The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-07-14
NUMBER "a.
A YEAR OF PLENTY

Never since this country was OPEN
ed up for settlement in 1912 have we
been blessed with such good crops as
we are this year. There is a large
acreage Of small grain--wheat, rye,
oats and barley, and it is all we'll filled
and maturing nicely, and is now being
cut and put III the shock. 1t is
wonderful crop. Alfalfa was never
better-the first cutting was harvested
a week or two ago and now the second
cutting is almost ready. The regular
weekly rains have kept the ground in
fine condition and the crop has not
been stunted or retarded in any way.
Corn is coming along fine Most of
1t is clean, but some fields have not
been cleared of weeds as they have
been too wet for the farmers to get
action on them with their cultivators.
Sod corn, of which there is large
acreage this year, is looking fine and
in most cases Is a good stand. The
wild hay crop is going to be great,
but for the best hay it will have to
he little drier than it is now, for the
grass as yet Is pretty washy on ac-
count OF the rapid and rank growth.
Never have We had such boun.
teous harvest of all kinds of wild
fruits as we have this year. Prac-
tically every kind of wild fruit that
grows here will make god crop, and
there will be any amount of this wild
fruit 90 to waste, as there will be no
one to gather and conserve it. We
have June or Sarvis berries, sand
cherries. chokecherries, currants, buf-
falo berries, grapes, and plums of sew
eral different kinds, and those who do
not have plenteous supply of jel-
lies and jams will have no one to
blame bnt themselves. We usually
have some wild fruits here, but it is
seldom that all varieties that grow
here make full crop. For instance,
last year there was nothing bat wild
grapes, but they gave US a bounteous
crop.
Quite nu,nber of the orchards that
were planted by our h6mesteaders aft.
er the county was opened to settle
ment are also bearing this year, and
there will be quite bit Of tame fruit
in this county. Col c. P. Jordan 3
large apple orchard south of Wood,
we understand, has a record breaking
crop. This orchard has been in bear.
ing for a long number Of years, and
1T is one Of the show places of this
county. Then, to cap the climax,
there is a big crop of prairie chicken
and grouse this year that will give
our sportsmen lots of good shooting
when the chicken season opens, about
two months hence.
Truly Nature has smiled on the
Rosebud and Mellette county in par
ticular. Garden truck of all kinds
IS looking fine and there will be plenty
OF everything that was planted. Po-
tatoes are making an excellent growth
and we look for one Of the heaviest
potato crops that have been grown in
this county for some years. Truly,
this is "year of plenty" Such a
crop as we have here ought to bring
rs large number of new settlers
next year, and especially so if the rail-
road should happen to begin building
)ut this way.
We have always maintained that
his section of South Dakota was the
real garden spot of the state, and the
rops here this year verify our conten.
ion We only wish it were possible
o bring several thousand people in
lere from Iowa and Nebraska who
lave been in the habit of renting
ligh priced land, and let them see for
themselves what this country is cap
bile of producing and We feel sure
hat our permanent population Of
farmers would be increased
many fold within the next year.
We extend an invitation to the
down-trodden renters'' in the high
riced land districts Of the neighboring
tates to come and share the many
'ood things with US provided by
,OunteOus nature