Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1903-08-27

this saves them the annoyance OF
going to town for everything they
need.
There are i'm all about seventy head
of horses, mules and colts on the
place and in the winter large a
mount of stock is cared for These
are pastnred through the summer
further west.
When farmer goes to town to buy
his groceries he does not call for "a
quarters worth of soap" but "a box
of soap and just SO he buys every,
thing in large quantities. Prices
are little higher than at home. He
ships his own grain to the commits
sion merchants.
Six horses are usually used on pillow
or harrow. No grain is planted
or cut by hand. They would nc
sooner cut corn by hand than they
would cradle their wheat.
The principle crops are wheat, bar
ley, speltz, oats, rye, flax and corn.
Timothy is grown considerably fol
hay but the native grass resembles
somewhat our marsh grass but is
finer. Potatoes and other vegetables
grow well here but the farmers choose
to grow only enough for their own
use. Fruits. it is said, do finely,
when carefully cared for but one sci
dom sees farmer who grows them
to any extent.
A field of flax when in blossom pre-
sents a beautiful appearance, with
its green leaves and blue blossoms
and in the early summer the wheat
fields are made very handsome bv the
appearance of roses and morning
.glories which seem to be as thick in
every wheat field as weeds in an un-
attended garden.
Harvesting began only this week.
We are cutting and shocking nearly
a hundred and twenty-five acres a
day, seven binders being used. Each
crew, the bindermen and the shock
ers, works under a boss called Bin
der boss" and Straw boss" repec-
lively. The grain will stand in the
shock until we thresh. Nearly every
farmer owns his own threshing out
fit. The one used here is the largest
to be had, the engine being of thirty
five horse power The felly on the
wheels is thirty-two inches wide and
/ can stand in the wheels without
touching my hat and anybody knows
that I'm no sawed off. F"
Headers, which are used so extern
sively in South Dakota are not used
here. Straw is burned in the engine
as a rule.
Most Of the men who come here in
harvest time are set to shocking
which is much harder work here than
in Michigan for the grain is cut when
quite green and consequently is much
heavier than at home where they do
not cut until it is dead ripe. / was
fortunate to find position as Straw
boss awaiting me when | arrived.
Fargo is beautiful city with very
wide, paved streets, which are com
pletely shaded by trees which were
planted long enough ago to have
reached a good size. 1t is located on
the Red River just across from Moor
head Mimi. Fargo has no saloons
and the Moorhead saloon keepers
run carriages to and from there Civ
ing Fargoites free ride both ways so
though they have local option the
thirsty citizens do not go dry.
There are many fine buildings
there. The United States federal
the Carnegie free Library,
the County court house, the new
high school and the new Northern
Pacific depot are all examples of
beautiful architecture. The Agrf-
college is located here and
they have two private hospitals,
ST. Johns hospital and two magnet
lc lnfirmaries. The Masonic Temple
is the largest in the United States
used exclusively by the lodge. There
IRE many fine stores, more farm
machinery, | am told is sold to the
farmers in Fargo than in any other
;ity 1t is not only beautiful city
bnt a busy one.
! like it here very much and enjoy
being out of doors. In my opinion
IS way ahead of Michigan.