The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1908-02-13
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Since financial matters have shown
change over the country the state
land department at Pierre is receiving
applications for information in rcIa-
ton to the sales of state lands this
spring, the requests coming from prac-
tically all parts Of the United States
| The indications at present are that
when the time Of sales arrives there
Will be good demand for the lands.
The matter Of final payments on the
part of purchasers is also showing the
results, for while there were but few
final payments at the opening Of the
year, the last two weeks has brought
| number Of payments. and on one
| day more than fifty patents We're sent
out to purchasers who desire to, clear
| up the title to the lands which they
held under contract with the state, and
sent in the amount due. This will give
the department a larger amount Of
money to reloan, and will allow them
to fill numerous applications which
have been held to await the necessary
eceipts to fill the demands.
Samuel H. Lea, Of Pierre, state en-.
gineer was in Sioux Falls Tuesday
While there Mr.. Lea submitted to the
board of county commissioners his
plans covering portions of the proposed
drainage ditch which had not been be-
fore submitted. The plains cover that
portion Of the canal from the brow Of
penitentiary hill. to the river, and
were adopted by the cOuEty commis-
siOners. The plans show the neces-
sary right Of way for the extension Of
the canal required to convey the water
from west Of town to the river north
Of the penitentiary. The plans also
show that the ditch from the brow Of
the hill TO the river, on aA,Ount Of the
fall, will have to be lined with con-
crete. This work Of the state engineer
now completes his connection with the
proposed drainage canal. A number
Of up the country farmers, some in IA
vor and others opposed TO the pro-
posed canal, were present at the meet
ing Of the county commissioners.
State Engineer Lea has returned
Salt Lake City, where he met q strong
delegation which was ready to SHOW
what could be done with that manner
of farming in a country with E light
rainfall. Mr.. Lea is an enthusiast over
irrigation and dry farming" and be-
lieves that with the two systems there
is no reason why South Dakota should
not support a dense farming pOpula-
ton, using the irrigation plan where
1t is convenient and not too expensive,
and the dry farming process where
the securing Of water for irrigation is
not practicable. A soil with n small
percentage Of gumbo naturally lends
itself to the dry farming process, as it
makes a dust blanket OF itself when
! once broken and will not require as
much labor to preserve the blanket as
will be found in a loan SOIL
When people discuss the present
winter as the warmest they have ever
known, they forget that the weather
bureau keeps a record, and by going
back as far as 1890 they will find that
both November and December were
higher in average temperature than
were the past November and Decem-
ber, and they only need to go back two
years to find December warmer than
it was this year, with November but
slightly cooler. When the final foot
ings are put out for January they may
show somewhat warmer than other
recent years, but 1t Is not likely that
the record will have to be followed far
back to find one to equal the present
one.
{ For the first time since the memora-
I BILE fire Of a year ago, dividend checks
have been received by stockholders Of
the Homestake Mining company. The
dividend was No. 401 for the usual so
cents per share and amounted in all to
$1O9,20O disbursed. The last dividend
prior to this one was issued in April,
1906 The Homestake Is today in
much better physical condition than
ever before, and more improvements
are being constantly added to the
| great property.
At the meeting Of the board Of con-
| troll Of the State Firemen's association
| held in Pierre Monday, the full list Of
| officers selected for the coming year
is: VIM. Kolb. Vermlllion, president;
| VIM Moller. Parkston, vice president; /;
]. Spry, Mitchell, second vice presi-
dent; Will Luck. Watertown, treasur-
| er; Robert Clipsey, Parker, secretary;
Arthur Farmer. Pierre, corresponding
secretary. The place Of meeting for
the next annual tournament was fixed
| at Pierre for the 10th, 18th, 18th and
| 10Th of June.
The Indian appropriation bill pro-
| = aidinD annr0nrla tons fnr the fscal