Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1930-01-30
GOOD Southeastern PINE

Editor Askov American:
came to this country about 10
years ago. have travelled over north
ern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michi
gan looking for a piece of land upon
which to make my home. At last
struck Kingsdale. Things looked good
when | came and the country looks
good to me yet. l tried to make my
home in another place and could not
do so. l seeded three crops and never
harvested, then l thought it was time
to move.
1t is quite hard to develop a farm
in this country, but if l clear and
break one acre l have an acre of
ground that ] can depend on. l have
never seen it fail yet. l get a good
crop every year. Things may look
dark sometimes, but spit in your
hands and take a new hold. If we
give up, then we are lost. Some of
the leaders we have had, and we have
some of them left yet, should have
grub-hoe and be sent to work, then the
country would be a whole lot better
off.
| saw in a letter to the American
that 142 families have left this COM
munity on account of lack of funds.
That may be true. But the people had
to pay from $35 to $40 an acre for
wild land. On top of that they built
big schools so that the taxes got too
high. The people were not able to-
stand all the pressure. If they would
have sold the land reasonably at that
time then things would have been all
right today. The trouble all over the
country is that people are moving to
the cities, for there has been plenty
of work and the wages good. Now it
is getting slack in the cities and the
people have to go back to the farm.
If l should do things like the town
ship here--build expensive buildings
and borrow money | would not be
here today. Stumps and rocks will
not pay the bills. We have to figure
ty and state must do the same if we
are to continue to keep things going.
Now if we get forest reserve l can
not see that it will benefit the settlers
any. There are some pieces here and
there that we get taxes from. If the
government gets it, | can't see that
it would bring much more AS to
the work, we don't know how much
work they will do. Furthermore,
working out is not so profitable. 1t is
better to stay at home. l have ex-
perienced in working out that l lost
on it every time. Now if l keep that
up | will have no team pretty soon.
The money is spent and nothing done
at home and myself pretty soon worn
out too. If | work around home the
expenses are just about half.
This is not the only locality where
the settlers have moved out In old
settled localities, if you go through,
you see empty school houses, churches
and towns. ! was in. one town where
one farmer was milking cows. He had
the whole thing to himself There is
plenty of country left yet that can
not be farmed. 1t seems to me that
it would be best to plant timber there
first.
| heard that at some meeting it was
said that this. country is not worth
anything but for the timber and min
erals. | can't quite agree with that
statement. | have found out that we
can raise anything here that can grow
in any northern state.
This will be all for this time, be-
cause l am no writer, but l will try to
do my best, and I haven't much time.
ADOLPH ANDERSON.
Kingsdale, MINI.