Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-08-19
VISIT WEST AND YOU'LL BE
GLAD YOU LIVE IN WISCONSIN"
(By j. B. Keenan.)


tural and scenic beauty standpoint
one needs only to take trip through
some of our western states to have
this very firmly impressed upon their
minds.
In the past ten days the writer
made a trip to the western part of the
states of the Dakotas and Minnesota,
and can assure you that Grant coun
ty, its trees and green grass, with its
rolling lands could not help but make
an impression upon return.
Through western Minnesota and
parts of North and South Dakota as
far as the eye could see, nothing but
wheat and then more wheat with here
and there a patch of fax in all the
different stages, some of it being cut,
some just turning, some green with
pods we'll formed anS the late plant
ing just in blossom. The brown and
golden fields of Dakota made a fine
background for here and there a
patch of blue and green fax.
Corn Comparatively Poor.
Small grain was looking very we'll
and the people in most places were
elated over the CROP they were har-
veSting. Wheat was running from 9
to Is bushels per acre, and this in the
Dakotas is remarkable yield. We
hear much said of Dakota's corn, but
any corn that we saw on our trip
would compare very nicely to poor
stand of popcorn in this country
standing from three to four feet high,
tasseled out and many of the lower
| leaves burned by the exceedingly dry
weather. The corn is what is called
Squaw corn, and much of it is planted
upon new breaking in such a method
| that we would call rather shiftless in
this country. The burrows are turned
over in breaking, with no discing or
narrowing and yet they expect corn.
Has Small Rainfall.
| We have heard much of crop fail
ures in the Dakotas in the past ten or
| fifteen years. 1t is true that it is a
| dry country and if it were a country
with rainfall there is no doubt that it
would do wonders, but it is also true
that the methods that are pTacticed
are hardly such that we would expect
much, except under the best of cOndi-
tions. In the northern part of South
| Dakota and the southern part of North
| Dakota we would see scattering pieces
Of alfalfa, but most of the winter hay
is gotten from the prairie, of what is
known as Prairie grass, combined
with The old standby of the best Buffa-
10 grass. In many cases this is just
punched in the field near to that sec
ton of the range where they expect to
have as their winter range for their
livestock and will be consumed by the
livestock that run over this range dur
ing the winter months
More Horses Than Cattle.
The absence of trees and green
grass makes it look like rather des-
olate country. One can drive from
20 to 80 miles and as far as the eye
can see there is nothing but brown
prairie, especially well stocked with
horses. There seem to be more horses
being raised in the west than cattle
however, occasionally a good sized
drove of white-faced cattle could be
seen. Cattle of the Hereford breed
seemed to predominant through all OF
lthe. west, occasionally drove of An
gus would be seen and a few Short
Shorns.
The sod house is still used in the
west and many of the ranches are
equipped with far better outbuildings
than their houses. Silos are scarce
because of the fact that cattle are
ranged on the prairie in the winter
time, for one reason and perhaps the
other because of the fact that labor is
necessary to fill the silos.
Most of the western towns are
quite thriving, especially is this true
this year, when conditions are what
they call good Nearly all towns on
the railroad have four things for sure
lots of elevators, stockyards, bank
and garage. However, the banks are
not as numerous now as they were
about five years ago, as Dakota has
gone through a period of adjustment
Oftentimes we hear people talking
about how bad conditions are in our
home county and state, also stating
they think they will move west. If
conditions were ever bad in Wisconsin
we would hate to think what they
would be in the west. 1t is true a
great deal of money has been made in
the west and more will be made, but
the hardships one must go through and
the things that one is deprived of on
the western range make conditions
and life of the Grant county farmer
seem a great deal more attractive
Land is not being sold in Dakotas and
a great deal of the land that is owned
by Eastern people is being leased
rented or stolen.
In the irrigated sections of South
Dakota around Newell, Rapid City and
other towns in that section one is real
ly impressed with the great value
there is in being able to supply
plenty of moisture when needed. AL
falfa fields with first crop stacks are
plentiful and the second in the pro-
cess of being made or else the fields
that are being left for seed are in
full bloom and the seed crop looks
equal to that of last year. One other
advantage that Dakota has over Wis
consin is the fact that their land is
sufficiently supplied with lime to grow
leguminous crops without the applica-
ton of lime. but what they gain over
us in this case we offset in hundreds
of other ways.
Those of you who are dissatisfied
with Grant county and Wisconsin con