Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1910-12-22
STILL IN THE LEAD
SOUTH DAKOTA REMAINS THE
REMNANT BEARER I'M PER
CAPITA WEALTH
GOOD SHOWING SHOWING FOR YEAR
The State Statistican Reviews State S
Products Fer Present Year
and Declares Showing
is Very Good

Pierre-Deaue Robinson, CT the |
state department OF history, issuing /
his tenth annual review of the p-o-
gress OF South Dakota, says:
Perhaps the most striking feature !
of the year 1910 in South Dakota WIS
the rather unusual weather conditions.
The year opened with moderately cold
weather with considerable snow AMI
these conditions continued until the
latter part of February, when the snow
disappeared and glorious summe.
weather came on and continued for
more than 80 days. Most Of the seed
ing was done; ground prepared for
planting corn; many gardens we've
planted, grass started, and the trees
burst into full leaf more than a month
before the usual season and fruit trees
were loaded With bloom when, on tie
18th of April, a hard storm came with
hard freezing quite destroying the
fruit and foliage. but not otherwise
atfeG ting crops. The season contin ed
cratic, many attributing the unusual
conditions to the influence of Haley s
comet which was visable during tie
spring.
The rainfall during The growing
months was much below the average
and came generally in local SHOVE S
] in a way that would afford an abun-
+ dance to one neighborhood while adj
iacent territory suffered from drouth
/ The utmost apprehension was felt for
I the welfare of the eropS and it was
before the harvest thought that on
! partial cop could be secured, ana
while this proved true in many local
tiles, as a whole the state produced
fair return, though Of course, not
up to the average of series OF years.
The erratic weather conditions and
drouth areas gave splendid opportuni
ties for testing the efficiency of dry
farming methods and without ex e.
ton where these scientific methods
were pursued early enough to find
sufficient supply of moisture in the
soil the methods conserved this mois-
ture and made good crop.
"Prices have varied a good deal
since last Year, wheat upon the aver
age about the same, corn and oats
very much lower and flax, hay and
potatoes much higher. as are dairy
, produ' is and eggs.
"The fruit crop of all sorts is pref
ty nearly a failure, due to the hard
freeze in April, Potatoes are We y
short crop this year everywhere in
the state in some portions being quite
failure.
cit is likely that the total produc-
ton of dairy products is less than FIR
several wears though it is diff ult to
obtain entirely reliable figures. T e
prices, however. have advanced d
the revenue therefrom is somewh@t
increased The egg crop is bigger
than ever before and returns mc@e
cash
II use the estimates of the Nation
al Asso iation of Wool manufactu ers
upon the wool crop of the state. Their
figures are somewhat larger tran the
number of sheep renorted in the as
sessment would seem to justify, bit
the wool is reported to be actual Y
shipped from here. The explanat on
is that perhaps good many sheep on
the RANGES escape the assessor
"The hay crop is perhaps one-th'r'
below the average in volume, h"t tie
values is not materially affected. In
comparing the hay estimates OF this
department with those of the agr;cul-
tural department of the COVE ~nment
remember the government does not
take account of our very valuable crop
of wild hay.
"The total produ is of the soil Of
South Dakota for 1910 are estimated
bv this department as follows:
Wheat. 35 $50 600 bushels s97 ESQ 00o
Corn. 76 AT 900 bushels e 7e5 o0N
Oats, Al psf 600 bushels -. II 1A7 600
Barley, 19 $4,000 bushels II 342 0oo
Sneltz. 3 500 600 bushels SO on
Flaxseed 100000 bushels. $50 COG
Rive. 10000 bushels 372 O0C
Grass, clover and alfalfa
seed ..... 100 OOC
Potetoes. vegetables and
fruit .... 1000 me
Hav. $3.50 600 tons ....... 10 ooo onr
Dairy products S75O OOr
Poultry and eggs ........ s 00o onf
: Honey 90 oOf
: livestock ..... -. ..... 1872 "nf
. Wool end hides .... -. s25 oof
Mineral and stone ........ Z 500 0Or
Total for 1910 1881 1888 onf
: Total for 1909 ......... 202 1862 OOt
Decrease .... s21 TIA 900
2 :The decrease will be found to Ne
, chiefly in the items of wheat, corn
( oats. potatoes and fruit and is due te
t reduced yield and smaller price for tbs
: cereals and failure for fruit ant
potatoes. However. the deereaee Only
;. indicates smaller degree of gre7'
t prosperity for apportioned to pop
: lation of $50 600 it gives 1929 81 re
q capita and retains for us suprema y
q in per capita production Of the fruit
OF the soil.
r "Tre people generally are forehaud