The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-12-29
why SOUTH DAKOTA
FARMER IS REJOICING
Difficulty Encountered by Early
Pioneer Has Been Long
Overcome.
ARE ALL PROSPEROUS
the Artesian Well Has Been the Mean.
of Keeping Many a Farmer. on
His Claim or Farm and Help
ing the Cattle Business.

ing the Cattle Business.
Aberdeen, S. D., Dec. 26.-The past
twenty years has see northern South
Dakota grow from a trackless prairie
into one OF the finest farming sections
of the union. The South Dakota pfo-'
had a vast number of things to
contend with. He had a vas deal to
learn about South Dakota soil and eli
mate n a great deal to unlearn con-.
had been taught in the section from
whence he
Hard Lot Of Farmer.
While the South Dakotan was learn
ing those lessons he suffered. I'M
bued as he was at first with the firm
idea that the only way to riches as an
agriculturist was through raising
wheat, it took several crop failures to
teach him that wheat raising should
not be the sole dependence Of the South
Dakota farmer. AT first he secuted the
idea of rising corn In South Dakota. In
the first place he did not believe that
corn could be successfully grown in the
state: in the second place, he consid-
cred whea raising SO much easier a
method of earning a livelihood that he
did not care to devote the time and
IiIIu WOIh IlGCcSStIy " raise d crop u
corn. h farmers who did attempt
to raise corn persisted in buying seed
from localities much farther south and
as a consequence the crop did not ma
ture in time to escape the early frosts.
Time n experience, however, have
remedied these matters.
Seed Better AceIimated.
The more progressive farmers discop-
cred thai by planting northern grown.
seed of quickly maturing varieties it
was possible to produce corn that
would mature and be in shape to gath
er before frost. With this discovery,
which. strangely enough, was made
first in the central and northern parts
Of the state. instead of in the southern
section, the area devoted to corn pro-
1uction has constantly bloadened until
this a the northern counties of the
state were dotted with corn fields, and
the farmer who places his dependency
upon wheat alone no longer exists.
u" Do Not Ship. Corn.
While northern and central South
Dakota is now a corn producing sec
ton, it is not a corn shipping country.
Practically every ear Of corn grown in
South Dakota is fed on the farms II
shipped to the big city markets in the
Shape of hogs and cattls.
In this way h farmer realizes every
cent possible out of his corn crop.
For instance J. and S. Geyer. pro-
greSsive farmers living near Frederick,
his year raised Il 55-acre field of corn
which they fed to eighty head of steers.
The steers were weighed in at the time
feeding began n weighed out again
when sold and the Geyers ound that
they had received $3.50 per acre for
their corn, besides the profit they will
derive O II bunch of hogs which fol-
lowed the steers.
When the fact is considered that the
land upon which the orn was raised
is valued at but little more than $40
an acre, the profit in corn raising in
northern South Dakota is easily seen,
when ordinary care and intelligence is
displayed.
A farmer near Highmore, under sim
liar circumstances, realized $11.25 per
acre from his corn crop, n many sim
liar instances are noted.
Creamery Helps Farmers.
Another thing that has tended to
make the farmer in this section Of the
state prosperous is the existence of the
creamery. In practically every town in
the northern half of the state a cream
cry. fourishes.
Every farmer has at least a few
cows, and cream is quite generally sold
to the creamery at, prices which make
the industry exceedingly. profitable to
the farmer.
Checks are issued monthly for the
cream purchased, an devery farmer is
assured of. a steady monthly income,
regardless of crop conditions.
THE creamery industry has proven
the salvation OF the farmer in more
than one instance.
Ten years ago, for instance, the par
ti;,l failure of the wheat crop which
occurred a year would have proven
- onl Z - o~< 1,~o
because the South Dakota farmer no
longer carries all his eggs in one basket,
the wheat failure, while discouraging,
did not materially affect the general
prosperity of farmers in this section.
Advantage Of Artesian Wells.
l,h artesian system, too, has added
millions to the wealth of the northern
part of the state.
Edmunds county alone has over zoe
artesian wells and other counties are
nearly as we'll equipped.
a very large degree, the climate of the
country. From the surplus water
small lakes and brooks have been
formed, which, in many places, have
become the resort of wild owl and pro-
vide ideal hunting grounds.
But they have performed a more i'm
portant part In the development of the
JIdtC, 1Olv liz AG aoNSAI / Nv u
tesian well the rainfall a become
much more plentiful and a total crop
failure is unknown.
With diversified crops artcsian wells
and the creamery, the farmer of north
ern South Dakota has become indie
pendent. He lives in a neat, well
painted, comfortably arranged farm
house; and his wife enjoys the convent
ence, with her sisters in the cities, OF
having running water in the house
thanks. again, to the artesian well; he
has large barns, blooded horses and
cattle, and in all particulars is as well
fixed" as The farmers in older states
where land is higher priced. That land
is rapidly increasing in value is shown
by the fact that in Mcpherson county
d half section which sold two years ago
for $500 was sold again last week for
$1,000.
BOYS SELL MINK HIDES.
L%esterville, S. D., Dec. G.-Some of the
shrewd young boys residing in this yicin-
ity are making good money by trapping
on Beaver creek, near here, During the