The National tribune., 1901-06-27
ON THE BORDER.
4 Greer County Comrade Gives His Expert
ence for the Benefit Of Settlers in the Ind
ian Reservations.

enter the Kiowa, Comanche and Apache
lands will probably come by railroad, but
those having conveyances and teams Will
do well to bring them. | would not advise
bringing cattle from the far North or East
to this country.
Cows and Spring calves are worth here
from $50 to $50. Good mules and farm
horses are worth from $50 TO Sl25 per
head common riding horses and workers,
from SO to $50; range unbrOken horses
and mules are worth from S15 to $40.
Building lumber, hard pine, is selling
from $3.50 per NJ. to ST5 per NJ, best
shingles at So down to S1.T5 per NJ, fence
posts of native timber sell at from cents
to 10 cents each; coal for fuel sells at 50
to So per ton, at depots.
Good hogs, horses and cattle are to be
had here Il mean graded stock, US well as
fowls; sheep and goats are scarce.
Federal soldiers are treated well here.
How much money is necessary to start
with on homestead or other business: 1t
depends upon your fnanciering course, the
size of your family, health, manner of liv-
ing, etc. l am a poor mana veteran
drawing n pension of $24 per month.
When l decided to come to Oklahoma and
take a homestead l left my family at
Aurora, Mo. l procured a round-trip
landseekers' ticket for % days, ut
one fare, plus 81, and when l landed
in Greer County, o. r., l had $40 cash.
| paid S14 as Land Office fee. The re-
mainder paid contingent expenses until /
returned to my home again in Missouri.
l returned to my homestead i'll Greer
County, on straight trst-class railroad
ticket, before six months. / went on my
claim and commenced improvement. The
first thing | did was to construct a dugOut
to winter in. Next l broke IA acres, pay
ing $1.25 per acre, and planted corn and
fal, To ,V,.ta / .nlf ha
entire 1G0 acres with posts 80 feet apart,
and two and three wires to the post. Then
/ built small frame house 12xl4XS feet,
boarded ard shingled. | have sent some of
my pension money home occasionally to
my family; have no other income save Il
little help from two of my sons, both
young, and neither of them married. The
remainder of my pension money | have
used here on my farm, and owe nothing
on it.
A man can do well here with a good
well-bOring outfit. / have neighbor who
is now engaged in that business, using
horsepower to operate his machinery. The
price per foot is 40 cents.
Timber is scarce in this vicinity; prairie
fires have kept timber back. On my farm
where the virgin sod was turned about
two years, there are many young volunteer
cottonwood bushes now three feet high.
All have come up since breaking the prai-
rie. Along the streams, in the canyons
and on the breaks there are cottonwood
and elm trees as large as two feet in di-
ameter, and blackberry, mulberry, China
and cedar, walnut, mesquite, and shinery
and plum, grape and currants, with many
other trees and shrubbery. This applies
to the western half of Oklahoma, and to
the Kiowa, Apache, and COmanche coun-
try. The eastern half has more timber,
where many saw-mills are in operation.
There are many claims, decided and un-
decided, in Greer and surrounding Counties
for sale. Decided land is priced according
to its value in soil, water, timber, improve
ments and nearness to market, towns,
cities, railroads, etc, the same as in other
countries. Decided land in Greer County
with cheap improvements is rated at from
81 to So and SS per acre.
Undecided land with cheap improve
ments may be had by the homesteader re
linquishing bis claim on the same for $50
to 81 600.
Apples, peaches, pears, plums, prunes,
aprlcOtS, grapes, cherries, all have proven
to be a success in Oklahoma. | have seen
trees-apples and peaches-here from six
to nine years old, heavily laden with fine
fruit.
The business chances here in general
are very encouraging Farm hands re-
ceive 81 per day for farm labor. Good
hands on the farm and to handle and care
for range stock are in demand, and receive
fair pay for their work. Improved land
can be rented at money or crop rent, at
about eastern prices.
Our crops are diversified. Indian, Kaffir,
sorghum, and Milo Maize corn are raised
in great abundance, and there is a large
surplus. Wheat, oats, rye and barley,
millet and brown corn succeed well. Cotton
is a leader. The land produces from three
quarters to One-half bale per acre. Mel
ons, pumpkins, Irish and sweet potatoes,
as well as field peas and turnips, yield
well; so, also do nearly all garden vege-
tables. Smoked bacon is retailed at u
cents, dry salt at IL cents; best -four, 30
pounds i'll sack, S1.1O; corn (oldJ meal, 80
cents per bushel; syrups and mOlasses at
80 to 80 cents per gallon; lamp oil, %
cents per gallon; granulated sugar, u
pounds, 81; lard, 10 cents; butter 10 to
10 cents; eggs same as butter. Dry goods,
clothing, etc, sell here about like such
things do 400 to 500 miles further east,
with the cost of freight added. These are
retail prices. Good Oklahoma salt, for
stock and table uses, retails at from one
half to three quarters cent per pound.
There are four Or five salt factories with
in y TO IS miles of Delhi. All kinds of
poultry do well. l see thousands of prai-
rie chickens around me, as well as quails,
rabbits, and some other game. For bear,
deer, turkeys, and squirrels one will have
to go to the timber. There are many fish
in the streams Board in the country is
from 81 to $3.50 per week; in towns and
cities the lowest is about So per week and
up.
l see many grocery merchants and dry
goods merchants with small stocks, carry
ing good trade, growing, and seem to
be fiourishing in their business. Others
may do likewise here; there are good open
ings.
The farmer finds willing buyers for his
surplus, corn and feed corn, milet, oats,
hay, hogs, cows and calves, milk, butter,
fowls and eggs, in the new comers. His
cotton, wheat and surplus corn is sold at
the depots to regular buyers for fair prices
S. MARTIN, Delhi, o. Il.