Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-01-02
''WHY / EMIGRATED"

e
THE NOTES OF A PROMINENT
joURNAllsr WHO MADE 4
TRIP THROUGH WESTERN
CANADA.
= pgom1nent journalist from Chi.
oAens. some time ago. made . tourney
'unroush Canada obtaining . thorough
knowledge Of the land ana people and
Of the "boundless possibilities" that
canada. the virgin land, affords. In
ID American Sunday newspaper he
pubhshed after his return the interest.
ing account which We print a. fol-
lows. He writes:
Why did you emigrats from the
United States?" I asked q farmer In
Western Canada.
I believe that for a poor man West
efn Canada Is the most favorable
land was the reply, "and I have now
found that 1t Is the Paradise Of the
Poor"
The farmer. a pioneer Of the vest.
mad ' years earlier left Iowa for
Canada to secure a new home there.
After traversing the country for some
time. he started his home on the open
prairie and with steady industry de-
voted himself 90 the working Of the
virgin soil. Now he Is the well.to-do
owner Of that endless sea of waving
wheat ears that goes on for miles be-
3 my eyes. His strong. sunburned
figure finds the best background in his
1arm itself, which is the outcome Of
Ads ~oeaseless activity pretty two
storaed dwelling house. q large clean
stable. In the midst Of q hamlet Of
barns. sheds and outbuildings. a use
M garden overlooking with products;
horses. cattle. sheep end swine on the
rich pastures, and around to the hori-
ION wheat, golden wheat.
I'm Iowa?" the farmer continued. n
hfmed on rented land, for at the price
Of 800 per acre l did not possess
money enough to buy. 1 might farm,
4 might farm as l could, more than the
living for myself and family, 1 could
not attain. Sometimes the harvest
turned out good, sometimes bad. but
tho grand total was q bitter combat to
Keep want from the door. 1t was i'm
possible to lay by for bad times and
In spite Of all trouble and work an old
age free Of care was not to be
thought OF. Ny death would have
brought bitter poverty to my wife and
children.
II decided to breakup and go to
Canada, where at least I could fight
out the struggle for existence on my
own land. I started out with a mule
team, all my earthly possessions were
q the prairie-schooner with my wife
and children. Then l took up a home
stead Of 100 II to which 1 added
b. purchase gradually; now as q
whole / count about 5000 acres "a my
own. The whole property is free Of
debt I do not owe q cent to anyone.
I bought my land for $3.50 per acre.
now I would not give 1t up for $50"
~Do you mean to say that you paid
Tor the whole land in the Ave years?"
interrupted.
TN q much shorter time" replied
the farmer. 1.-THE land paid for itself,
some already by the first harvest, and
ct longest in 3 years each field had
brought In It's purchase price. II you
doubt that land in Western Canada
pays for itself within 3 years you can
easily convince yourself Of the truth
Of my assertion. Let us assume that
. farmer buys a farm Of 100 A. at SIS
Per A. for $1,000. Farm machines,
seed, ploughs, moving and threshing
might bring up the outlay to about
SO per ere II the farmer sows the
100 A. for 3 years in succession with
wheat and harvests 20 bus. per acre,
& then the product Of an A. at the aver-
age price Of 75c per bu. is exactly SIS
Per acre. II you deduct the SO out.
lay, you viii retain a clear return Of
$500. For 100 A. the annual excess
amounts to $500, consequently the
farm has after the third harvest
brought In the purchase price OF
e1.A00.
"Sometimes-and not rarely-the
land pays for itself by the first harvest
of IS bus. Of wheat bring in more than
the purchase price Of SIS per acre.
A. In some years 1 harvested more
than IS bus, you can reckon for your
self how quickly I paid for my farm"
would you not prefer your own
farm In Iowa?" I asked.
no" replied the farmer. never
win I 60 back, in general very few
American settlers return to the old
home. In Iowa . 100 A. farm costs