Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1905-11-23

his barn on his farm east of Waubay
Wednesday. We did not learn how
the fire originated.
The H. #. Hunter irrigated farm of
$50 acres. two miles southwest of Mil
lette, has been sold to #. @. Wise, OF
Lexington, ILL.,, for 80 per acre.
Geo. Barney, from the land depart.
ment at Pierre, was in Groton last
week consulting States Atty. Camp
bell relative to a few cases of trespass
on the school lands in this county,
The state land department has sold
to the Milwaukee road an equity in a
lot in Rapid City for right of-way pur.
poses The lot is a part of the property
turned over to the state by w w. Tay-
lor.
j. NJ. MoDermott, who is known
throughout the Black Hills, was found
dead not far from this city in White
wood creek. 1t is supposed that he fell
down an embankment into the creek
and was drowned.
The state board of regents have
authorized Regent Slocom to receive
bids for eight new pianos, two for the
Northern Normal and Industrial School
Of Aberdeen and six for the South
Dakota Agricultural College at Brook
ings.
While assisting her brother to hitch
up a team of colts Saturday, Miss
Grace Cummings, daughter of a we'll
known farmer residing in Hanson
county, was knocked down and run
over by a heavy wagon. She may not
recover.
Herman Dorman, a miner county
farmer, tells us that his wheat crop
made an average of 20 bushels per acre,
that he has just finished husking his
corn and that it went 40 bushels per
acre. There are many such good
reports this year.
That new $4,000 opera house at Mil
bank is giving the county seat Of Grant
a grade of advertising that is worth
while. The house is about the finest to
be found in any town the size of Mil
bank IN the northwest, aud we congrat-
ulate Milbank on the enterprise Of Mr..
BENTLEY in putting mp such a grand
structure.
Congressman Burke will this winter
make a strong effort : have the govern.
ment establish an irrigation plant on
the Indian school farm at Pierre as an
experiment. The gardening and farm
ing is carried on close to the river and
the idea is to use water frem artesian
wells. If success comes from the
experiment extensive tracts of
land may be irrigated along the Mis-
souri, on both sides by private enterprise.
The reports from the artesian basin
along the western line of the state show
that the artesian flow is as certain to be
found there as In the eastern par: Of the
4 bbdlC. WIN VIC WClAS NbiCh ldNC
already been sunk in Stanley and
Lyman counties, and those in Butte
county proving successful, there is no
reason to longer doubt the finding of
artesian water at practically any point
in South Dakota regardless of geo.
graphical location.
The state auditor filed his annual
report with Governor Elrod. The
printed report will be ready for dis
tribution at an early date, aud will for
the first time contain an official report
of financial condition of the counties Of
the state under the law of the last ses-
sion. Such reports have been used in
past years but were supplied by county
officers, if at all, Is a matter of courtesy
TO the state auditor. The law of the
last session makes such reports obliga-
tory.
The state capitol land sale in
Mcpherson county brought 1916 more
uidn tic dppruibcu piiCo-uhu tHc psaOc
land board alwas puts on the highest
price it thinks the land will bear before
the bidding commences. And the lands
were bought by residents Of MCPHERSON
county. These facts prove two things:
That the people Of South Dakota are
alive to the val q Of their heritage, and
that our Legislature did a wise thing in
deciding to build a capitol from the
proceeds of land set aside for the pur-
pose, instead Of by direct taxation.
Three men from Illinois who came to
South Dakota with the intention of
making homestead entries were aston
ished when they learned that across the
river from Pierre the land was not
within stones throw" of prosperous
cities with schools, colleges, churches,
etc, and that palace cars would not pass
the door OF their shack two or three
times daily. Four women, two from
Iowa and two from Wisconsin, after
learning what must be don. to secure