-
Gently the supply has been obtained
form the Burlington mines. near Mlnot.
This winter a trial is being made OF
that from the Kenmare mines in Ward
county, on the 500 road. This seems to
be an excellent quality of coal, and
gives first-rate satisfaction in furnish
ing steam for the normal building. The
whole of the western portion of the
state is underlaid with c2al, and the
price at which it can be laid down
ready for use makes it a most advan-
tageous fuel. Coal in North Dakota
seems to bid fair to be one of the great
stanle resources of the state in the FIJI.
lure.
The increase in the acreage OF tlaS,
not onlv in the Red river valley, but
also in the central and western coun-
ties, has been phenomenal during the
ties, has been phenomenal during the
past few years. The use of the grain
in the production of oil and oil cake. as
we'll as the value now being derived
from the straw for fiber PURPOSES. gives
an added impetus to the raising OF flaS.
The following figures. from the status
tical report of the state commissioner
of agriculture, showing the increase in
ge of flax in 1900, as compared
with that of 1899, for the several coun-
ties named, indicate something OF the
tendency to draw away from wheat
raising exclusively, and are especially
interesting when considered in connec-
tion with the marked success of the OIL
mill located at Grand Forks.
Three counties in the western part OF
the state: Ward. in 1899, 1924 acres, IN
1900, 1854 acres; Mercer, in 1899, l,332o
acres. in 1900, 1865 acres: Bottincau, III
1899. 5. 1888 acres, in 1900, 25.559 acres.
Three counties in the central portion:
Ramsey, in 1899. .125195 acres. in 1900.
353, ,291 acres: Stutsman, in 1S99 l77.6H
acres, in 19OO 2O7.69s acres: Wells. in
1899, 447, ,2S9 acres. in 1900, 643,264 acres.
Three Red River valley counties:
pembina, in 1899. 1O5.473 acres. in 1900,
21o,s74 acres; Trail, in 1899. 1S5.425
acres, in 1900, 231.132 acres: Cass. in
1899, 37.e75 acres. in 1900. 7oS.2oo acres.
In strange contrast with the reports
of great progress and increased re-
sources throughout the state are the
exaggerated reports about settlers said
60. %1,o NOR