FARMING IN DAKOTA.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2662, 18 October 1882, Page 3

FARMING IN DAKOTA.

‘Yea, air,’ resumed the Dakota man, as the crowd o! agriculturists drew back from the bar and seated themselves around a

little table ; * Yes, sir, we do things on rather a sizeable scale, I’ve seen a man on one of our big farms start out In the spring and plough a straight fall. Then he turnedfround again and harvested back.’ ‘Carry his grub with him?’ asked a Brooklyn farmer, who raises cabbages on the outskirts.

‘ No, sir. They follow him up with a steam hotel, and have relays of men to change ploughs for him. We have some big farms up there, gentlemen. A friend of mine owned one on which he had to give a mortgage, and I pledge you my word the mortgage was due on one end before they could get it recorded at the other. You see it was laid off in counties.’ There was a murmer of astonishment, and the Dakota man continued—- • I got a letter from a man who lives in my orchard, just before 1 left home, and it had been three weeks getting to the dwellinghouse, though it travelled day and n’ght ’ ‘ Distances are pretty wide up there, ain’t they ? ’ Inquired a New Utrecht agriculturist.

‘ Reasonably, reasonably,’ . replied the Dakota man. * And the worst of It is, it breaks up families so. Two years ago I saw a whole family prostrated with grief. Women yelling, children howling and dogs barking. One of my men had his camp truck packed on seven four - mule teams, and ho was around bidding everybody goodbye.’ ‘ Where waa’he going ? ’ asked a Gravesend man.

‘He was going half-way across the farm to feed the pigs,’ replied the Dakota man. ‘ Did he ever get back to his family ?' * It isn’t time for him yet,’returned the Dakota gentleman, ‘ Up there we send young married couples to milk the cows, and their children bring home the milk.’ * I understa'd you have fine mines up that way,’ ventured a Jamaica turnip planter. * Yes, but we only use the quartz for fencing,’ said the Dakota man, testing the blade of his knife with hla thumb, preparatory to whetting it on his boot. * It would’nt pay to crash it, because we can make more money on wheat. 1 put la 89C0 townships of wheat last spring.’ * How many acres wonld that be ?’ *We don’t count by acres. We count by townships and counties. My yield was 68,000,000 dols on wheat alone, and I’m thinking ef breaking up from eighty to a hundred more counties next season.’

* How do you get the help for such extensive operations? ’ asked the New Utrecht man.

• Oh ! labor is cheap,’ replied the Dakota man. 4 Yon can get ali yon wont for from 29 Jola to 47d01a a day—in fact I never paid over 48dols.

' la laud cheep ? ’ ‘No 5 land ia high. Not that it costs anything, for It don’t; bnt under the laws of the territory yon have to take ao much or none. I was in luck—had a friend at Yankton who got a Bill through the Legislature, allowing me to take 420,000 square miles, which ia the smallest farm there, though ft is—'

‘ Look hero,’ eaid the barkeeper, aa the Eastern husbandmen strolled out in a bnnoh to consider the last, 4 la all this thing you’ve been tolling true ?’ ‘ Certainly,’ responded the Western man ; ‘at least It ia a modification ef whst I saw In a Dakota paper that was wrapped around a pair of shoos last niiiht. 1 didn’t dare put It as strong as the paper did, for no one would believe it. You can slate that last round of drinks and I’il pay in the morning. I live right here on Myrtle avenue.’