The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1907-07-25
WHERE THE GOPHER
AND WILD ROSE THRIVE
The Independent Man Took a
Drive Over Beautiful South
Particularly Beautiful
Homes Crops are Looking
Very Fair--.DaiIy Mail-.-Lon.
tented Farmers.

some UNEMPLOYED regions in the coun-
try south of Minot last Sunday. We
say unexplored, meaning that we new
er before explored them, but to drive
over the beautiful prairie and gaze
on the comfortable country homes,
with fine groves surrounding them
one would hardly think that five or
six years ago, this was vast expanse
of territory upon which the pillow had
never wrought havoc to the festive
wild rose, disturbing the realm of the
has been destroyed, the flickertai
seems to be still holding the boards
of natures theatre on South Prairie
and we would suggest liberal amount
of Mickelsons Gopher poison. (This
is the product of a MinOt Institution).
The country south of Minot. Why
five years ago we pitied the man who
was unlucky enough to own land south
of Minot. 1t was the general impress
sion that the north prairie was the
only land fit for white men. While
saying nothing against the fertile soil
of the country north of MinOt, we
con truthfully state that the south
prairie is equal in fertility to any soil
in the county, and .prettier laying
country cannot be found under the
canopy of heaven.
For miles as far as the eye can
see, lies vast eXpanse of prairie,
more beautiful for it's green mantle.
How many homes do you suppose one
can count from a given spot. We
started to count, and got up past the
one hundred mark when we grew
weary and stopped. Might have been
counting yet. The quality of the
homes varies from the two by four
shack of the speculative homesteader
who borrowed a few hundred on his
claim and is now in the suffering
east, to the farmer who stuck and
who now enjoys the privilege of hav-
ing daily mail right at his very door,
together with the other blessings of
North Dakota.
GLOW are your crops?' one farmer
was asked. The honest horny handed
tiller of the soil gazei around on his
crops, and, with cheerful smile,
said: well, they're just fair this
year We can't brag on our wheat
this year, cause it won't make much.
Perhaps half crop and perhaps not
so much. But then there's the flax,
that looks splendid and its going to go
fifteen or twenty bushels to the acre.
The oats are a little off, but we're
going to get thru nicely. Well get
good price for our grain, what there is
of it, and it's looking better every
day I've got our cows, a lot of chick
ems, some growing pigs, and say you
ought to just see my potato patch"
That's the way most of the farmers
talk. They realize that this is an
.off'' year all over the country and
that Ward county, North Dakota, is
faring better than any other portion
of the country. That if the farmers
of the other parts of the country get
a mouth full, the North Dakota farm.
ers will surely get a good stomach
full They'll be eating custard pies
while the others are eating snow balls.
The south country has had some nice
rains that some other portions of the
county did not get. Water was
standing in the road in great puddles
and the grain had beautiful dark
green color. Some macaroni wheat
was heading out but the straw will be
very short. Hard wheat is bound to-
be slim crop this year, but this will
in no wise damage the reputation of
North Dakota as farming state. The
writer has seen six splendid crops
here, with three what might be term
ed bumper crops, and even with the
slim chances of this season, the farm
ers have no rents to pay and ought
to make expenses and then some. The
south prairie farmers think the wheat
ought to pay for itself, and if it does,
the farmers will make some money on
the fax.
We drove for about forty miles and
in the main followed the route taken
by the rural mail carrier No. 9. This
is new route recently established,
but 1t has large patronage as can be
seen by the dozens of boxes along the
road. It seemed good to read the
names of our readers on the boxes,
and ninety percent or better of the
patrons receive the Independent. We
learned for the first time Sunday
where the men lived whom we have
known intimately for five years.
If did 1ls good to see how thew had