The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1907-01-03
is A BOOMER FOR
u NORTH DAKOTA
Prof. Barton, Member Of Normal
School Faculty at Valley
City, WritesaHome Paper.

Fasteners who come here to live Of
ten become the heartiest Of boomers for
thestate. The following is an extract
from a letter written by Prof. Orla A.
Barton of the Normal school at Valley
City to his parents at Mexico, N. Y. and
published in the Independent of that
village. 1t shows that Professor Bartin
is already alive to- the many advantages
to be found, here.
The farmers are hustling both with
their threshing and blowing. This is q
busy time for them. 1t is said that
there is more money per capita in North
Dakota than in any other state in the
union yet there are practically no mil.
lionaires and practically no paupers. I
gave the children in the eighth grade a
few problems one day last week to try
to show them how immense the. wheat
crop of North Dakota really it. will
give you few of Them: First we put
the 100O00Oo0 bushels in sacks holding
one bushel and set them side by side in
row and found that they would extend
about four tifths around the world or
nearly 10000 miles. 1.
Then we put it into the large grain
tanks which the farmers: use to haul
their wheat to town and which hold
from 100 to 135 bushels. We found it
would take some 100000 tanks and by
driving them as closely together as pos
sible, allowing 80 feet for each rig, they
would extend 1890 miles or about once
and half across the United States and
about twelve timessacross Our own state.
Then we put the grain in cars and
found that by putting 1000 bushels in a
car, which is the maximum amount, it
would take 100000 cars to move the
crop. Putting IS cars in a train it
would take 1000 trains each;one about
half mile long. By running them as
closely after each other as possible they
would extend about 1000 mil los or a dis
lance equivalent to going from here to
New York, then either to Boston or
Washington had them build a bin to
hold the crop and we found it would
have to be mile long, half mile wide
and eight feet deep. i..,s ( J.
, We found thatsfour men working l2
hours day; six days a week and 50
weeks year, would haye.to work. 1856
years to shovelsthis grain into the wag-
ons, if they filled tank of 125 bushels
in ten minutes just to move one years
crop of North Dakota alone. Then we
sold all this wheat at an average price
of only G5 cents and received Sc, 100000
or about sl3O for every man, woman and
child in the whole state. I think they
have an idea of. the lmnenslty Of the
crop and they also got a lot of other
good information. y -e,'' ~ T."
Yesterday the ckiidren Of the seventh
and eighth grades :gaveme what they
chose to call fruit shower. Each one
brings something in the line OF fruit
when the teacher is not in the room the
teachef is sent for and a.:speech is called
for :;.G:~ ~
They brought me two dozen oranges.
two and half dozen apples,a peach,
lemon, nearly dozen bananas and
quantity of candy. certainly have the
incest lot Of young people to deal with
that have ever run across. / am
working them hard but they seem to
like it and enjoy it, They will begin
playing basket ball this week and that
will give tbem chance to work in
other lines. -
School is going o. K, and am work
ing about as usual. Eighteen practice
teachers to keep busy, two! classes in
n,laltrainihg every day and another
two days week SO you see things are
buzzing butl like 1T, and everything
seems to 60 we'll. q. T.
=,