Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1911-03-09

We havo no doubt that some of the
readers of the Reporter and Farmer
would like to hear about the places and
some of the beautiful scenery we have
seen on our three months trip through
the south and east, which any northern
would greatlv enjoy if they can only
spare the time to take such vacation.
The expense of such trip is nothing
compared with pleasure and education
one derives from it.
But before you go on a trip to the
sunny south, / will tell you that if you
are farmer from the northwest ! am
positive that you will return to your
northern farm better satisfied that the
work on your farm is easier and much
more profitable than in the southern
states. | am not going to say that all
northerners will get the same idea about
the south, as the orange and grape
fruit groves, green palms, rose bushes,
flowers and fine atmosphere do make a
person think he is living. 1t is beau
tiful place to spend a few months. but
be sure to take a little change with
you. And If you are farmer, don't
figure on making it there.
We visited several orange and grape
fruit groves in Florida and southern
Texas with business men and agents
from the north, who were all taken up
with the fruit growing industry. The
beauty was there-but it takes years of
hard work and much expense to obtain
these places. And persons that have
not had years of experience on farms,
do not realize the expense and work
they will be compelled to undergo
before they can begin to derive any
benefit from their farms.
] will try to explain the route we took
and some of the things Of interest we
saw. We left Webster Dec. 7th, going
by the way of Bristol, Madison, Sioux
Falls and Sioux City, where we stayed
over night. We had started out to see
the country and to do this we made
almost the entire trip in the day time.
On the 9Th we continued south along
the east side of the Missouri river to
Council Bluffs and then on to Kansas
City. The land was low and wet and
about half of it was under cultivation.
The crops were corn and hay, which
were an average yield.
We spent the night at Kansas City,
and on the 9th continued west along the
Kaw river to Topeka, and then south
west to Newton. The land was rolling;
part of it under cultivation. Most of
it had been in corn which was not very
good. Most of the buildings were very
poor. Then we went south to Wichita,
and thence to Guthrie, Okla. The lard
was level, except around Guthrie. At
Orland and Perry. which are thirty
miles north of Guthrie, we spent week
with relatives we had not seen for
twenty-seven years. The land in that
part OF Oklahoma is rolling; some of
It quite billy. Most of the soil is red
like brickdust and in many places is
underlaid short distance below the
surface with sandstone, which occasion
ally crops out on sloping land. The
crops grown are cotton, wheat, oats
and corn, the latter being the principal
crop. The crops the past two years
have been very poor on account of
drouth. Fruit growing there is not a
success, as it is often cold in the spring
and freezes when the trees are in bloom.
In the northern part of the state the
main crop is wheat, while from Guthrie
south the main crop is cotton.
Guthrie is a pleasant, clean little city;
which has several factories, cotton
mills and cotton seed mill where the
seed is ground and the oil pressed out
of it, leaving the meal in cakes which
10 used for feeding stock. When they
have good season for cotton it Is o
paying crop, but the farmers of the
north would not be con-
tented to raise it. There is more work
in raising it than there is in raising
cereals, as it has to be planted, cult
waited, hoed and picked several times.
The pickers have pads on their knee:
and walk on their knees; have sack
..sS> seet in diameter and about eight
feet long which they drag after them
When the sack is filled it is weighed
and dumped in piles or on the ground
Continued next week.