The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-03-21
MIRACLE STATE" SUITABLE
T|TtE..FOR OKLAHOMA
Though it Has Been Settled Only d Years, it
Takes Front Rank--C Conditions for Farming
More Favorable There Than Any
where Else in World

boomer" crossed the line In the mad
charge Of the home hunters Nature
had prepared everything in adyarce
for the settler and of the area 365
miles from east to west and 210 miles
from north to south, of the original
Territory of Oklahoma, there was
scarcely an acre that was not capable
of cultivation and of producing some
form Of wealth during the first sea
son. In the western limits, in what
was known as the Cherokee strip, is
high plateau, which VIII have to be
| irrigated In order to insure crops, but
| in some years the rainfall Is abund-
ant The reclamation service has re-
| served two sites for reservoirs on
Otto creek and on the rorth fork of
the Red liver which will furnish
| enough water to irrigate 125,000 acres
| but the land Is rot needed at present
and The irrigation systems will not be
undertaken until these OF other states
| are completed Even that section
| Is not entirely dry A story Is told
about the engineer who was sent out
TO make the1survey for the proposed
I
from him, his superior at Washington
sent a telegram to inquire why he
did not get to work He replied that
he "oouldn't do anything until ii quit
ralning--ard the freshets had gone
down.1 q ,
Disqualification of crops is the best
kind nftnsnrance for farmers be-
fesa
10 fail In the same season; but there
| h9Yedbeen no. crop failures In Okla
hoha slrcfe the settlement OF the ter
rtory.
Another interesting and significant
fact Is that the average acreage Of the
farms of Oklahoma Is smaller than
that In any other state, and that six
of every ten farms are worked by
their owners This is due of course,
| TO the fact that In the stattlement
OF the territories no man was allowed
to take up more than 100 acres and
| that the largest proportion of the set
tiers We're practical farmers who inn
mediately began to plow There were
many transfers during the first few
years by those restless beings who are
found in every rewi country, who are
never satisfied to remain long in the
same place But during the hast ten
years the sales OF farm lands have
befa comparatively few. The practi-
cal lai'mers find that 160 acres is
enough, ard there is, no danger that
Oklahoma will ever be exposed to the
perils that retarded Mexico and other
countries OF large farms and absent
landlords.
An other interesting fact Is that
the variation in the values of farms
and improvements lis less in Oklaho-
ma than in any other state. While
the cities and towns have smany beau
tiful and expensive residences, the
average farm home costs aoout ST.
500, and the average value OF inn
piovements upon, quarter section farm
is about $4,000
None of the farmers are rich and
few are poor except the shiftless ne-er
do-welhs such as may be found in ey-
cry community.
The average wealth OF the farming
eoMmunities Is about the same as
That OF Ohio and Illinois
9lt is coptegdei by those who turn
their thoughts TO that line OF business
that the mineral wealth OF Oklahoma
Is eyen4 greater than the its agrlcul-
| tural wealth and the revenues from
coal and oil are already very large.
Along the seven rivers which water
The state are tracts of valuable tim
per WHICH have scarcely been touched
aFd which promise to be an abundant
source OF revenue. The abundance of
water and fuel and the geographical
situation offer favorable opportunities
for manufacturing which are being
slowly utilized, but oklahoma will al
WAYS be a nagricuhura state and the
wealth of the people will come from
the cultivation Of the soil because
that viii yield the largest and the
most regular returns
Nearly all of the Indian lands have
been allotted in severalty to the mem
bers Of the different tribes which
formerly owned them in common, and
tlt surplus mas recently been sold at
auction During the last few months
agents OF the lana office at Washing
ton have been going from town to
town holding forced sales as ii the
/ government was compelled 10 get rid
OF its real estate as soon a spossible
like a speculator who fear, bankrupt
cy Sixty per cent Of he land that
has been sold in this way has been
bought by neighboring farmers, and
about 40 per cent by strangers from
Iowa laMiana Ohio, Missouri and 9th
er central states. Some OF them have
bought il on speculation just as they
are buying government lands in Can
/ ada.
A small portion has been purehas-
ed by actual settlers who have sold
more valuable farms IN other states
/ ard have come down here because of
a milder climate and less arduous OBJ
/ legations. Another class of pnrchas-
ers are the sons OF farmers in the
older states, who are ambitious to
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