Mower County transcript., 1908-08-26
ON A DAKOTA, | I K, D ! !.
RANCH
MRS. GEORGE W. BARTLETT
WRITES ENTERTAINGLY OF
LIFE ON A SOUTH DAKO-
IA RANCH.
Wild Rose Bungalow, Bison, S. d.
Aug."17. 1908.

Aug. IL, 1903.
Dear Mr.. Belden:
am anxious to show little of
what 1 have done out here In South
Dakota on a claim. l am very proud
to say have some of the finest corn,
squaw and yellow flint, in Butte
county Next come my potatoes,
finer than silk. Could not send you
a box with some in and would you
take them to our Mower County fair
with proper label? Not for premium,
but to show what we grow on sod.
I will also send a picture Of my
bungalow (no shack) (thanks).
Would it interest you to have me
tell you what I have raised out here
alone with little George. Mr.. B.
has only been in once at Fourth of
July time for two weeks. I have five
acres of corn, put in by son and my
self with a hand planter; one half
acre of what they call soup beans
out here. I call them navy, and one
acre of rutabagas as big now as a
quart bowl with mammoth leaves,
covering the ground like a carpet.
We also have onions, seed onions,
sweet and lucious. Phone Mrs.
Decker and ask her if I don't tell
the whole truth. | have four rows 80
rods long. How is that for onions?
We have also beans, lima beans,
kidney beans, peas. tomatoes, cucum-
bers and early Minnesota sweet corn,
to say nothing of the good things
that have passed.
| have worked like a mailer, but,
my what a satisfaction to see every
thing growing, and in spite of all
the crOaking about dry Dakota we
do have rain. Just when many are
on the point of giving up no give up
on my claim. | am here to stay un-
til the last ear is husl1ed the last
bean threshed and potatoes dug. l
planted six bushels and fought to
keep them from bugs; got UP at 3
q. m. and saw the sun rise. Talk of
glorious sunrise. You just come to
Bison, S. d., and the sun set pen
cannot describe it. You don It
need to go to the land of the mid
night sun to see the rainbow tints
at sun set. Minnesota is all right,
but she can't come in the same
class when it comes to sun sets with
tints out here.
I have two very black hogs who
top rail of pen and yell when they
see me coming. I tell them to stop,
and, Mr.. Belden, they have learned
to stop or not get their food. I milk
COW, have ~ chickens and all the
eggs we can use. Have sold some
butter. First class is Is cents per lb. ;
eggs, Is. cents dozen. Next year I
expect to put in about 35 or 40
acres; some flax, wheat, oats and
corn. We have a stone quarry on our
claim, small but good. I laid my
porch and kitchen floor with
Georges help, of stone plastered
with natural cement to hold them
down. Have good, clean stone
floor now. My living room is 12x2O,
kitchen Sx10 and have porch all
screened in 6x12. I, with little
sons help hauled the stone on a
stone boat, also water and sand. We
burn in cold weather Ignite, dug
from an adjoining claim.
We are brown and healthy; work
twelve hours day, eat like farm
ers should, and, while there are
things not so pleasant always, still
on the whole, I am having the time
of my life, getting a nice farm, a
nice home to come to when I wish,
which will be most of the time next
year if l am spared. l plan to set
out small fruit of all bush kinds.
Strawberries and trees. Have a
man plowing now for tree culture
Expect to set out 5000 anyway. Come
and see us but don't come in Aug
.ust. With best regards to friends.
: MRS. GEO. w. BARTLETT,
Bison, S, ,.