The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1904-03-25
THE EVOLUTION OF NORTH DAKOTA
Steady Progress Toward Continued Prospcrity-Ho
to Succeed by Adopting Diversified Farming.

an outlay of money. Under the old
plan OF opening up wheat farm the
settler had to be on the land in the
spring. He would break his land and
back-set it-that is, plow it the sec.
ond time, but could raise no crop un
til the next year, and would not get
returns from that until in the fall;
therefore it would be year and a
half from the time that he established
himself in Dakota before he could get
any returns from his land. So, to
break up l60 acres, plow it year and
half, get the machinery to seed and
harvest lG0 acres, required some cap
ital.
Easy to Get Start.
Many settlers with small means
made the mistake of undertaking too
much and got in debt, so that # the
crop proved not to be very profitable
one they became involved. But now
that they are raising flax, they can
break the land the first spring, SOW
flax the same season and get pretty
fair crop. the income of which enables
the settler to go for seeding the next
season to other grain. This practice
OF seeding flax on newly broken land
has been quite an attractive feature to
the new settlers in the Northwest for
the last few years.
. Settlers in North Dakota should &c
into stock as early as possible. They
should go into mixed farming and not
depend entirely upon grain. and there.
fore not break up all of the farm,
even if they can do so, but retain a
part OF it for pasturagc and stock pur.
poses. | feel confident that on a plan
similar to this, a good, thrifty, enter
prising, economical young farmer can
under ordinary circumstances succeed
in short time in establishing com.
Portable home in North Dakota.
Inc atmosphere is dry and devoid OF
any humidity during the winter
months, and therefore it never pene
trates and chills as does the damp at.
mosphere of the Atlantic states. 1t is
fact borne out by the assertions of
all the readers of the state. hailing
as they do. from all sections of the
United States, that the winters of
North Dakota are no more severe and
cause less suffering and Inconvenience
than the winters of New England or
Western states
The Autumn Linaers.
The autumn is a delightful season.
and is generally prolonged far int.
December; set cold weather rarely
comes until after the holidays.
The winter breaks in March. usr-
ally. and is followed Immediately bv
the warm, sunny days of summer.
Seeding and farm operations general
ly begin in the latter part of March. or
early i'll April. and are seldom inter
rupted by the return of frost or snow
There is no agricultural district in
which Il farmer of small means has
been able to start more advantageous
~ than in North Dakota. 1t is possible
that the opportunities for establishing
homo in North Dakota ON small
means are not as favorable at the
present time as they were earlier in
It's history, owing to the advance i'm
the price of land. But it. must be re-.
membered that all other conditions
are III favor OF opening up and estab-
llshlng homes more cheaply than could
De done decade ago, owing to the
great reduction in the interest rates
IN the price of farm machinery. and
nearly everything that the farmer has
to purchase.