Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1913-10-01
SOME THINGS INcANUcK LAND
Supervisor B. |, Bailey Writes From
Canada
CoNQuEsr, SASH, Can. SEPT. p,


Conquest, SASH, CAN. SEPT. p,
DEAR EDITOR: Having been request
ed by several of my friends in Vernon
county to write something about this
country. | take pleasure regarding
same. came from Hillsboro May 6, and
have been in this locality near all the
time. | have been at work at CONQUEST
for four months, drilling for the town.
We are down GAS feet and no water to
speak of yet The town has not more
than 200 souls, and they have spent
now more than $4,000 trs ing to get wat
er. Although not a dry town, as the
wet goods abound, still they want wat
er.
This country has had money string
eney and will feel it for some time yet.
The~bauks would not lend money to the
best men for any length of time. But
the bumper crops will counterfeit a
greater part of this trouble. as the
yield is abundant and the weather has
been the incest for about four weeks |
have ever seen it anywhere The grain
is cut and in the rush several farmers
have cut more than a hundred acres
each day. They have been threshing
for about two weeks row and there is
no grain stacked, as it is nearly all
threshed out of the shock. They haul
it with as many as ten or twelve teams
with wagon racks. Many even use
leaders. They thresh as much as 8, 500
to 1900 bushels a day, although the
sun does not always determine tn
length of these days. Grain is turning
out good in this locality. There was
one 50. acre field that yielded over forty
one bushels per acre, or over 8, $50
bushels. One $50 acre field went over
80 bushels to the acre, and some of the
wheat on stubble is going 20 bushels,
while some farms average 80 bushels,
stubble and all. The grade, star as
know, has all been No. Northern, al
most without exception. The price has
not been below 20 cents yet, but drop
is looked for soon. IL is hauled in wagon
boxes, two-horse load being about so
to 65 bushels, and four horse teams
about 100 to l25 bushels. The grain
has been very dry and cracks some but
it is raining now and likely to be wet
enough.
The farming i s done mainly with
horses, and in some instances oxen, but
great deal is done with tractor. The
farmers are doing some summer fallow-
ing, and that accounts for the great
yields of about one fourth more than
on fall blowing and as much again as
on stubble or what is not plowed st all.
They do practically no spring blowing
The elevators are very numerous. every
town having from two to six and many
are being built even now,
There is a good chance for men with
money to invest or to loan, as per cent
is the nominal interest here with real
estate security, and that very good.
The price of farm land varies from Sl8
to $50 per acre, although many farms
are not for sale at any price. Some
are beauties, although chances are of
ten good to buy homesteads cheap as
some people have to move On toward
the front every so often and will sell
very reasonable.
The new towns grow up IN ever night
and have had the pleasure of seeing
few of them. Some not more than
three months old have had two or more
general stores. meat market. livery
and feed stable, large hotel, restaurants,
/ two or three lumber yards, three ele-
vators, several implement houses, black
smith shop, barber shop and pool room.
| have known of towns where there
turned six mont. before that have
now twenty or more places of business.
If these towns were backed by class
of Vernon county's best farmers they
would certainly make wonderful towns
in short time.
The farmers here are mostly of the
get-rich-quick kind, and only work
spring and fall, but il NAV be said of
4 he, kav a 4 ha
not seen an acre plowed this fall but
many are discing and narrowing sum
mer following getting ready to seed
early. There will be many acres of
grain stubbled in next spring as usual.
Everything Is high here. Good work
horses bring from $500 to $500 a span,
! with some teams worth $1,000 There
are manv good mule teams ard the
horses are of the very best. In many
localities oxen are used and are great
boon ia the homesteader. Good cows
are high priced and milk sells at 10
cents per quart imperial measure, which
is one fifth more than the standard in
the United States. Butter is IS cents,
apples retail at cents per pound and
fruit of all kinds is so per cent higher
than at home.
The province of Saskatchewan lies
north of degree 40 and up to the 6Oth
reaching one. half of the way to the
Arctic circle, distance of $50 miles
north and south with width east and
west of 400 miles and has an area OF
300, 600 square miles, or equal to the
states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Mime sofa,
Michigan and Iowa. The southern and
central southern is the great grain belt
of western Canada. The north half il
mainly timber and has many small lakes
and rivers. The main rivers of the pro-
vince are the North and South Saskatch-
evan and the two have length nearly
equal to the Mississippi proper, and
have about the same length of naviga-
BILE water. The lumber business is car
ried on in the north nearly the same as
it used to be in Wisconsin. The logs
are in a large measure fioated but with
some railroads where water is not
handy. There is plenty of coal and a
good amount of gas and some oil but
/ the latter is not fully developed.
With best wishes to my home people
and hoping to see you at no very late
date, / remain Yours respectfully,
B. |. BAILEY.
Captain Nichols Dies in South
General Rogers received a telegram
Il l.. n. 4 a