Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1914-06-11
Wisconsin Mans
Opinion of So. Oak.

NSdJIli do q DluIS "
residence are we'll set forth in tn
following interview published in The
Oshkosh, Wis, Daily Northwestern:
When the western farmer learns
how to do his work scientifically, the
state of South Dakota will become one
OF h wealthiest and most prosperous
agricultural commonwealth in the
united States. But at the present
time not n in ten knows anything
about practical farming"
This is the observation of ]. K
Terrell, Of the town of Omro, near
this city, who has just returned from
a trip to that state. made in the in
terests of the furnishing of suitable
feeding grounds for wild fowl.
IN the early days, when the land
was first settled" continued Mr.. Ter
rell, wheat vas found to be a profit
able crop. Everybody went wheat
and oat crazy and raised nothing else.
While the LAND was new this worked
well and 1t was not at all unusual for
a farmer to get better than forty
bushels of wheat to the acre. But the
constant use of the land for the same
crop has shown its effect in weaken
ing the fertility. Now the Weld is
from twelve to fifteen bushels of
wheat. But in a few instances where
farmers have learned how to handled
their land by fertiIi2ing and by rota-
tiCn Of crops they have brought thel
average back to upwards of twenty-I
five bushels.
Il did not hesitate, when talking
70 a farmer there. TO tell him he did
not know how to farm. He utilizes
great tracts of 800 acres and Upwards
and all that is not planted to wheat
Or cats is allowed TO so to grass and
IS not used. Few of the farmers keep
any cattle. and there is a great op-
rortunity there for stock raising. And
the farmers did not even house their
permitting it to stand out
n the sun and storms and even in
The snow in the winter. l knew that
was the custom some years ago, but
supposed it had stopped before now.
these South Dakotans wake up|
c what is real practical farming they
will make a greater success, for bet
er LAND than theirs cannot be found
anywhere on the fertile western
|,
South Dakota has some very pro.
sressive' laws, especially as they re-
ate to the liquor business. Under a
tate law every saloon closes at 8
at night and at that hour one t
annot even get liquor in any form
o take away with him. Sharp on the
the place is emptied and the "
locked. And l did not find anyI
lace, even in towns SO small as toll
ave but n saloon, where the IL
ense was less than 81, 600.
South Dakota is prosperous but lit
) not extravagant. For example, the {
nit of tax On farm property is four
Hills, while in Wisconsin we have
} pay as high as from seven to ten.
tut it does not have to build any
Dads or bridges. Just wearing the |
rass off the prairie makes good /
Dads and nature did not provide very /
Many rivers to bridge. There was /
thing that struck me as peculiar
nd that was the lack of trees. Nal
pre did not provide that state with
nuch timber and even that which has
'een planted does not grow well. II!
,aw many trees that had been setI
nut but they We're stunted and did not
ook thrifty like our trees here
Mr.. Terrell made the trip at the
Of the state of South Dakota
md that commonwealth paid all his
expenses. His trip was made in the
place of his son, Clyde, who has bel
an acknowledged expert on the
SUBJECT VI VIII LOWS HHu ln5lf lSSu,I
but who could not arrange to go at
this time. He went In company With
the state game warden, visiting about
Fifty lakes for the purpose Of planting
wild rice in order to furnish feeding
grounds for those birds. I did not
see any wild rice in any Of the lakes
| visited said Mr.. Terrell. 1T seems
TO be entirely foreign to that locality
have been many attempts to
propagate 1t there but In each case
dry seed was used, which would not
sink and root at all.
THE seed we furnished was guar
anteed to terminate, but we could
not guarantee II TO grow. II was
planted III good condition and It will
grow If conditions are right. I tested
every lake with litmus paper and
found each water to8be alkaline. dol
not know whether II will grow 3 i not
and I'VE could not guarantee that, nor
could we nyree IN make IL groW inj