Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-10-08
lNpEPENpENr IN FIVE YEARs
Was In Debt when He First Settled In
OklahOma- $4,000 Worth OF
Property aud LIkes Country.

acres of unimproved land near Duke'
Greer county, Okla, with but 20 cents
in money, about one months supply
of provisions, without dollars worth
of property and $3.50 in debt. Now /
own 81, 500 worth of paitLfor property.
The next day after settling here
hired to one of my neighbors by the
day, TO help him gather his big crop
of Indian corn, Kaffir corn, Milo
maize, sorghum cane, cotton, etc.
and paid up my debt in six months.
continued to work for wages until
was able to build house, buy wag-
on, team, plows, etc. l then began
turning my rich. sub-irrigated valley
land, which has produced an abundant
amount of several different kinds of
farm products for three successive
years. This valley produces from one
half to bale of cotton per acre every
year. Eleven thousand seven hundred
and ninety-eight bales, averaging 500
pounds per bale, have been marketed
in Greer county this season, and the
crop is not quite one-third marketed.
The total output of the county will
be 10000 bales. The average value per
bale is $40. making the total value of
Greer county's cotton crop for 1902
81 600, OO0-$4O for every man, woman
and child in the county. This is a
showing of wealth production that is
astonishing, and cotton is only one of
variety of great field productions,
besides live stock and poultry.
The hay industry'is a very prOfita
bic one. The native grass, from five
to 10 feet high, waves annually over
thousands of acres of sandy land.
This hay sells at from so to so cents
per bale, which is clear profit, with
the exception of expense of cutting
and marketing The black land farms
are covered with green waving wheat,
that promises, as usual, a bountiful
yield. The spring feed crops this year
were so very fine that many of us re-
called the language of Abe Lincoln:
Il stacked all l could in the field and
put the rest in the crib At this
writing, Nov s. the fall crop of Milo
maize, Kaffir corn, Indian corn, sweet
and Irish potatoes, and many kinds of
vegetables, such as cabbage, lettuce,
beets, turnips, tomatoes, beans, etc,
are as green and fine as a man ever
saw in any country at any season of
the year. There are thousands of
car loads of nice, green, fresh, we'll
matured watermelons and other kinds
of farm and garden products here to-
day. 1t is nothing uncommon to see a
cabbage head that can hardly be put
in half-bushel measure. l planted a
bucket full of Irish potatoes last
families-2O persons in aIl-ate pota-
toes from the patch most every day
for two months. and then l dug eight
bushels. This is splendid fruit
country - grapes, plums, curraHts,
etc, grow wild in such enormous
quantities that all who viii gather
them can have an abundant supply.
There is not better hog country
known to me. Hogs never die here
with any disease. l gave IS for a sow
three years ago, which has supplied
my family with meat ever since, and
have sold $50 worth of her pigs. An
other citizen gave SO for SOW three
years ago; he has sold SIS worth of
her pigs and has $50 worth of hogs.
including the sow on hand. 1t costs
little to raise hog feed here. Milo
maize, Kaffir corn, Sorghum. ground
peas and articholes never fail to pro-
duce well. One of my neighbOrs told
me few days ago that he had four
acres of artichokes on sandy land,
that each hill would average the size
of a half-bushel, and six inches deep.
This is fine poultry country. My
sister, on a 16O-acre farm, has bought
a fine buggy and sewing machine re-
Gently with the turkey and chicken
money of two years. Her husband sold
5000 worth OF corn last year from 30
acres OF land. The great variety of
grass, principally mesquite, keeps
stock cattle in good condition all the
year, and with little feed, mich
COWS give an abundant amount of
butter. l gave $50 for mich cow
and sold $40 worth of butter from her
in one season.
Oklahoma is recognized by this ma
ton as being composed of the best
citizenship of any state or territory
in the union. Once in the history of
our county our district judge did not
call court because there was no one
to prosecute. +. F. STANTON,
Further information about Oklaho-
ma and Indian Territory is given in
Rock Island States Southwest Ga
page booklet recently issued by the
passenger department of the Rock
Island System. For a copy, write
John Sebastian. passenger traffic man
ager, Chicago. Ill.
The Rock Island System also issues
a monthly paper called the Western
Trail and devoted to the territory
traversed by Rock Island lines. Each
issue contains letters from men and
women who have bettereds their con-
dition in life by removing to the,
southwest. The Western Trail will be
mailed you for one year for % cents
in stamps or silver.
Homeseekers' excursions twice a
month via Rock Island System to
points in the southwest. Full infor-
nation at all Rock Island ticket of