The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-07-17
Old Settler Recalls How O4en
Fighting Mosquitoes, Pushed His
Claim Shdnty to Another Section

Old Settlers day at the fair has
brought to the city several men who
do not now live within the state
but who were closely linked with its
early history and still hold large in
terests within it's borders.
One Of these men is G. G. Hartley,
for many years past a resident OF
Duluth, but still a North Dakota
farmer. Many Of the old settlers IN
Fargo today will readily recall the
energetic young farmer who began
his first operations eight miles north
Of Mapleton when that city was only
a. railroad siding and the main
streets Of Fargo itself were not TO
be attempted in rainy weather WIN
less than six oxen on an empty
wagon. In those days farming In
North Dakota was a summer oc-
cunation only. During the winter
months horses and equipment were
shipped to the numbering regions. Mr.
Hartley followed this program Tor
several years, thirty years ago, ana
later was the first man to set the
plows in the rich soil OF the hope
district at the time when the crane
and antelope were the only living
things to relieve the monotony or
the prairie in that region. oxen
were used and Mr.. Hartley humor-
ously recalls how in their efforts to
fight the mosquitoes on still nlghts'
the oxen, rubbing along the sloes
of his claim shanty would push II
from one forty to another, so that
a. compass was necessary in the
morning to locate the ploWs.
Early Hardships. -.
''With bad water and little OF II
to be had with the greatest effort
EXPENSIVE toting of supplies Tor
miles across the prairie, not neigh
Dor as far as the eye could see. the
lonesome task of opening up a farm
at Hope in those days can scarcely
be realized today" said Mr.. Hartley
in recalling early days. But the
crops went in-were harvested, set
tiers came in one by one, little
colony grew and today the splendld
fields Of the Hope district are the
result"
farming interests at Page, where he
operates nearly a section To-Day
known as the Hartley Stock farm
in conjunction with Sen. H. r. Hart
man of Page.
Becoming convinced some seven
years ago that continuous cropping
without returns to the soil or any
fertilizing element would ultimately
destroy his land, Mr.. Hartley after
carefully investigating WIN Mp:
Hartman the merits of various peer
breeds of cattle, selected the Aber-
deen-Angus. went into Iowa and
purchased a foundation herd. To-
day at the stock farm at Page are
over 100 head of the choicest pure
bred Aberdeen-Angus that money!
could buy.
To the North Dakota farmers who
are hesitating in their decisions as
to the wisdom Of using cattle as up
builders Of soil, q trip through the
fields of the Hartley stock farm at
VPage will be Illuminating. The
citizens of Page will point to fields
there that with fair moisture condl-
lions hint of 80 to 40 bushels Of
durunl.
Although now rated as one Of the
wealthiest men in Minnesota be-'
cause of his iron holdings, Mr.. hart
lev has retained all his interest IN
farming and is today operating two
other farms, one of 500 acres im-
me6iately adjoining Duluth, and the
other the Island farm, 80 miles west
of Duluth. where he has $50 acres
under cultivation and keeps one OF
the great pure bred Guernsey herds
of the country. A 2OO-foot dairy
barn houses a herd Of 1850 head of
pure bred Guernsey cattle and is
today attracting wide attention from
the, best cattle fanciers in the coun-
try. Mr.. Hart1ey's Island farm has
on the show circuit a splendid Guern-
sey herd this year and it is at pres
ent at the State Fair grounds at
Fargo. They are imported animals
direct from the island Of Guernsey
and seven half sisters and brothers
of a bull recently sold for $1,000.
This show herd is just starting on
to Grand Forks and then ION to,
Crookston and from there to the
state fairs of Missouri, Iowa, Min
nesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. and
then to the Waterloo Dairy congress
and National Dairy show at Column
bus, O., returning home to Island
farm Nov. Is.