The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-12-12
RANCHERS GIVING
WAY TO FARMERS
DUNN COUNTY, NORTH DAKOTA,
LAST IN STATE TO BECOME
DISTRICT DEVOTED TO
FARMING.

Manning, N. D., Dec. 12.-Thousands
upon thousands of acres OF Dunn coun-
tvs virgin soil will be given over to
the agriculturist next year and the last
county In the state to be claimed by
the farmer will be wrested from the
ranchman and turned to the produc-
ton of grains.
That, at least, Is the outlook at the
present time, as Dunn county, located
In the heart of western North Dakota,
has experienced an influx of home
steaders bent upon building homes for
themselves, who have, by reason of
their previous agricultural experience
and because they have found that
farming pays in this section, come to
realize that their salvation is the till
ing of the soil.
Ranehmen Crowded Back,
Dunn county the scene of General
Sully's most notable battle in his cam
paign against the Indians, that OF the
Kildeer mountains, has assumed a
greatly different appearance than ii
presented in 1864, when he was here
The ranchman, who held sway for so
many years, unmolested, has been
crowded back; he has been taught to
use conservation methods and is get
ting more out of the land than before,
while the farmer has, at the same time,
rapidly encroached, and during the last
two years, especially, has broken over
so, 900 acres of virgin soil and put It TO
crops Of small grains.
80
acres, Of which about 100000 acres are
in the Fort Berthold reservation, which
Is to be opened for settlement next
year, Dunn county halds unique posi-
ton in North Dakota today, the last
available reports on it's area under cul-
tivation showing that only 10000 acres
of land were so used. Since that re-
port, however, the acreage has about
trebled.
Vast Breaking Campaigns.
Steam plows will be the means by
which such vast breaking campaigns
win be carried on during the sping Of
1911. In one district, that about Oak
dale, there now are eight steam plow-
ing outfits and all Of them will be used
throughout the breaking season in
turning over the virgin soil. This is
equally true of other sections of the
county available for agricultural pur-
poses, there being one district, that
comprising the Kildeer mountains
which is better devoted to ranching
than to farming
The thought and ambition Of almost
every homesteader that has come into
the county during the last year seems
to have been to place his farm upon
a self-sustaining basis, and in many
instances they have already put theil
entire government allotments of land:
to grain. This, too is situation sci.
dom found in a country so new as this
where the speculative element almos'
always prevails to such an extent as tt
become predominant.
In Need of Railroads.
Dunn county is still without railroad
facilities, but the settlers are hopeful
that another year will find the extern
sion OF a line into the county. The
Mandan- Stanton line is one that the
county is hoping to secure, while the
fact that several officials of the Soc
line have recently purchased stock tc
the extent of $4,000 in the Frye &
Lillibridge ranching properties in the
Kildeer district is taken as evidence
of that company's intention of invad-
ing the territory.