Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1906-03-29
new Y SETTLERS.

II t,.,tlsr W. ~ VI ] 6hutSu .ya
Farmers from Middle West Movlno to
North Dakota where Land is Cheap
and Profits Large. .&@5s x.
Herbert Vanderhoof, in a recent
! issue OF the Minneapolis Journal says: !:
,"One of the best indica ions OF the
4 tremendous influx of new settlers to
! North Dakota is seen in the movment
OF farmers from the states of the
middle west. Illinois, In1iana, Iowa,
. Wisconsin and Nebraska particularly
are sending throng OF sturdy and
experienced farmers to the northwest
men who had apparently taken fixed
root, in their respective localities.
But the attraction of the cheap and
fertile lands Of North Dakota has
proved irresistible. Many of these
men are taking up homestead lands
and then buying few sections addi-
tional to round out their possessions.
Others are buying the cheap school
lands of the state, or buying direct
from some of the large land interests.
''It does not require any argument:
to prove that an Illinois farmer is
not going to abandon the land on
which he has lived for years unless
he is going to vastly better himself.
And yet in one day this month thir-
ty-one cars containing Illinois fami-
lies and their household goods pulled
out from Logan county alone for
North Dakota. One of the farmers
in this crowd had nine children. He
had investigated North Iakota and
found that he could buy better land
there than he was tiling in Illinois
for anywhere from $40 an acre up.
AS the land that he owned in Illinois
was worth from SlO0 to 1925 an acre,
he found that lie could sell out and
buy from seven to eight times as
much land in North Dakota. a
"This is a simple business PROPOSE
tion. 1t Is something, however, to
the farmer with large family. It
enables him to assure the futufe well
fare of each member Of his sani lily. It
also enables h.. % to largely incIease
his income during the years his chill
dren are growing tnan hood and
womanhood, to gratify himself and
them with many Injuries and neces-
stiles that have heretofore been out
of his reach, and, above all, to give
them the best Of educatlons. These
are considerations that are every day
taking from the middle west some
of its best citizens and. that are peop-
ling the great stretches of North
Dakota prairie and causing towns to
spring up all over the vast expanse
of that state. And yet so tremen-
dous in extent is the state and so
sparse is the population IN compari-
son to its acreage it will be many
years before it. will have density
of popula tion any where equal to the
middle western states. @ts5 .s.y !!
ssNorth Dakota today ranks first
among all the states in the produc-
tion of wheat, and its production
each year, is showing steady gain.
According to the reports Of the
!. United States department Of agricul-
ture, the wheat crop OF the state in
1905 amounted to 1898, ,044 bushels
and was valued at $52,l79, 900. The
fax production Of the state was near
" l6, QUO, 600 bushels, worth $l3,2A,-
275, and amounted to 80 per cont OF
the entire production Of the United
States. The wheat. fax, barley, oats
and corn raised 10 the state in 1905
were valued at ss2, ,803, 1896. Estimat-
ing the population Of the state at
500, 900. a verysliberal estimate. this
vast sum would give an average for
every man woman and child in the
state about s165." The value Of the
stock dairy products and other crops
would increase the per apita value
to C0nSlderaOly over POW w. Z
The great railway deyelo lopm!elnlt !ell
that has been going on In the state
for the past few years has brought
many additional millions Of acres Of Of
land within seasv reach df the ra I'LL
ways, and conseq equently into "a posi-
tion where they can sbe cult "a u :, ted !altl
and their crops marke ted Ga mini Il;
mum slnlir of expense !. tle 81 ehs
Of roads, that ira verse Jhes state are t
pushing their feeder lines in All di-sII q 81
rections and when their cco'lmpre' hem sl
siYe plans ha We beer q, ofnple ted there 4
viii beS rev sect ions Of the state that /
are not Within a few niles of II !
sway. ~ otstllat tile absence of rail. /. Il
Ways has been obs tacle to the ii
farme is so rich g and nd the
Yields 81 wheat been 50 a abunrI lE'
l,n "a " Il 4, Cf t1a va fOOnClBJ