The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1906-07-12

twenty years 6 it was a very diff
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 a porous clay sub
soil, which oficiates, so to speak, as
a reservoir for moisture, and this, in
turn, is given up in heavy dews. With
m 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
err 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 a word, he was practically
isolated from mankind.
With tn opening Of South Dakota
land $40 the homesteader, all of these
conditions were changed. Men got to-
gether and compared their ideas;
profited by the successes OF n and
the losses Of another, the result being
a 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-
cure 1t. There were no reservoirs that
1t could be piped from; no leans OF
securing the pipe in quantities suffi-
GENTLY 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 az cunt 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 little 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 su,
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 were grown
upon the lands Of South Dakota 49,
600. 900 bU4hels Of wheat, valued at
SAT. 900 900; $4,000, 900 bushels of corr
valued at $23, 0OO, 900; 5000, 900 bush.
els OF oats worth $4,000, 900, and crops
from other grains Of corresponding
value. Comparatively suoakirp. the
Htire output Of the state OF South
Dakota, including mining. grains and
other products Of the soil, represented
$16S, 100000; that of 1904 represented
$148, 000, 900, an increase Of $40, 600
900 In n year. For the sake of
showing to you exactly what this enor.
nous amount Of business in farming
alone means, consider the population
Of South Dakota. To-day there are
about 455,1S5 people in the state, so
that this output in cab from crops
means an average of 1869 per inhab.
liant.
Plenty Of Land Remains.
At this time of writing there are