The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-12

stock industries OF South Dakota have in
creased wonderfully in the past five years.
Her state debt is the lowest of any state il
the union Many of her counties have not
a dollar of bonded Indebtedness. She is we'll
railroaded and in close proximity to the best
markets of the northwest. Her climate is
superior and she possesses all of the qualifi-
,cations that will soon place her in the front
rank of the great northwestern agricultural
states. Her wealth and population have been
increasing by leaps and bounds and farm
lands in South Dakota have had larger
percentage of increase in value than those of
any other state in the union in the past five
years. The wealth added to South Dakota
through its increase of land values must be
estimated by millions of dollars and this
added Wealthzis as substantial as if 1T had
been produced by the raising of corn and
wheat or cattle, for land values will never
be less than they are to day. Any man own
ing South Dakota farm to-day, can, if he
desires, go to his nearest bank and find that
his farm gives him credit for borrowing
purposes larger than the entire price he
could have sold the same farm for four or
five years ago and he can borrow his money
at or per cent instead of 5 or or 10 per
cent as he did only few years ago.
South Dakota mortgages are nearly thing
| of the past and, while South Dakota is not
yet known as a corn raising state, it has,
| however, in the past two years raised more
corn than wheat.
Farm lands in southern and eastern South
| Dakota have already reached prices that
| would have seemed fabulous a few years ago
and many farmers in that section of the state
are selling out to Iowa and Illinois farmers
! and rebuying cheaper lands in the northern
! part of the state where they expect to get
| another quick advance in price in the next
! few years, reselling again at another hand
] some profit, or, if their age is such that they
| do not care to move again, they will probably
! remain at their new homes permanently.
| The Elwood Land company mas sold about
| half a million dollars worth of South Da-
4 kota lands per year for the last six or eight
years, practically all of 1t farmers who
| purchased their lands on time, depending on
| the crops to pay for the land, and this COM
/ pany has never had mortgage foreclosure,
| which easily proves that the crops have
! been sufficient to pay the indebtedness on
/ the land. This fact is further proven by in
4 | vestigation of the records at any of the
/ county seats, which will show the largest
decrease in farm mortgages OF any othel
state.
The president of the Elwood Land company
has travelled extensively over all the western
and northwestern states in connection witt
the land and immigration business and the
fact that this company has made nearly al
of it's investments in South Dakota proves it:
faith in that great and growing state.
4 In ..Jim' River Valley.
postmaster at Groton from March, 1898
until April, 1892, and who has spent thu
past twenty years in South Dakota, SOLE
100000 worth OF Brown county land las
1 year. He says:
\ No better soil than that of the greate
part of Brown county east Of the James rive
1 can be found in this state. The surface sol
1 is rich black loan ranging from eighteen
inches to three feet in depth, with a heavy
| clay subsoil from ten to twenty feet deep. Thu
country is nearly level, and free from ston,
or gravel. Good water in abundance can b,
obtained from wells ranging in depths from
Is to Is feet The soil is admirably adapted
to raising all kinds of small grains, grasse:
and vegetables. Corn can be grown success
fully and probably. Yields OF So to 45 bush.
els are common. Small fruits do we'll. Nc
better country for raising cattle. sheep and
hogs can be found. The climate suits them
and diseases are unknown. We are located
in the artesian belt. Many farmers have
] small bore wells, and others large wells. fur
nshing water for artificial lakes that are
stocked with different varieties of fish, They
Il utilize the power from the wells for various
purposes, such as feed mills, cream separa-
tors, churns and washing machines. Many
farms in this locality contain modern I'M
proyements that would put to shame the i'm.
provements in older states. 1t is not an un.
! common thing to find farm residences heated
| by furnaces, and. lighted with acetylene gas
having rural free delivery at their doors
and in communication by telephone with til,
outer world. These are out few of tbs
conveniences and improvements you can fnt
on many farm in eastern Brown county
I In the past twelve months sold over hal
"a million dollars worth OF land In Brow
county alone. The buyers were from south
ern Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin an.
the southern part OF this state Nearly al
the higher priced lands that sold ar
being settled by the purchasers. Others vii