The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-10-25

Northwest
As Seen by D. S. Diesem on a
Recent Trip.
DsGraff, October 90. 1904.

DsGraff, October 90. 1904.
Editor of Ind. .x-Republican: Z
IL you will allow me little space in
your paper 1 win give you q brief
statement Of my first and short trip
made to the Great Northwest with a
small party chsperoned by Mr.. Elliott,
one Of the beet known and successful
land msn of the northwest. 1 wish to
say that 1 experienced quite a surprise
and was most happily disappointed in
my views Of the northwest. From st.
Paul and Minneapolis to Fargo, the
gateway city Of North Dakota, we
passed through several hundred miles
of timber country, mostly pine, tsma-
rack, cedar, maple and beech. The
last thirty to forty miles of Minnesota
We began to get into prairie country.
At Fargo we found trim city Of 12,
900 inhabitants. pushing typical
western city, located ON the famous
Red River of the north whose waters
flow into Hudson Bay. Fargo Is head
quarters tor agricultural implements
and has many two and three story
blocks. No less than nine threshing
machine companies have transfer
houses and other agricultural imple-
ments are in same proportion. Here
we found ourselves in the Red River
valley which is from forty to sixty
miles wide. and grain shocks and hay
stacks were seen as far as the eve
could view from each side of the
trsck-fields from eighty acres to
thousands, all in one body. The aver.
age Buckeye" farmer who had neve,
seen these vast fields of grain would
surely wonder where all this grair
would be consumed. A few streams
had fringes Of timber. The prsiries,
however. were dotted with groves
which always indicated q farm resi-
dence. La Moure county has four o.
five railroads traversing it. Lant
is rolling prairie. black loan soil from
ten to fifteen inches deep, general,
clay sub-soil. On high bluffs or grav
ely knolls soil is lighter and used fo
pss'u.ags. All through the state th'
early season promised a fine crop bu
near harvest time the black rust. tn
first in twenty years. made its appear
snce; but strange to say it principal.
affected only the fife or hsrd wheat
reducing yield from Is to % bushel
promised to eight and ten bushels pc
acre. poor quality. but selling from 2
to 96c. Macarvni wheat is fine quail
lty yielding from Is to 25 bushels pc
acre; Barley from 20 to 40 bushels
oats from 80 TO 65 bushels. fine quail
! ty. The variations of these yields 10 &C
counted for by good and bad work i
the farming. not the soil. The waite
in La Moure is generally very goo
found in from 10 to 40 feet. Artssia
wells are becoming plentiful. man
farmers putting them down at fror
s4OO to $500. pressure 80 to 100 pound
: and over. They pipe water over the
. houses and barns 1 have sever'
D brothers who have resided there for
Z to "a ysars. One Of them has the hoI
or Of building the first house in Il
! county. They tell me there are scor'
G of farmers there who came there q
1s years of age without dollar abo,
their fling fees who now own frol
100 to $40 acres of land aud good bull,
e ings worth from Is. 900 to $50. 900 a
s cording to luck, management an
n thrift. ANY man who can taKe fro
Q $500 to $4,000 to North Dakota ar
viii use the same industry and eco
lomy he does in Ohio can accumuls
II as much in five years as he can in Il
=. in Ohio. The potato crop this year
Ia excellent. A failure is unknow
+. Small fruits, .raspberries. gooseperri
"a and currants do fine. Plums al
ia apples are grown easily. Those w
IA have practiced diversified farming u
the most successful. The people a
r energetic and progressive, very socii
Educational opportunities are fin
70 Public schools are unsurpassed in a
a. state. d. s. DIESEM.