The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-26
The FINEST SPUDS
They Are Grown on Irrigated Soil
at Sheridan, Wyo.-Greeley,
Col, Beaten.
Tie Picking Works and Ignite
Mines Also Make the Wyon1- ,
ing Town Notable.
From a STAR Correspondent.

From a STAFF Correspondent.
Sheridan, Wye, Sept. 23.-This town, a
mushroom Of ten years growth, looks
with scorn upon Greeley, Col, for 1t has
seen the Greeley, potato, and gone 1t one
better. They claim here, and the claim
seems to be well substantiated, that Sheri
dan holds the worlds record for the size
and yield of its potatoes. 1t is not .neces-
sary to say that the town is founded Upon
irrigation. Without artificial Waterssupply
it would be the sage brush desertSit was
eleven years ago.. .tss az s.
President Alger of the First National
bank Of Sheridan declares that 976 bushels
OF potatoes have been raised on one acre
of Sheridan farm land. This feat was
accomplished in a. competition with Cree
ley, and for aeprize Of $1,000. An agricul-
tural publication xpMgfed the prize and
named the conditions. It was stipulated
that; the acre be surveyed, and that the
potatoes be dug In the presence of a COM
mittee which should make affidavit be-.
fore 9. notary public Of the amount Of the
yield. The winner challenged the Greeley.
farmers to another contest, offering to bet
an additional $1,000 that, $40 bushels could
be exceeded, and Greeley again surpassed,
but the challenge was net:saccepted. :
1t is easy for one who has seen the,
Sheridan potatoes, takeneat random from
any, field along the road as I was per-
llHltSd W uO 10 U0llSV0EEadCSl l0 pOIdlO
brag" of this town Is well founded. The
potatoes are nearly one foot in length, by
| six inches In diameter, with an occasional
specimen almost the size7of mans head.
| Most of the yield at present Is sold for
! use on the Union Pacific dining cars,
where they are&served up baked, and are
very popular with the travelling public.
| An occasional carload, however, goes to
| Chicago and Minneapolis: At first the
| farmers sent the potatoes to market as
! Greeley potatoes, but they are now get
/ ting reputation which enables them to
stand on their own merits In the:,course
of time Sheridan will I become world
famous as the greatest producer Of the
| "spud.'' s ~
Sheridan is situated at the base. Of the
! Big Horn mountains, and within sight. Of
Clouds Peak, one Of the highest points
| in the Rockies 1t is on the sitessof the
/ camp Of General Crook, pitched during
! the Indian uprising which led to the Gus
ter massacre, and is only fifty miles from
the scene of that historic event. It was
at the base of the Big Horn mountains
| that the Indians made their last stand
| The water for the irrigation Is taken
| from Goose creek, which flows thru the
valley and town. Ditch building is done
| entirely by private enterprise, and it has
! not been necessary to perform any diff
cult task of engineering to put the water
on the land. On account of limited water
supply, but little more land can be brought
under cultivation here, unless the govern
ment takes up q project to dam UP a
natural reservoir in one of the canyons
| to- theawest. Such a project would store
| thousands of gallons which run off in the
spring freshets, and reclaim a hundred
zthousand orsmore additional acres: This
/ will probably come, In time.
The Tie Picking Works.
A tie picking works IS one OF the unique
features Of Sheridan. ThereSis a plant
here which turns OUT nearly 1000 picked
railroad ties q, day for the Union Pacific
land the Burlington. The so4cafied picking
process is one Of the suggestions made
BY the forestry divisions 81 ethe agricuI-
tural department. Chemical treatment
fits a cheaper gradeasof wood to perform
the services of highpriced white pine,
fschestnut and redwood. All Of which are
getting scarce. At this station lodge
lpole pine, which is Of no use for building
or other purposes, is treated with a prep:
aration of zinc, and tests have shown
that the resulting tie has. nearly double
the life of the hardwood tie. The pine
is subjected to heat and steam pressure
which drives OUT the >resinous sap an6
substitutes a naineralMsolution. The ties
have been tested in the swamps Of New
Mexico where the disintegrating in
? E1ueQCeS4 are greatest, ana all railroads are
now giving attention to this method Of
{ solving the tie problem.
{ The Use Of Ignite.
7 Sheridan hopes for great things from
two coal mines from which several thou,
s sand tons per day Of Ignite coal are being
. taken. Only recently, 1t was discovered
q that this Ignite product can be used, ant
{ within a year or 50 it has been adopted
s by the railroads and the beet sugar fac
: tories in this section with gratifying Re
Z suits. The coal strike last winter re
{ suited in forcing the fact upon the house
keeper that with a little alteration Of TIN
CRATE. Ignite coal could be employed TO
domestic purposes. In many parts Of TIN
. west, the same lesson was learned, ant
4 one Of the greatest because lasting, losse
to the anthracite owners is the loss o
this western market. There is an alrnos
u inexhaustible supply under this part o
the country and the discovery Of way
: to use it. will add enormously to the loea
!, wealth and possibilities Of development
: In North Dakota Ignite has been uset
for years to limited extent but out here
where the freight charges are high ant
anthracite is more scarce, the people hav
been more successful in working out prac
teal methods for it's consumption
a RecuperatIng Fort.
r The government has just established a
n - n m