The Oskaloosa herald., 1907-10-24

Hooking out to see only the plain dirt
roads Many Of the streets are curbed,
however. and with the cement side
walk and parterres, you almost believe
you have found an Iowa paved street
town--lil1e OskaIoosa.
/ No town in this country can be like
Oskaloosa in beautiful trees, certain
ly this thriving place is nothing like it.
Trees are so small here. They are
mostly boxalder or cottonwood and
grow to about the size of the average
lcherry tree in an Iowa orchard. That
is why we can see so far right here
in town. The branches Of the trees
do not impede our view at all, and out
of town there are no trees save,-as
mentioned, fringe around portions
of the lakes.
1t has been like renewing youth to
see the harvesting going on around us.
Shortly after the Outsiders last letter
to the Herald that season began, and
lit has really been going on ever since.
Harvesting here is not only cutting the
Igrain, it is stacking it, and even bring
ing it TO market. The grain is not
stacked here at all why, said a
North Dakota farmer, I'VE could not af-
i ford to stack it. / had 500 acres of
grain in. How could | stack all that?
i There is no time in this short season. |"
/ Generally the wheat yield has been
Hight, but oats, barley, and flax seem
to have helped the farmer out. There
is not doubt but what the wheat soil
is wearing out here, and that the far
mers must do something to renew it..
SO far the North Dakota farmer has
Ipracticed extensive farming He will
have to try the intensive plan for a
while.
But regardless of the future thresh-
ing is going on all the time. Dur
ing the day the smoke of steam thresh'
ers rises at many points on the hort
zon. At night the red fare of burning
lstrawstacks rises in as many direc-
lions. Everybody burns his straw in
this country. 1t is said some genius
has invented way Of extracting gas
from burning straw He'd certainly
find ready market for it in this
country where coal is from $3.50 to
1911 per ton and winter is seven months
long.
| Naturally enough this letter drifts
into the agricultural problems, for
DEVILS Lake has just two great inter
ests: First, the farms, second, the
railroads. The town is great rail
road center, for the Great Northern
has repair shops here and employs a
great number of men. The round
house is large enough to accommodate
between forty and fifty engines. As
the Outsider understands it, it is the
end of division, and engines for
lmountain use are kept here. Anyway
there are lot oftthem being constantly
loverhauled and fixed up in the shops.
The Great Northern has been In
creasing it's side tracks here until now
commodations. Il has fine new de-
pot and lunch house as well. Far.
ther out some three miles, are the new
stock yards, which are to be water
ing and feeding point for the stock
from the western ranges. They are
said to be wonderfully complete.
The building of these machine shops
has made Devils Lake a growing place,
New houses are going up all the time,
and rents are exorbitant. Three years
ago there was not house on street
north of the one we live on, which is
Fifth; now there is Sixth, Seventh
Eighth, and in other parts of town it
runs to still higher letters.
i The chief criticism on the building
of the town is that the houses are too
near together. Our block is about as
large as Oskaloosa's and has no alley.
In it there are six houses and a church,
You would think land was 500 a. foot
front However, we have a good wat
err system here, so we try to forget the
danger of fires