The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-03-22
South Dakota Letter.
Geddes, S. Oak, March 10, 1906.

UllHeS pflHCeu leUUefS lFOHl people WIZ
used to live in Decatur countW Iowa,
but who now roost in some other state,
and suppose you are still 'Tenting on
the old camp ground"-So without
further imposing ceremony will VEN
ture to write few lines about South
Dakota as have seen it in four months
time.
hope Kate Strong and Noah Warn
staff and others will keep us Through
the columns of The REpoRTER) posted
about their respective states.
T,night at $3.50 is our first mail since
last Thursday. The route man went
three miles Friday, did not start Satur-
day, and travelled twenty-one miles
today between S:l3 a. m. and $50 p. m.
He is. stopping with us tonight and has
ten miles of the route for tomorrow.
He thinks he can make the trip Wednes-
day in one day. We have had the mild
est winter ever saw till our storm of
March md. March 1st was windy,
cloudy, frosty and chilly rained little
Thursday night and Friday morning we
had the worst wind and snow storm
that ! ever saw, and it continued all
day and | don't know how mucn of the
night. Saturday morning was colder
and still windy and the wind kept the
snow going till the forenoon was almost
as bad as the day before. Sunday and
today We're nice days but It's cloudy
and stormy locking tonight.
! Up to March 2nd our up-to-date
liveryman at Lake Andes has been haul
ing land seekers and the travelling
public over the country in his auto
mobile while the people in Decatur
county have been scooping out drifted
lanes and sleighriding and last but not
least, wallowing through the mud. We
were banking on an early spring here.
| had worked few days discing sod
and believe / can disc sod again in a
few days for the snow blew Off of last
summers breaking and fall blowing and
the breaking is as "dry as an Indian
reservation town." (other towns having
licensed saloons). For the last two
weeks prior to March End the cattle
have scarcely eaten any hay during the
day, they have been grazing on the dry
grass in the pasture. My cattle did net
do we'll for while after | came here
/ hut hot e,to
My horses are in good condition al
though had 3 sick last fall after was
here awhile, but / wish | could have
brought more stock in the two emigrant
cars. Horses are selling for good
prices here. Hay is now worth 81 per
ton, has been 81 all last fall and winter.
At some sales they fail to get a bid on
good hay. Last fall l attended two
sales and it seemed as if everybody had
buried all their ambition to own cattle
in the snow banks of 1904 and and
now it seems that they will get a
chance to bury their hay in their back
yard. Last fall when cattle were beg
ing for price the Russian, the Norwe-
gian, the German, the Bohemian (com-
monty called Bohunk here,) the Hol-
lander, the Dain and the Yankee, and
what not, would all say they had all
they could winter There are plenty
of Indians and few niggers here.) Yet
they would burn their straw stacks in
stead of making cheap warm sheds out
of them and handling more cattle. But
this spring they are paying good prices
for cattle, considering quality, and are
: red eyed to get them. While there are
some good cattle here yet some might
represent the old Missouri hog in the
way Of reaching through the fence and
eating up the third row of corn like We
used to hear about the hog reaching
through the fence and root out the thirc
row of potatoes. Some cattle colors
are as varied as mountain sceneries
Lots of steers are fed in the vicinities
of Lake Andes and Geddes. The cattle
surely have made good gains during the
open winter. Many people have lost
hogs with cholera and this will cut the
feeding profits short. South Dakota
has some good hogs and some look like
they would fall into wide tired Wagon
gutter, Gf we HAD cutters in the roads.
Figuratiyely speaking they are about
as wide as the back of fish and re
semble the type they used to keep dow1
in Missouri which could easily out rur
niger. The Missourian now raising
better hogs as the darkey prefers the
meat direct from the smoke house (whel
he can't get chicken.) But for all the
quality and cholera disease poor MAJ
can't buy stock hog this spring. Will
the respective price of hogs and Low
: price of corn the men are like running
$ for the coffee cups at free hot lunch
}, Free hot lunch at every sale here. B.
: the way while am mentioning sales
will say to my Iowa friends when yo'