The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-06-22
WHY SOUTH DAKOTA
GROWS IN WEALTH
BECAUSE CROP FAILURES ARE
THINGS UNKNOWN.
Extension Of the Railway Systems Is
Opening Up Vast New Fields and
Bringing In a Host Of Land Seekers
by HERBERT vANpERHooF.

BY HERBERT VANDERHooF.
When you realize that less than twenty
years ago it was very difficult matter
for the farmers Of South Dakota to raise
crops on land which at that time went
begging at from SO to IS an acre, and
which today could not be purchased for
$40 an acre. the question arises in your
mind: What is the cause Of this i'm
mense increase in valuation?" If you
pause to go over the ground with me, I
will show to your satisfaction the cause
of this increase, not only in the valua-
ton Of land. butsin the increase in the
valuation of crops, cattle, and other
| items of commercial value.
In the first place, the soil Of South Da-
kota for the most part is deep black
loan with porous clay subsoil, which
ofhciates, so to speak, as a reservoir for
moisture, and this in turn is given up In
heavy dews. With one or two exceptions,
there Is no sandy soil in South Dakota to
speak Of Please remember the soil of
South Dakota. Now, with the sparsely
settled districts Of the state in the past
there was an absence Of abundant rain
fall, which, according to science, is due to
lack of density Of population. and with
the advent of civilization progress had to
be. made The farmer Of twenty years
| ago did not have the modern materials
to work with that he has today; he was
miles from his neighbor, and could not
compare ideas; there was no mode @of
transportation for him save his horse,
and, in a word, he was practically iso-
lated from mankind $50 80 @@s
= With the opening Of South Dakota
lands to the homesteader, all of these con-
/ ditions were changed. Men got together
and compared their ideas; profted by
| the successes of one and the losses Of an
other, the result being a revolution in the
farming industry Water was the great
need for the farmer Of the days gone by,
out he did not appear to know how to
it could be piped from; no means of Sc
curing the pipe in quantities sufficiently
large to run pipe lines from the rivers to
preston the farmer was ''up against
it, In the water game. 80"
Solving . the Water Problem. ~
no When the the hon homesteader came to South
amount Of water that lay in the bowels
Of the earth, but after some experiments
SSoAe1A1
flowed the water so much needed. and,
more than that, the overflow caused lit
tie lakes. to form on the land surface.
Of water; diminished the intensity of the
burning winds that were wont to blow
across the vast plains of South Dakota,
setting them on fire The increased evap-
grafton caused increased rainfall, and to-
day the record of the weather bureau
shows that the rainfall of South Dakota
rod aiO f1 -fxyn irooh
last year. Therefore, with an abundance of
rain, like quantity of water in the
earth to supply the surface with, and the
conditions for farming were superb, and
consequently the growing Of crops was
weather conditions or climate. was. on on
upon South Dakota lands until almost
Christmas time before snow covers the
ground: There is a long, beautiful and
delightful Indian summer to please the
farmer, and during that time he can have
an abundance of time in which to harvest
no winter storms of any severity, so thai
cattle can winter we'll and also Craze.
Climatic TIC and IVA, water conditions being
) the farmer meets with in this paradise
lands Of South Dakota 4SOOO,00O bushels
of wheat, valued at $47, 900, 900; 47,ooo,oo(
So, 900, 900 bushels Of oats. worth $4,000,
responding value. Comparatively speak.
ing, the entire output Of the state Of
South Dakota. including mining, grains
1 ed s168, 100000; that Of 1904 represented
4 $14S, 100000 an increase Of $20000,000 II
A one year. For the sake Of showing t,
B you exactly what this enormous amour
/ of business in farming alone means, con
4 slider the population of South Dakota
To-day there are about 400, 1876 people Il
the state, so that this output in casl
\ from the crops means an average Of $36
fper inhabitant. 6