The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1921-03-10
74,564 FARMS In SD.
FIGURES OF HISTORICAL DEPART.
MENT SHOW DECREASE
IN NUMBER.

Is South Dakota, classed always as
an agricultural state, forsaking its
farm In q black to the city" move
ment? Statistics recently received
by the state historical department,
showing the number Of farms N the
state recorded by the fourteenth fed
ersl census, would indicate that this
Ia either taking place or that the
smaller farms are being combined,
making larger ones and thereby reduc-
ing the total number. In 1929, the re-
port shows there were 1854 farms in
South Dakota, q reduction since the
1910 census, Of 1 per cent, when 81
farms, made a gain for the decade be-
tween 1900 and 1910, Of AZ per cent.
The bulletin explains the word farm"
- used for census purposes as, "all
the land which is directly farmsd by
N person, either by his own labor
alone or with the assistance OF mem
bers of his household or his employees.
When a land owner has one or more
tenants, renters, choppers, or mana
NAO SolAObth SoALAnuSS thS AtAA
operated by each is considered a
farm" West river counties were re-
spcnsible for the reduction In the last
tee years, according to the table show
ing the number Of farms in each coun.
ty. Armstrong county, Ia the west
central part of the state, boosted of
1877 farms in 1910, but only IL in 1920.
Fall River, in the extreme western
corner, dropped from 1,524 in 1910, to
S13 in 1920. Lawrence county, along
with the six counties lying along the
Mountaineering border, held it's
own with AS farms in 1910 and 449
in 1920.
While this Is not the regular open
season for snake stories" ons comes
from Winner, In which a rancher de-
clares tas fact that a few days ago
he killed over 200 snakes at his place.
He says that the water in the wen
which supplied the house had a Pc
culiar taste and he decided the well
needed cleaning. After the water had
been pumped out in an effort to clear
OGI Lho poIlOIh VI ILC "OiB
snakes were seen in the cracks Of the
loose stone wall. This started an in
vestigation and a tearing out of the
entire wall, revealing over 200 rep.
tiles of varying sizes making their
homo in the we'll. A new and snake
proof wall has baen put into the well
to prevent any further such trouble.
Information has been received that
q band Of five bandits have been loot
ing stores Yin the vicinity Of Salem,
Spencer and other small towns. The
band Is headed by a woman, said to
be beautiful, who is the advance agent
of the gang. She visits the towns Sc
lected as the of the contemplate
ed robberies, and on several occasions
has vamped clerks and obtained in
formation concerning the LAY" Of a
particular store. This information is
conveyed to her male accomplices,
who visit the stores at night and carry
away loot in the automobile with
which they are provided. Officers of
several counties now are watching for
the gang.
A move Is under way TO obtain the
Bads Leads Of South Dakota as a ma
tional park. Most Of the tract is yet
government land and will not be taken
ander existing land laws, as it is not
agricultural land. 1t is claimed that
the Bad Lands of the state are more
interesting in their characteristics
than are the Bad Lands of North Da-
kota, and a large part Of that terri
tory could easily be transferred to a
national park. The South Dakota
strata Ia said to be one Of the great
est fields in the country in which TO
study prehistoric life through the spec
linens which are scattered in the
shales Of that section.
W~atertown's new vocational high
school building project launched two
years ago, but postponed, due to ris-
ing construction costs, may reach the
sexual construction stage this spring
and summer IL the voters decide in
favor Of a school bond issue of $3.50
coo at a special election March p.
The government has installed an
siectrio lighting plant at Cheyenne
River agency, and that agency no
longer depends upon the old fashioned
kerosene lamps for its lighting facil,
tiles.
It is expected that in the near fu'
ture Sturgis will become the center of
a new oil field. A number of leases
of land already have been signed and
plans 40 being made for drilling TO
start In tia AGAR future.
A number OF counties in the western
part OF the state are providing dipping
watts at convenient locations for the
dipping OF cattle this spring, as a de-
term5ne cd effort is being maue to eradi'
cate scabies from the state the present
year.
The Eighmore board Of education
has sold bonds Of $685. 600 which were
issued to provide additional school IA
cilities.
The Lutherans Of Egan and vicinity