The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-19
NORTH DAKOIA'S
MARCH TO FORTUNE
DAY OF MORTGAGES PAST
BANKS GRoAN WITH MONEY. /
Amazing Facts Regarding the Agricul-
tural Richness of the State and the
Millions Upon Millions It's Farmers
Are Gathering In Yearly. ~
BY HERBERT vANDERHooF.

One Of the greatest displays Of the agri-
cultural resources Of a state that was
made at the St. Louis worlds fair was
that of tho state Of North Dakota Its
exhibit in the palace of agriculture was a |
revelation to the millions Of people who !
viewed it, and the literature that was
handed out there and at the state build |
ing aroused general interest in the state, |
and a desire for more information con- !
corning it. Undoubtedly this exhibit and
the publicity thus gained have had much
to do with the surprising influx Of i'm
migrants that the state Is now enjoying.
AS the newcomers have settled they have
in turn written to their friends Of their
success, and this in turn has brought in
many additional thousands. |
But there is room for many millions
more in North Dakota. The state Is one
of those western giants whose dimensions
appear almost incredible to dwellers In
states east of the Mississippi. It is only
by comparison that some adequate idea
Of its immensely can be formed To say
that North Dakota contains 70,195 square
miles. or 44,91o, $50 acres. does not mean
much to the average reader. But tell the
reader that 1t is larger than all New Eng
land, or that it would make nine states
the size of Massa chusetts, that 1t would
make two states the size Of Indiana, or
that the state Of Illinois could be set
down in it, and then there would be
$4,000 square miles left, and he or she be-
gins to realize what this vast inland en-
pire amounts to. -. -
And the greater part Of this vast area
has never been scratched by the plow.
There millions upon millions of acres
Of fine land In this great state that can
be had for the asking, while there are
other millions that can be bought for an
, insignificant price and which are des-
tined to be the source Of fortune to many
thousands in the next few years. This
is not theory, but demonstrated fact.
OF the thousands Of new settlers that are
every year pouring into the state a very
large proportion are paying for their land
out Of the profits Of their first seasons
crop, while many Of them have hand
some surplus in addition. All that Is
required Of man is the ability and the
willingness to labor. Nature. in its
bounteousness does all the rest.
How Wealth Is PIIIng Up.
One must consider the immensely Of
the crops Of North Dakota to realize the
are piling up wealth. The total population
of the state in 1905 was 437,O70, but it
must be remembered that large percent
age Of this number live In towns and
cities, and therefore cannot be Classed
with the agriculturists. And yet the value
Of the crops produced on the farms Of
North Dakota, with the value Of the live
stock sold and that still remaining on the
farms, amounted in 1904 to the tremen-
dous total Of s12S,S96,O11, or an average
for each man. woman and child in the
state Of s314.32.
The greatest crop of North Dakota,
both in quantity and monetary value is
wheat. This has been the case ever since
the settlement OF the state, and probably
n will be SO for many years to come North
Dakota wheat is sought in every market
Of the world because Of it's superior quail
ity, and the production has never yet
been equal to the demand Because of
moderate amount of labor required for it's
production, and the immediate cash mar
ket that awaits it, it is the logical crop
ers: In 1904 which is the last year for
which, have the official figures, 50 1872. 1913
bus els Of so %hea at s3 n nth the
; that many a. new settler in the state paid
; for the land he occupied with his first
, years crop.
; But wheat is only one Of the crops that
Of e NorS OF s3a to h
over 100000 bushels of oats, nearly IS.
100000 bushels Of barley. over Is. 600, O0C
bushels Of haxseed. the value Of the lat
ter crop being s12,947, 413; nearly 100000
bushels Of potatoes, and a fraction under
100000 bushels Of corn. Its crop Of
hay was valued at over 100000, and its
, shipments of livestock amounted tc
= IS, 554,7a2 In addition It sold dairy prod.
ucts valued at $4,100,000.
E Acreage Under Cultivation.
T This tremendous amount of wealth was
' the product of 9,864495 acres, or approx
1nately one-fifth Of the states domain. I.
it any wonder that the North Dakots
farmer is satisfied with his lot? There
| was time when the state was a golt
mine for the Eastern money lenders, ant