The Saint Paul globe., 1905-04-09
FARMERS NEGLECT
THEIR MACHINERY
Otherwise, Finds Government
Expert, Brookings County
Is Ali Right
Globe Special Washington Service
1d1Z q "A

14iI u Street
WASHINGTON, April S.-According
to an agent of the bureau of soils OF
the agricultural department, who has
been investigating local conditions, the
farmers of Brookings county, in South
Dakota, are a little more enterprising
and progressive than the agricul-
turists in Lyon county, MINI. The
Lyon county farmers were not treated
in a 1attering way by Henry J. Wilder,
the soil expert who visited that county
last year for the agricultural depart
ment. He said they were generally
unthrifty and improvident and that
they didn't pursue intelligent methods
in the cultivation of their fields. This
comment and others made by Mr..
Wilder were published in T h G b e
several days ago.
The bureau of soils has now given
the results of a similar examination
conducted by Frank Bennett Jr. in
Brookings county, S. d. While paying
compliment to the general thrift
and intelligence of the Brookings
farmers, Mr.. Bennett declares that
full of their farm machinery. 1t is, as
a rule, left during the winter without
shelter, and often in the fields where
last used. They ought to house their
machinery, Mr.. Bennett says.
The expert gives these figures re-
garding the conditions of farms and
real estate in the county. The county
has developed rapidly. In 1893 the as
sessed valuation which is about 40 per
cent of the real value, was $3,625, ,298,
and in 1892 it was S6,78S,793, an in
crease of more than 100000 in the
decade. The average farm is about
200 acres, making, according to this
estimate, about 200 farms in the en-
tire county. Land can be bought for
fn
land has been sold at a much higher
price than this, while in some of the
rougher and more stony sections 1t can
be bought for considerably less.
Do Their Own Work
Mr.. Bennett says the farm buildings
are generally good. Outside of their
own families the farmers employ little
help, except during the harvesting and
threshing seasons. AS general thing
laborers are scarce, and the farmers
have learned not to rely on them, but
to do as much of their own work as
possible. There is a good demand for
harvesting and threshing hands at
from " to $3.50 day with board.
Farm hands get s25 a month and
board, but there are not many hired
men,.
About % per cent of the farmers are
tenants, the most of whom pay grain
rent, giving one-half OF the crop If
the owner furnishes the seed. but only
one-third if the renter furnishes the
seed. Mr.. Bennett found the same
trouble in this county that Mr. Wilder
said he found in Lyon county, Mimi;
The farmers didn't dig deep enough;
that is, there is a tendency merely to
scratch the soil and expect a good
crop to result Deep plowing helps to
conserve the moisture during the dry
season.
The great salvation of many farmers
In the more arid districts, where the
soil is rather poor, is in macaroni or
durum wheat, Mr.. Bennett AYERS 1t
has been estimated that the minimum
rainfall found anywhere in the state is
sufficient to insure a good crop of
macaroni wheat. The farmers ought
TO cultivate this crop more extensively,
says Mr.. Bennett.
Corn does well in Brookings county.
The cultivation of this crop more than
meets the home demand in some To-
calities. Late planting of early ma
turing varieties to avoid spring frosts
is especially successful. Mr. Bennett
gives these average yields of the sew
eral principal crops in Brookings
county: Corn, from 80 to 80 bushels
per acre; wheat, from 16 to 90 bush
els; oats, from 45 to 80 bushels; bar
ley, from 40 to 45 bushels, and potatoes
from 100 to 120 bushels.
Walter E. Clark.