Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-07-12

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was boy, met a young lady hail
Ing from Vermillion, S. D., and asked
her if 1t was as warm in her city in
June as it was in ours. Chicago.
| Looking at me with disdain, she re-
piled that the weather conditions of
South Dakota were superb when COM
pared with those of Chicago, and this
was the first impression ever re-
ceived of the beautiful climate Of that
region
The climate Of South Dakota is de
lightful. Instead of the bleak, cold
fall days Of the New England states,
the torrid days of the Middle states,
or the disagreeable, wet fall weather
of the Great Lakes district, you will
find South Dakota most delightful
place even up to Christmas, with
prolonged Indian summer, so to
| speak. From March until after
Christmas cattle can Craze upon the
| fields of South Dakota. with as much
immunity and enjoyment as they can
during the summer days, and cattle
can winter there outdoors without
shelter.
| A state with good climate must
necessarily possess good lands for
agriculture, and with good lands
there must also be an abundance of
rain. East Of the Missouri river the
lands of South Dakota present deep
black loan, with porous clay sub
soil, and, from what the biologists
tell us, this sort of land serves as a
reservoir for moisture, and the land
in turn draws upon this water, which
is taken up in heavy dews when most
needed.
No Lack of Water.
Up to the time of the great influx
OF homesteaders to South Dakota
some years ago, the question of wa
ter in some parts of the state was
most important one, but this question
has been admirably solved. The
rainfall throughout the entire state
Is sufficient to mature the crops,
something which cannot be said of
all the Western states. To bear out
this statement refer you to the an
nual report of the United States
weather bureau, which shows that
| the annual rainfall of the state is
from nineteen inches to thirty-five
inches annually, and when it is a
granted fact on the part of authori-
ties on weather and kindred subjects
that with increased cultivation and
population there is an increase in the
amount of rainfall it can be seen that
| Dakota Is well favored
| During the past twenty years it
has been a question as to growing
sure crops in some sections of the
state, but 1t now is practically as
!! sured that in the northern and west
ern parts of the state sure crops can
be cultivated. So well, has the land
been supplied by nature in these dis
tricts that fruit and corn crops can
be grown with success, and lands
which could once be purchased for
from 81 to Sc per acre you can't buy
for $50 and acre today.
remember, in passing through the
Missouri valley district of Dakota
come two months ago, meeting a
young giant Hoosier, who had emf
grated with his father to South Da-
kota in 1885, when he was about
eight Years old. Ten years after
reaching there the boys father died,
and the support of a family of six
deyolved upon the young man There
were $40 acres of land to take care
OF, not in the best of condition. but
the lad, an up-to-date young fellow,
set to work with will, and where
the farm had been scarcely support
ing the family during the life of the
father, the boy, by his skill and la
Dor. had the farm paying a ten per
cent dividend after the second year.
| When the father took hold Of the
claim the land was barren, worth
about 81 per acre, and very badly wa
tered. The boy bored for artesian
wells, built little irrigation canals
through the farm, and to-day the land
on the farm cannot be bought for
S65 an acre, while some of the finest
corn and wheat crops Of the state
have been harvested on it, The land
is fertile, some being set apart for
the grazing of cattle.
What Has Been Done.
| This is but sample Of what South
Dakota lands have done for man, and
what they will do for those who are
DESTROYS of seeking well paying In
vestment
Aside from the land, climatic and
atmospheric conditions of South Da-
kota. ! want to draw your attention
to the raising of cattle in South Da-
kota. In the first place the railroad
facilities Of South Dakota are excel
lent. The great railroads tap the
state in every direction, and the ship
| ping facilities are therefore as good
as those in the Eastern states, if not
a great deal better In 1905 the value
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