The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1910-01-29
Mercer Writes Timely
Article on Oklahoma

LNHA 6AlSS WttHIu the past year. anu
nowadays no one is called land poor"
Continued cultivation has increased
the productiveness. and 1t viii do so
with Oklahoma land, and northeast
ern Oklahoma win develop very much
faster than Illinois, Iowa. Nebraska.
Kansas, stock combined and grain on
every farm in northeastern Oklahoma
for rs years will transform Oklahoma
land and the price also as 1t has done
all communities where the land is
such as In a measure to conserve it's
own fertility. as is most Of the Okla,
homa level land. unlike New Eng
land, Pennsylvania and New York;.
the summers are longer than in ILL
nois, and your winters are shorter
and in my opinion. the cost OF keeping
stock Is much less with you than in
Illinois, and / think an animal will
make more growth the first three
years of HIS life, in Oklahoma than in
Illinois, the same attention being CIV
en-, considering your warm summers
and the cold winters Of Illinois, espec-
tally the northern part Of the state.
The following significant statement
came to my ears Is years ago. At that
time A. & Co, were one Of the largest
live stock dealers In Chicago. Mr..
A. told shipper Of steers from the
extreme northwestern corner OF Iowa,
that southern Kansas was producing
as heavy steers at two years old, as
was northwestern Iowa at three years
DID," and he added 'in Kansas they
grow all the time, and in northwestern
Iowa they must freeze three or four
months out OF each year." And he
says, IAN animal won't fat and freeze
at the same time.
When northeastern Oklahoma is
awake to its own possibilities, there
will be no particular difficulty in rails
ing some kind of crops sufficient to
feed large quantities Of stock. Strick-
ly and exclusive grain farming will
In the nature Of things not be a sue
cess in any county There may be
what is called success but no soil is
literally inexhaustible and the most
natural and very best renewer OF soil
| is live stock And to close this article
little abruptly and with little per-
sonal matter, the writer has within
the last year sold what Is called an
average farm in Illinois for about $185
per acre, and within three or four
miles Of your city has bought farm
at the rate of about seven acres of
your level land for the price of one
acre sold In Illinois.
Query: Can we raise as good a
mule on seven acres Of that land as
we can on one acre of this land In
| Illinois Just sold?
Some rs acres of this Oklahoma
land purchased year ago produced
Just as many bushels of oats per acre
In the year 1909, as did the 30 acres
sowed to oats on the farm here in
| Illinois.
Your people should do more and
better advertising. Ny business takes
me over considerable territory during
the year and I want to urge this fact
that the people generally ought to
know more about your state. ITO he
candid, this state as most new states,
must, suppose, do some unfavorable
advertising.1 One of the best strokes
by the way Of Advertising that your
state has done was TO exhibit at
Springfield, ILL.,, last fall at the state
fair. About October 9th, ! was in
Poughkeepsie, N. Y, and read about
quarter column article in one of
four daily papers Of that city 1t was
all about the startling and amazing
exhibit of the state of Oklahoma at
the state fair of Illinois, The writer
was lavish in his comment and | dare
say that the state of Oklahoma will
not fail to repeat the good scheme
with still better exhibit at Spring.
aeld and other state fairs the coming
fall
W. NJ. MERCER,
Aurora, H., January 20. 1910.