Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-27
OKLAHOMA AS IT is.
IEstherx-il,a Enterprise.

The following letter was received by
the Enterprise from young man of
this county who recently went to Okla
homa on prospecting trip. 1t is writ
ten from Stroud, Okla:
Different people, like the blind men
viewing the elephant, see and Judge
the same thing differently. Those from
the plains of the Dakotas and northern
Iowa would at first glance pronounce
eastern Oklahoma unfit for habitation,
While those from the more rolling dis
tricts would judge otherwise. This part
of the country is without question much
broken by creeks, most of which are
dry the greater part of the year. Rocks
are also not an unknown quantity, but
on the contrary abound in profusion
some times stratas may be seen crop
ping out from the hills from eight to ten
feet in thickness. Along these raviEes
and on the rocky land is scattering
growth of oak, elm, hickory, blackjack.
and lesser varieties, a suficiency on a
quarter section to last man life time
for firewood and fencing.
You must not think from this fact
that there is no tlllable land here, on
the contrary there are thousands upon
thousands of as fine farming land as a
man would desire. True it does not al
ways lie in one body, but is frequently
separated by rocky hills and wooded ra-
vines. The strath or valley bottom is
the finest sort of corn land, the upland
more desirable for wheat and cotton;
and in ordinary seasons will produce
corn but cannot be depended on.
II 1..t.1 49, ,1tv 81
and the one that nets the farmer the
most Of Uncle Sans dollars is King
cotton. Here, like the creamery and
milk factories of the north, the cotton
gin is pre-eminent. Nearly every small
town, whether a railroad point or not,
has one which runs as constant as the
old mill stream.
A gin is very interesting, especially
a gin cocktail, and is an eye opener to
the uninitiated. The cotton is drawn
from the wagon thru a pipe. by carriers
similar to self feed. thence it winds
its way to the press and energies in the
form of a 500 pound bale.
An acre of prime cotton will yield one
bale, but more often from one-half to
two-thirds of bale is considered good.
Cotton in the bale is bringing cents
pound, or $50 per bale. After deducting
215 cents per pound for ginning. and
the sale of seed at SIS per
ton. you have as large profit as the
best acre of corn in any state would
yield at a fair price. 1t costs from 70
cents to 81 per hundred to get the
beautiful white garnered, which is
very wearisome job. similar to digging
potatoes with short handled hoe.
Here the principal question is: Are
you going tothe new country" which IS
somewhat dissImilar to the one in En-
met: What is corn worth today.
Claims are constantly changing hands
either by transfer or jumping" the
later occurring only in the new country
A quarter section fifteen miles from any
town brings from $500 20 So,
900, transfers occurring daily at such fig
ures.
Land in this district is on the rise as
a new railroad is cutting thru the coun-
try from Blackwell to Davenport. The
way has already been secured
and work begun. With good schools,
fine climate. improved railroad facilities
and splendid water this country will
forge rapidly ahead and make one of
the finest farming districts in the
southwest.