Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1904-03-25
THE CRY FOR MOORE LAND,
What the Great Movement of
Population Means to the
Northwest.

The astonishing demand for land il
the northwest will be more keen thi
season than ever. The fundamental ba
sis for this demand is not generally rec
ognized
The average citizen in the west ant
northwest thinks the movement of pop
ulation into bis district is u boom
that be should make the best Of HI
has faith in his country, but fails t
grasp the whole situation.
Orange Judd Farmer points out tina
the truth about the matter may be thu
briefly summarized:
1 The choice agricultural lands O.
the central Mississippi valley hav'
reached extraordinary high prices
Some Illinois farmers have sold at $500
per acre land that they themselves
took up" az a free gift under the
homestead act-farming land only, in
central Illinois, which has reached thit
figure because farming pays good inter
est on that valuation, not because Of
proximity to cities. In Iowa, indeed all
through The central valleys, land val
uess have also risen enormously.
Q. Farming in the central west is 50
profitable, 80 safe, and still further ad.
vances in land values are go constantly
expected, that men of large means are
buying these central lands and operat.
ing them on large scale. Farming ia
becoming as fashionable a. il is profit.
able, but in the central west agricul.
ture requires more and more capital.
8. Many thousands of farmers in
moderate circumstances, hired men OF
others who would like to 20 to farming
hut who cannot afford to pay from $50
to 5000 per acre for land, are casting
about for good lands that can be
bought q, moderate prices. The great
majority of these people want such
lands located in the western and north.
western states, because they prefer the
inspiring climate and the social condi.
tion of that favored region.
4. But little priva,ion is now requir.
ed from the settlers who move onto
these newer lands in the Dako 'a'a
and Wisconsin and Minnesota. Al
most every part of this region is within
convenient reach of railroad transporta'
tion. If in any section the mails.
schools churches, etc, are at all de-
ficient, they are rapidly brought to per.
fection as population increases: In other
words Orange Judd Farmer would en-.
phasize that it is easy to develop homes
and farms on the cheaper lands of the
west and northwest, compared to the
privations suffered by the early settlers
in the central west.
5. The man who can sell out in the
central west at from $50 to 600 per
acre, and buys lands in tho newer sec'
tions at from SO to $e5 per acre, is very
much disposed 10 do so. He has had
one taste Of the enormous profit accru'
ing from the natural increase in the
value of land. He is hungry for an.
other dose of profits. He il still hun.
grier for more acres for himself and his
children. II he can sell out at q price
that will enable him to pay for 100
acres or more for each member of his
family and also have snug capital
left, he is very much dispoeed to do so
6. Each of the foregoing reasons ID
enough to warrant the present activity
in the real estate market throughout
the west. Together they form reasone
that are incontrovertible, but over and
above all these conditions. Orange Judd
Farmer calls attentions TO the uncon
trollable impulse for more land that hat
got control Of many peoples minds
They are ready to 'swarm'' onto the
newer and cheaper lands. This move
ment of population promises to be ever
larger this season that ever before. The
fever to migrate and to open up new
land has occurred about once in every
decade, but has been most powerful al
periods of about Is and 20 years apart
It is to be greater during 1904, relative
ly speaking, than was the great over
flow of population into the central Mis-
sissippi valley years ago, or to Soutt
Dakota in the sos.