Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-05-09
WESTERN LANDS.

Much interest has been aroused by
the announcement that the Rosebud
Indian agency In South Dakota would
be thrown open to settlement and It is
estimated that not less than $4,000 per-
sons will draw for the 2,400 farms to
be allotted. This would, in gambling
parlance, give each one OF the $4,000
a 90 TO / shot at 4 100 acre farm,
yariously estimated to be worth from
IS to s24 per acre. II the land Is
worth on the average s12.50 an
acre, the gross worth to the winner is
$1,000. From this he must deduct his
expenses, and the 500 he must pay the
government for the title. This leaves
i him about $1,000, or perhaps little
more The gamble is not at all what
Mr.. Thomas Dennison OF Omaha, for
instance, would call lead pipe cinch.
The Rosebud reservation lies on the
S south line OF the state and is located
4 west OF the Missouri. The lands ~
ing east OF the river are the best farm.
lands In South Dakota and range III
price from $50 to $50 per acre. Yves.
OF the river, however, the land rises
! rapidly. and while excellent for graz
I ing purposes becomes less At for di-
+ versifled agriculture as il stretches
I westward. Doubtless there are many
farms in the Rosebud reservation
worth the highest figure claimed. Just
az certainly there are others worth
little more than the 81 per acre that
the government demands for the en-
tire tract.
Just south of the Rosebud lies Keya
Paha county. Nebraska, from which
correspondent TO this paper writes
that lands still remain to be honc-
steaded under the new Kincaid bill,
which raises the amount OF arid lands
subject to entry from 100 to $40 acres.
This correspondent declares that many
OF these sections are equal to most
Of the quarter sections taken here
tofore, especially for cattle or horse
ranches. He argues thus.
"a young man of ambition taking
up land under the present homestead,
GAO acres, and bringing in carload OF
young cattle, say -year-old heifers,
headed by good male, will in five
years be independent, having with fair
luck raised out of his carload of TWEEN
ty-f1ve heifers In five years, 1875 head.
After allowing one-ffth for losses and
shrinkage, not only he will have 135
head of thrifty cattle. worth at least
$2T00 or $4,000. but will, at the end of
five years, acquire bonafide title to
$40 acres of land from the govern
ment, which will. at the least calcu-
lation, bring So per acre. He will also
have added to his income 1890, which,
with the amount realized In his in
come on stock, $4,000. makes a total
z of $4,720. Deducting the net cost
of original stock $500. he will
have left $4,220 In five years. Yet de-
Quoting from the above the cost of
Improvement on the homestead, say
$500, out of 1920, leaves $3.720 In
FIVE years"
These are the correspondents figures.
Doubtless an Industrious young man.
willing to work and wait, can dp well
on aawestern homestead. AS to a
speculation. the lands referred to are
scarcely to be recommended If II
"youfg fellow is willing to go west
and wrestle with conditions his
chances for independence are good
anywhere. II he has money to invest
In farm land, he had better place 1t
where returns are certainty rather