The Oskaloosa herald., 1901-08-29


Falls is building rapidly. She has
faith in herself, and is not weak
kneed. She is hustler and is max
ing a substantial growth. She is in
viting the world to her doors. She
may well be proud. She has her fu'
ture before her.
The farmers, too, of South Dakota
have nothing to fear--nothing except
the price of land. An improved farm
in the vicinity of Sioux Falls sells to-
day as high as $40 per acre and some
times higher. OF course raw land''
what little there is left, may be
bought considerably cheaper, while
first-class "raw land''to the vest and
northwest may be bought much
cheaper. But even in these sections
the day of cheap goodland is rapidly
drawing to a close, So we see the
Iowa man who goes west to buy q
farm, either as a speculation or for a
home has to pay for it. And why
should he not? 1t is worth it. Yes
it is worth it. The farmer of South
Dakota has just as good markets for
his staple crops as the Iowa farmer
also just as good church and school
facilities. What more would be ask
ed9 And South Dakota is yet a new
country.
We are told of course, that eastern
South Dakota, which is distinctively
the agricultural region of the state,
as distinguished from the central
grazing and the western mineral re-
gion, is unreliable in crops. In a
sense there is no denying this, it
would be foolish indeed to attempt to
prove the contrary. But let US be
fair. Let US look at our own state
peerless Iowa! In '94 Iowa came the
nearest to a crop failure in her entire
previous history. So too had the
Dakotas and all the west short crops.
But the successful, in other words the
careful farmer even then had enough
and to spare-there is the secret
careful farming.
With US this year, taking the state
as a whole, the better fields of corn
may yet yield half a crop. South
Dakota is no worse off in her corn
crop. In small grain and in pasture
she is even faring better. Many
wheat fields this year are yielding rs
bushels per acre. Let US repeat that
it has not been so much meterologic
conditions that have been the cause
of so many failures" in South OAK
ota, but poor farming rather. The
writer, last year, saw in various parts
of the state, wheat fields on one side
of the "quarter line" that yielded 20
bushels per acre, while on the other
side, with nothing between them but
a wagon track, the wheat was not
worth the cutting, the same soil,
equal rainfall, similar conditions in
every respect. The farmer was not
in every case to be blamedsIbut in
most instances the farmer was not a
careful farmer or had put out larger
acreage than he was able to care for
creditably. These conditions are
rapidly passing away in South OAK
ota. FarmersI are not only learning
to understand the country, adapting
"Ineans to ends" but they are be-
coming more careful, more thorough.
In conclusion let US say that South
Dakota is no longer zone grain"
state, though wheat mayEfor some
time be the leading crop. 1t is need
less to say that barley, fax and oats
do equally well, while the acreage of
corn is increasing year by year. All
this together with the fact that the
tame grasses, which are beginning
to be raised and which do well, the
natural grass of the prairie, almost
complete ration in itself, and the
countless cattle covered meadows
and bills, a sight to behold, proves
that South Dakotasis rapidly pushing
to the front as a diversified farming
state.
Allow us to say that Mr.. Charnoch,
a former Mahaska county boy, has
placed us under obligations.for court
estes shown.
Fearing that the editor may object
to 'length, the writer shall for5ear,
at least for the present. to say any
thing about western Minnesota and
North Dakota, also about people,
places and things of interest that he
saw,-notably for one, the state pen
itentiary of South Dakota, located at
Sioux Falls and containing about $50
inmates. This is a great institution
of it's kind and through which he had
the pleasure of being shown latter
paying a quarter) and where be saw
some of his "old friends" Such an
institution, wherever it may be, is a
study in itself, as are also the in
mates. 1t is to be regretted THAT in
this age of intense goth lcentury
christian civilization, we have need
of so many reformative places
throughout the land. 1t were surely
better to Storm" than reform"
Perhaps as the years go by we may
pay more attention to the formative
forces that enter into the human
character and determine personality
and destiny. Let us hope so. Let
us hope that the church will preach
more gospel, that the SCHOOL, viii do
more educating, that the home will