The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1912-11-14

ing lands of Minnesota and eastern
North and South Dakota. AS l came
up out of the valley and looked west
across those ups and downs or hills
and valleys, the first thought that
came to me was that Minnesota was
mighty good state to live in.
In looking across country one sees
| the hills but not the beautiful rich
| valleys that lie between them where
| most of the farms are.
From Stanton I went by auto thir-
teen miles northwest to little inland
town called Kern.
Here to my great surprise l found
a fine little village laid out on one long
street situated in the center of an ele-
waited plateau called bench lands l be-
lieVe. This plateau extends for sew
eral miles east and west and some
distance north and south. The lands
about Kern seem to be the finest and
lay the best of any 1 ever saw. I
suppose the average price of these
lands with in a few miles of Kern is
around $40 to $50 per acre, according
to improvements.
In this little town l was surprised
to find two banks, three general stores
fine flour mill running day and night
In season; a. creamery, good hotel,
lumber yard, two blacksmith shops
and garage, furniture store, and last
but not least newspaper.
"Of course some of these businesses
are expecting to move to the new rail-
road towns south when the iron horse
arrives, but there will still be a lively
little inland town at Kern. 1t has the
country around it and the location.
while wheat and other small grains
have been the principal crops in this
section, the country is essentially a
stock country. Already in oliver and
Merser counties there are a number of
Creameries, some of which have been
running for years. There is no better
meadow and hay land than that in the
valleys and the hills are covered with
grass to their tops. The sheep in
dustry ought to be a very profitable
| one here. One of the weaIthiest men
| In Mercer county made his money on
sheep, beginning in small way some
! years ago, He now has large holdings
in land and sheep.
ANY young hustling fellow who
| would settle there now and go into the
dairy and sheep industry could make
a fortune in ten years.
| Il saw same good fields of cut fod-
der corn AS a rule the settlers have
not tried out the corn question to any
extent. ! am satisfied that by select.
ing the right seed and ground and do.
| ing good work that corn could be rails.
ed. The soil is a black loan, a litt1,
| sandy in places, which makes it al
the better for corn. and a good clay
sub soil.
Land can be purchased through thi
| section for from $40 to $25 or S3t
! according to qualities and loca
ton and prospect of being nea
the new road that is being graded
j frnYY, Stanton he ~,
mus.
! Il talked with old settlers who ha'
lived there for from ten to twenty-fiv
years and they all said that the twt
previous years to this one was th
only time that anything like GRO
failure ever happened to them. An
other thing, there Is Ignite coal al
most anywhere, that is near enoug
SO that the farmers can get it 70
about 50 a ton, even If they can't di
1t from their own land, which cal
often be done. 1t is this fact that ha
made it possible for this country to b
settled UP SO well, years ahead of tn
railroad. e
"One striking thing, one from Min
nesota notices, is the lack of trees an
groves The lack is not because tree
will not grow there but because of tn
lack of interest taken in the matte
| Dy SeLLierS. i saw not rev goo
groves and the beginnings of man
more When the farmers get the habi
of setting out trees 1t will be grea
thing for the country and will hel
. greatly to raise the price of land.
/ 1T occurred to me that the stat
and county officials could not do an
greater service to the country tina
to encourage and promote the settin
out of trees. If one good farmer |
every township were well paid fC
starting nursery for saplings of sue
trees as would grow best where til
surrounding settlers might obtai
young trees for grove planting,
would be spending money the yer
best way possible
I.istento the candidates. Yet VIC
men have been called the talkativ