The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1906-07-06
WHYSOUTH DAKOTAC CROWS IN WEALTH
Because Crop Failures Are Things Unknown-Exension Of the
Railway Systems Is Opening Up Vast New Fields

When you realize. that less than
twenty years ago it was a very diff
cult matter for the farmers Of South
Dakota to raise crops on land which
at that time went begging at from
SO to SIS an acre, and which to-day
could not be purchased for $40 an
acre, the question arises in your
| mind: What is the cause of this
immense increase in valuation?" If
you pause to go over the ground with
me, | will show to your satisfaction
| the cause of the increase, not only
| in the valuation of land, but in the
increase in the valuation of crops,
cattle and other items of commercial
value.
In the first place, the soil of South
Dakota for the most part is a deep
black loan with porous clay sub
| soil, which officiates, SO to speak, as
| 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 set
| tied districts Of the state in the past
there was an absence OF abundant
| rainfall, which, according to science,
| is due to lack Of density of population.
| and, with the advent Of civilization,
progress had to be made. The farm
| er of twenty years ago did not have
| the modern materials to work with
| that he has to-day; he was miles
| from his neighbor. and could not
| compare ideas; there was no mode Of
transportation for him save his horse,
! and, in word, he was practically
| isolated from mankind.
| With tn opening of South Dakota
| land $50 the homesteader all of these
| conditions were changed. Men got to-
gether and compared their ideas;
profited by the successes of one and
the losses Of another, the result being
revolution in the farming industry.
| Water was the great need for the
farmer Of the days gone by, but he
| did not appear to know how to pro-
/
| it could be piped from; no means Of
securing the pipe in quantities suffi-
ciently large to run pipe lines from
| the rivers to the inlands, and so, to
use a slang expression, the farmer
was "up against it" in the water
| game.
Solving the Water Problem.
| When the homesteader came to
South Dakota the water question was
quickly considered Few men realized
| the aIount of water that lay in the
bowels of EARTH but after some expe-
| riments artesian wells were sunk, and
from them flowed the water so much
| needed, and, mohe than that, the over
flow caused h.tle lakes to form on the
land surface These lakes caused
greater evaporation Of water; dimin-
ished the intensity of the burning
winds that were wont to blow across
the vast plains of South Dakota, dry
ing the grasses, and in some places
setting them on fire. The increased
evaporation caused increased rain
fall, and to-day the record of the
weather bureau shows that the rain
fall of South Dakota averaged eight
cen to twenty-five inches last year.
Therefore, with an abundance Of rain,
a like quantity of water in the earth
to supply the surface with, and the
latter, with its excellent loamy soil,
the conditions for farming were SUI
perb, and consequently the growing
of crops was benefited.
With the water supply adequate. the
weather conditions or climate, was on
par with the water Cattle can
Craze upon South Dakota lands until
almost Christmas time before snow
covers the ground. There is a long,
beautiful and delightful Indian sum-
mer to please the farmer, and during
that time he can have an abundance
of time in which to harvest his crop.
AS a general thing, there are no win
ter storms of any severity, SO that
cattle can winter well and also Craze.
Climatic and water conditions being
equal. let us follow the conditions that
the farmer meets with in this para.
disc. Last year there We're grown
upon the lands of South Dakota 49,
100000 bushels of wheat, valued at
$4,000, 900: 47,00O,000 bushels of corn
valued at s23 900, 600; 36,0OO,OOO bush.
els Of oats worth sS,00O,000 and crops
from other grains of corresponding
value. Comparatively soealiro the
atire output Of the state of South
Dakota, including mining, grains and
other products of the SOIL represented
| 168,000o00; that of 1904 represented
$14S,000,000, an increase of $4,000.
600 In one year. For the sake o1
showing to you exactly what this enor
nous amount of business in farmins
alone means. consider the population
of South Dakota. To-day there ART
about 455,1S5 people in the state Sc
that this output in ca.h from crop,
means an average of 1869 per inhah
| itant.
Plenty Of Land Remains.
At this time Of writing there ar
thousands of acres Of untitled Ian,