Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 205, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 August 1911 — Rev. D. A. Tucker Writes Letter From Alexander, N. Dak, [ARTICLE]

Rev. D. A. Tucker Writes Letter From Alexander, N. Dak,

Alexander, N. Dak. Editor Republican: I will comply with the request that has been made that I should communicate with my friends through Rensselaer Republican. I will do so nqw, as the drought has been broken, which has been the~worst ever experienced here siiice this part of North Dakota, west of the Missouri river, was settled by homesteader®. It has been greatly aggravated by the fact that the present drought follows on the heels of the unusual protracted spell of dry weather last year. In many localities the soil was so dry the past spring that the seed sown, especially the late flax, did not germinate and grow until the present rains that began to fall the last of July. There are thousands of acteS: of hax that is Jpst now coming up. I have 45 acres of flax just now up, of course"too late to mature, unless frost should stay away like it does occasionally in old Indiana. In this immediate locality there was moisture enough to cause the wheat, oats and barley to grow, and gave promise of an abundant yield. Harvest hopes have been blasted by week after week, of Withering, blistering burning heat, with no refreshing rain or cool interval to stay the disaster. Notwithstanding all this, in all of this country where men have adopted the dry farming plan are going to reap some grain. I will get from five to eight bushels pt' wheat per acre The flax that was upwn before the hot winds and intense drought set in that had moisture to germinate wii' make a fair crop. Corn will be quite

good and the potatoes that looked 4U* though past redemption have been revived and we will have a yield. We will admit that there are many unfortunate homesteaders in the drought stricken belt, with reserve depleted last year as a result of the drought, will have to have aid where they, are or take ads vantage of the Warren bill just passed by the senate allowing homesteaders in the drought stricken districts to leave their lands until April 15, 1912, without the loss of any of their rights. Not many here will leave because of the drought. We expect to leave our possession here this fall. Not because of the drought, however. We proved up April 15th, last, expecting to'take a pastorate. If we do not, we expect to rent our place, which is a£good one, and go back east, for the winter, at least Our health has beer, exceptionally good until recently. • \Ve are deeply interested in the coming of the factory and the new depot and the improvement of the M. E. church. And we are adjusting our glasses ap we can see the interarban railroad. . f \ Regards to all our friends. REV. D. A. TUCKER and FAMILY.