The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-05-26


several feet, holding the accumulated
moisture back and with the thawing
out in the spring, giving out the mois-
ture in conjunction with natural fer
tilizers from below lat the period when
most needed. For rain, as usual
thing, does not commence, save for some
passing showers, until about June. This
season has been rare season. and
there has been water and to spare
There is not better soil on earth for
general farming. It's richness is shown
in the quality of its grasses and grain.
Wheat, flax, oats, barley, corn, mill
let, speltz and all kinds of vegetables
yield fruitfully, and not only is the
crop of large proportions. but no bet
ter quality is to be found in the North
west. Flax has always been found a.
good thing for new Corners. There are
hundreds and hundreds of instances
where homeseekers have arrived in the
territory too late to clear the soil and
put in a crop with any good prospects
of securing a crop that season from
any of the smaller grain. However. it
has been possible for him to turn in the
prairie sod, put in fax, and in about
four months clear up from SIS to $50
per acre. North Dakota raises more
than one-third of the: flax in the United
States, and Bottineau county sizes 11p
fairly well with the older and more
cultivated counties, both as to the
amount of it's acTeage and the quality
produced. The Yield of wheat ranges
from II to SO and even 40 bushels.
However, the average yield and one
generally regarded as. satisfactory, is
from IA to 20 and % bushels per acre.
Oats are very satisfactory crop with
wide range of yield, figures being
from 40 to 100 bushels per acre. The
average rainfall for the county, distrib-
uted largely through the growing sea-
son and principally in May, June and
the early part of July, amounts to about
70 inches. From November until April
there is seldom or never any rain, and
generally but a light fall of snow in
the winter. Nevertheless when the
SHOWS melt in the western mountains
and the Missouri floods come down in
June, bringing with them an atmos-
phere laden with moisture. then there
is the largest precipitation, and then
with the crops in the ground and grow.
ing is when the rain is most needed.
These winds prevail during June and
the early part of duly, and are the
source Of considerable deposit of mois-
ture in this region, a source that never
fails. Now that the country has be-
come very largely broken up, each cul-
tivated field has become a depository
for water, which before the surface was
broken laFooly 0ff
carried off to the sea by river drainage.
This cause now produces local show
ers, and will soon do away with the
Idea that this country is an especially
dry one.
diversity of crop has been found
advisable in this territory, and the best
results have been obtained where al
formation was resorted to. Then, too.
many Of the older farmers have found
stock raising and dairying both easy
and profitable, the natural grasses Of
the country being of the blue joint
variety and very luxurious. The in
crease in the county's wealth and per
capita income through this branch Of
industry has been considerable. Old
settlers declare that they have never
seen climate where all things consid-
cred. the winter was as agreeable as
in North Dakota, more particularly
so in this district. 1t is a land of
bright sunshine in winter. There are,
of course, storms at times, and once
in a while storms of greater severity
than in other parts of the country, but
this is becoming less, frequent with the
occurrence of the passage of each year.
There is very little or no difference be-