The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-08-24
Illinois VS.. Dakota Farming.
Marengo, Ill, Aug. 8, 1905


odious, but one can not fail TO note the
differences which are 10 be seen in this
longer settled portion OF the country
and the newer Dakota. / do hot desire
to make any adverse criticism either
way, but the conditions rs they exist
here and at home are iu,eye>i,ng when
placed alongside each other,
The problems that confront the farm
ers OF South Dakota today are very
much the same as those which the
farmers of this region me- and solved
a quarter of q century ago. For exam
pie, some of the richest land in the CEN
trail part of Illinois at the time of Its
settlement was low aud fiat and often
covered with water. In a dry season
it would yield pountifl,,iy, but q wet
season meant . failure because the wa
ter would stand on a large portion of
the fields just as it does on much of the
land lying TO The west aud south west
of Scotland. 1t became necessary for
the farmers to do something 10 safe
guard their interests. They banded
themselves together. "a movement ac-
compllshed only sitter a hard struggle
for ii was more difficult 10 organize
then than now and by united effort
| great bitches, sometimes ten aud twelve
feet in depth, were made which served
as mains for carrying off The surplus
water. These bitches We're frequently
miles in length for the country being
flat afforded little natural drainage.
After the mains were dug came the
task of thing which entailed another
outlay of time and money: but when
this drainage system was completed the
water 10 more stood on the fields. and
low-lying land that was considered i'm
possible of cultivation was reclaimed.
None of this land today is worth less
than Sl(0 per acre and most of it a
great deal more,
The farmers OF this region also made
the same mistake that many farmers
of South Dakot;, are now making in
cropping Their ground year after year
without putting any thing back Oh it
in the way of fer,iliziug. They burned
their straw mere iasJ a they do now at
hume. They lmade the.r fields Weld
the SAME cIops Without Any rotation.
The black ioani seemed 10 them capa-
bic % producing indetit :teiy and they
secuted the idea OF lerti izatiou regard
ing /. as a waste OF energy. But con-
linued ciopping year after year robbed
the soil OF its strength. Crops beganio
fail, and IN The end the farmer was
forced to adopt systematic fertilization.
In many cases i! took Years Of herd
work AID 9 large expenditure OF money
TO restore the iana 10 is original pro
dHcIyenesS
Ihfi,y Years agn it was believed that
timothy ;ad clover could not be grown
here, jest az j was with rs un!ii q few
Years agu Sens farmers hai trina it
atld i1f " 7o@ O another had fai3-
cd, ana inE q time lie proposition of
tame bay wa= regarded ny impracti-
cable. But some of the more aggressive
were not satisfied with giving it IN
aud persisted iii their efforts until re-
warded with success.
1t must be admitted that farming in
this older portion of the country is on
81 mOr4, scientific. basis than In p,oc} IF
Dakota. Use is here made of resources
that our farmers do not think Of. A
larger place is given to farmers insti-
tutes aud literature. They are contin-
ualiy experimenting and keep a look
out for the most approved methods Of
agriculture. In consequence they save
many of the wastes Of ordinary farm
lug and are continually adding to the