The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-20
FIRST BONANZA FARMER
OLIVER DALRYMPLE, WHO HAD
.3O.OOO ACRES IN WHEAT.


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ue Foresaw the Future OF the Rich Lands
OF the ilakotas n Demonstrates the
Value OF q Union OF Scientific Asricu'-
ture and Up to Date Business Methods.
FARGO, N. D., Sept. 12.-But m man
In the United States ever had 600 men and
600 horses working on his farm, using $50
gang ploughs that turn from three to
eighteen burrows at a time, seventy gang
drills. $50 self-binding harvesters and
twelve steam threshing outfits. and ship
ping two ~trainloads Of wheat every day
in the threshing season. That man died
the other day at Casselton, twenty miles
west OF here. He was Oliver Dalrymple.
and his wonderful farm, which for many
years contained 80 900 acres and at the
time OF his death IL 900, was celebrated
abroad as we'll as in this country.
Dalrymple was the original bonanza
farmer and he demonstrated the value
In dollars and cents Of the combination
OF the science of agriculture and modern
business methods. Knowing how to get
the very best seed, how it should be
planted under various conditions, how
the crop should be cultivated n how 70
market IL to best advantage, he sat In
his late years In his central office and by
telephone received reports daily from each
OF the six divisions into which his farm
was out up for administrative purposes
and gave directions to the division super
intsndents and their foremen.
Even when he left the central Office in
Casselton and vent to bis beautiful home
on Summit avenue st. Paul. he kept in
CLOSE touch with all parts Of his wide
domain and more than once gave from
there such directions to his superintend-
ents on the farm az the small farmer gives
to his hired hand at the barn door OF
beneath the windmill. To those who
know how wise an agriculturist Oliver
Dalrymple was and how carefully he
watched the cultivation Of his great
farm 1t Is easy to understand his sue
cess as a bonanza farmer.
There were two Dalrymples Of the same
sort, Oliver and w. F. They were BROTH
ers and came west from Pennsylvania in
1855. They were Of Scotch parentage.
and most canny farmers.
Oliver, who was rs when he died. settled
in Faribault, Mimi, when he was rs and
practised law and engaged in a loan and
land business. He became convinced hat
there was more money to be made out Of
the soil thar anything else and in 1896
took up agriculture in Washington county,
Mimi, and seeded 2, 500 acres.
Nine years later he turned his attention
To Dakota, then a vast ~unpeopled plain,
The Northern Pacific Railroad was ex-
tended to Bismarck in that year, 1875. and
betwe cen Bismarck and Fargo there wasn't
a mile Of railroad track or a dwelling.
Dalrymple. with the instinct Of the true
pioneer, scented a rich future for the
Western prairies and induced his friend
f.. B. Grandin to 90 and spy out the 1and.
Grandin looked over some sections. Of
Dakota carefully and sent back word for
Dalrymple to come On.
In 1875 and 1875 Dahymple bought from
the Northern Pacific Railroad and from
the United States Government 5000 acres
of land in the Red River Valley. Part of
this land he acquired for himself. and of
the rest he was hah the other
proprietors being Gen. G. W. Cass, the6
president of the Northern Pacific road;
B. P. Cheney Of Boston and j. l.. and E. b.
Grandin Of Pennsylvania
The lands we're paid for in Indian scrip
and rahIoad stock at par. and in that way
cost from 40 cents to IS an acre. The same
NOW. but this rise Of price could only be
guessed at in the day when Dafrymple
made his first big deal,
Few people then believed that the Red
River Valley land had any particular
agricultural value. Mr.. palrymple had
said that in the spring OF 1879 q large
portion Of his farming property was under
water and on a windy day the w~hitecaps
rolled over the broad expanse with suf-
fcient force to swamp O small boat
But the Dalrymples and the Grandins
were convinced even then OF the value
for agricultural purposes Of the rich black
soil of the now famous valley. M Dial
rymple said that whether the surround
ing country should remain unsettled or
not it would command a price above
$40 IN acre before many years.
Without delay he set out to demonstrate
his faith in the future Of the plains and
for five years he broke 5000 acres each
was put into wheat. OF this farm Mr..
D%alrymple owned three-fourths and he
was the general manager.
The necessity Of dividing the farm
into administrative and working sections
was apparent TO Dalrymole from the
outset. He maze eaCn OF ms SOperIn-
tendents directly responsible for the
working Of $500 ceres and each superin-
tendent, finding that the executive
business required all OF his time, appointed
foremen. who made tho rounds OF the
fields on horseback.
Each headquarters was connected with
the central Office at Casselton by tele-
phone and the central office was con-
nected with the Telegraph office at the
railroad station. Each division was
equipped with its own SGT OF workmen,
teams and machinery.
Although the land In so level as to TO-
ouine much less machirory ard power 10
~o;erate than the ordinary farm. ttora
were, as noted. $50 gang nlouphs, 7ogang
drills, $50 scif- bindiug herveetars and ~
extra largo threshinS outfits. TIE twelve
tiircshinS outfits Zach turned ont from
ZOO to $500 bushels Of wheat n dnv. and
when thrcshine began on the Dalrvmple
farm the railroad company provided two
sIecial trains a day to haul tho grain
away as it wa ready.
II took from 500 to 600 harvest hn~ts
TO do tho work, and thoUrh mnny whNat
farmers in tho Dakotas havo trouble in
rotting mon for tho few wrcks 81 hard,
fast work in tho ha rvestRoason, tho Dal-
rvmplo farm usually had an AGO ruatn
sIpnly Of labor. for Dalrymplo's way If
dcaiiny with his mon was vol known
anon =" Great games that fGrror tho
crors in thin section.
Tho D61rvmolns and tho Grandin broth