The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1906-05-03

4uA0 - uCotlhCu W VIC LAG
year for new settlers that we have ever
known in the history of the state"
said a farmer who owns q big place
near Faulkton, 8. D. "The rush is al
ready on, but it is as yet only a small
stream. Pretty soon 1t will be q tor
rent. I tell you the people are becom-
ing educated to the fact that this Is the
state where fortune awaits them. and
they are coming after It."
I could we'll believe his assertion, as
day after day I saw trains draw in and
scores Of robust men getting off, all
eager for land. Faulk county Is in the
northern part of the state, a trifle west
of the center line, and. while it is not
as thickly settled as the eastern coun-
ties, it is filing up pretty rapidly.
There are two reasons that especially
attract the new settlers to Faulk and
the counties CONTIGUOUS to 1t. One Is
that the country has been proved"
there. Another is that land values
have not reached figures that deter the
investor. On the contrary, to the man
who knows anything about land at all,
the prices quoted seem r~idiculously
cheap. And they are. But this condi-
ton cannot last long. Land that will
produce the crops they grow up here
year after year is certain to double in
value within five years at the farthest.
This country Of which I am writing
Is a we'll watered one, with plenty Of
small streams and creeks which fur
nish an abundance of living water. It
is called a rolling prairie, but it is sim
ply rolling enough to provide natural
drainage. The soil is a heavy black
loan, with a clay subsoil-a soil that
retains moistu-e, that absorbs it, and
then gives 1t forth to plant life when
1t Is most needed. They can grow
wheat II they wish, and bonanza crops
at that. Most evSGy farmer with any
quantity of land does grow some wheat,
but they have learned that a variety Of
crops, in the long run, Is much better
for them. So they go in for corn, and
there is no state In the Union that will
grow more to the acre, and few as
much. They grow oats, millet, barley,
potatoes( and every kind Of vegetable.
They go In for hog and cattle raising
and dairying. The grasses Of this coun-
try are the finest in the land for cattle.
Here Is where the buffalo used to roam,
and they did so because this is where
they could find the best kind Of food.
These rich and %succulent native
grasses are going to make South Dako-
ia one of the great cattle states Of the
Union before long.
Outward Indexes Of Prosperity.
An infalible index to the prosperity
Of any farming community is found in
the appearance Of its farmhouses and
barns, and the live stock in the fields.
The prosperous farmer has a good
house, barns that are well kept, and in
up to date and buys the best agricul-
tural machinery on the market. From
appearances, therefore, the farmer up
here has nothing to crave for, because
his houses, barns, stock, and machine
ry are good enough for any man living.
And, besides, they all have money.
Their schoolhouses are modern, their
churches are handsome and we'll sup
ported, and there are no paupers.
I talked with a dozen or more farm
ers as ! was riding through the coun-
try, and was struck especially with the
general air of contentment or every
side. Some Of these men had lived
here for some years--a dozen or more
while others had been here only a
few years. Yet they were all free OF
debt, had every material comfort that
a man or his family desires, and were
all making money
"A man can't help but make money
here" said one elderly farmer when l
had made this observation to him.
"Leastwise," he continued, refectively,
eff he is willing to work and possesses
horse sense. I've been here eighteen
years and have never seen the year l
didn't make money. bought my land
cheap at that time. Of course, less than
S. an acre, and I had to go in debt for
It. But, shucks, the crop l raised in
my first year not only paid the entire
price of my land, but left me way to
the good.
"Since then I have kept on making
money every year and have been buy
ing land pretty steadily. I don't know
any better investment for my money.
Of course, you can't buy any land now
for IS; not much. You've got to pay
anywhere from SIS to $25 ar acre for
land, but even then he's a poor farmer
who can't get half the price Of his land
back in one year in profits. Land val
ues are on the steady rise. I've been
offered $25 an acre for my land, but l
wouldn't consider $50. I couldn't in
vest $50 to bring me in anything like
the interest my land is earning me on
that valuation. l take life easy now
and don't worry. When I want to take
q trip anywhere, l go. When I see a
mighty fine horse, I buy 1t. And every
farmer up here can do the same. l
reckon"