The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-08-06

o. rY, 80 J.:s9tseY$ .5l. 8etsfiel;i.
10Y . HssStt- * "a Ssss 81 sSls - 1888
MS Ell t~sS s.. 4 rtst y. gli.a .at'5he
I :, :si,sleh. gQsth .tsgas.: .,"QGl .thtge
II sithati &otl.i Mai?ch ,d1es

10 /. Th!;;ia 't4;. i;fi1, :Sonfetirh&s.. after
hhaAy I;n3r *.0a cam see the dust
blowing around few hours later. We
are not SUFFERING :sS.:: ~" hH"vN
rains out there Our farmers are
reaping the best harvest they have
ever had. In many places the wheat
goes 80 10 b bushels To the acre.
Corn. too, is very good in South
Dakota though il is so backward
here in Minnesota. This is indeed
remarkable. in view OF the fact that
there used TO he no corn in South
Dakota at all
What we are most afraid OF out
there is not heavy rain, but hot. dry
wind. We have had no such winds
this year Last year. however. there
was such a wind that shrivelled up
the wheat around Redheld in such
way in twenty four hours. that the
yield was reduced twenty five per
cent.
Farming is regular gamble in
South Dakota. Farmers take their
chances as they do not in other
places. There is never a sure thing
OF getting a crop. II the farmers
would 20 into diversified agriculture
more. there would not be such big
chances for gain or loss, but they will
not do that as rule. For the most
part they are willing TO stake every
thing on a wheat crop.
1T is only in places where there
has been Il great deal of bad luck. us
ually with dry weather. that the farm
ers get interested in dairying. SO they
4. Ln
been succession of several crop fall
ures. the people begin 10 milk their
cows. and go into the dairying bust
ness That is much safer and surer
than the raising of wheat There Is
plenty of the buffalo grass, which
seems peculiar to the Dakotas. for the
cattle TO feed upon and il Is very
nourishing. There has also been some
raising of alfalfa in South Dakota. and
il has done fairly well. But. on the
whole the farmers stick to wheat.
we have heard great deal about
the lands in South Dakota being ex-
hausted by the continual raising or
wheat | cannot see that there Is
anything in that report AS far as
can see. the Dakota lands are as
good producers of wheat as they ever
were. though. it must be admitted.
that those farmers who have tKfed al
ternating wheat and corn produce bet
ter results.
Farming in South Dakota is not.
as rule. done in the best way. There
is a great deal of very poor farming.
The trouble is that there Is so much
land that the farmers do not care to
get the most they can out OF an acre
of land. The section farm Is very
common thing. When the quarter
section farm gets to be the thing and
the farmers have to do their work
right, then | believe South Dakota
will amount to something.
Many people have made great
deal of money on South Dakota lands.
In our town of Redfield. we have a
very prosperous community. Five
years ago | saw in the Automobile
Guide statement that there were
more automobiles in proportion to the
number of people than In any other
town in the United States. There was
an average of one auto for ten
people.
Around Redfield the grain is fine.
| Three weeks ago there was heavy
storm and the grain was beaten down
| to the ground But it soon rose
again and few days OF dry weather
brought it right up as II had BEEN.