The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1910-05-05
Southland Suffers Too.

Southland Suffers Too.
When winter is on in the north, it is
the favorite occupation of many dis
satisfied souls, and those financially
interested, in exciting discomfort, to
dwell at length upon the beauties and
safety Of the sunny south, the lands Of
perpetual summer. etc. Many other
wise sensible and satisfied people, are
by these means made more or less dis
contented and correspondingly unhappy.
Our first impulse, nearly always, when
we find frozen or chilled pig, calf or
old COW, or even frozen plunor apple
tree or currant bush or flower, isto sell
out and go where there's none Of it,
Now with all Difference to the feel
ings of those thus afflicted, may we
ask where we could find such place?
And, if by any possibility we could,
would it not be loaded down with other
far more uncomfortable troubles to off
set the little extra warmth?
We of Dakota and Montana have lost
many Of our currants, plnms and some
other fruits and very earlygarden stuff
in the not unreasonable cold which
followed more than usually beautiful
March and early April. A few pieces
of grain have been injured, too; al
though these were sown before either
good judgment or our latitude war
ranted. But let US not forget; that
this same cold and storm which made
US think and talk of California and the
sunny south, did untold more damage
to every state between Dakota and the
Gulf than it did here. Where we lost
hundreds, there was not single sunny
southern state that did not lose hun.
dreds of thousands, some of them mill
ions. Iowa's fruit crop alone, accord
ing to her own highest local authority.
was cut down more than $5, 600, 600;
Colorado once more went into the mill
ions in fruit losses, while the cyclonic
feature of the storm alone took more
than $4,000, 600 out of the central
southern states. While we had few
inches of snow, more than. foot lay
over portions of Texas, and ice and
sleet shut many southern city away
from the world entirely. Weeks be-
fore this happened, our Mr.. French
wrote US from California that local pa
pers estimated that more than $1,000
600 damage had already been done the
orange crop alone in that section, by
unreasonable frosts, and more damage
was reported from the extreme south
ern part Of that state.S
We do not mention these things to
discredit any part of the country, but
to impress upon our easily alarmed
friends that until they reach the ''Bet-
ter land" they must not think nor
hope they can 6ad place where all is
secure from uncertain and unreasonable
weather changes.
When it comes to danger of real
money loss from the causes mentioned,
our territory is distinctly better locat-
ed than any other part of the United
States. Take our cattle losses from ex-
posure for instance; 50 long as the rec
ords have been kept, we have been
more fortunate than the best southern
states. This is according to govern
ment reports taken by correspondents
from every county and every part of
every county in the United States.
These reports are absolutely impartial
and the one just at hand, for April,
shows that, just as usual. the southern
states average the greater loss.
North Dakota is given as losing IL
head of cattle to every thousand
from exposure, and South Dakota 10,
while Florida, the most southern state,
is put down at so a thousand. Louisiana
and Mississippi at % and "a. Arkansas
at 25 and California and Texas, reach
ing to the Mexican line, at 80 each.
New Mexico loses 40, while Nevada
goes to so and Arizona to 60, ten better
than Florida. So where would you
60. friends, so as to lose nothing from
bad storms and unreasonable weather?
Those with good barns and fairly good
judgment need lose very little in our
part Of the north. Dakota Farmer.