Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 161, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 July 1917 — A WESTERN BOOSTER HERE [ARTICLE]

A WESTERN BOOSTER HERE

COL. A. J. HARMON, OF MITCH. ELL, SOUTH DAKOTA, HERE FOR-A SHORT VISIT. Colonel A. J. Harmon, better known as “Russ” by his Rensselaer friends, arrived in Rensselaer Tuesday afternoon feeling fit and fine and brimful of joy, said joy coming from the fact that he is living in the west, the land of opportunities. Mr. Harmon shipped two carloads of cattle from Mitchell to Chicago and came on down to Rensselaer for a visit with his parents and brother, Louis and family. “Russ” left Rensselaer for Mitchell, South Dakota, about 8 years ago. Mitchell is located in the stock raising district and in Davisson county. Mr. Harmon first engaged in the real estate business after locating in Dakota, but gave that business up after a short time, finding stock raising and farming much more to his liking and also more remunerative. Since leaving this city he has met with great success. He is now engaged in stock raising on a large plane and is also employed by the Swift and Armour plants of Chicago and ! other great western packers to do their buying.. Some time ago Mr. Harmon bought 160 acres of very .fine farm land, valued at SIOO an acre, and has it all in cultivation. He states that the com in that section is doing wonderfully well and that this year’s corn prospects are the greatest that state has ever had. The com acreage is larger than that of all the smaller grains put together. The acreage of oats and wheat this year is not as large as in previous years, but the yield promises to be greater. ~ The two carloads of cattle which Mr. Hannon just shipped to Chicago are the last of five carloads which he dry lot fed himself. The average weight of the cattle was 1425 per •head and sold at $13.60. “Russ” also told of the success that other people from this section were meeting with, which might be of interest to our readers. Samuel Parker, a former Jasper resident, has 400 acres of the best land in the Dakotas and is doing wel. Kenton brothers have 320 acres in cultivation; Mason Kenton 320 acres, and Charles and Fritz Zard each have the same amount. Sherman Lewis, a former Jasperite, is living on a rented farm but is reported to be doing well and obtaining his jusf amount of American dollars. The Dakota booster also swelled up with pride when the conversation turned to war, and told us that eleven counties in the state of South Dakota, including the one in which he lived, would not be required to provide a man for the first draft, as they already had provided their respective shares in the way of enlistments in the national guard of that state, the regular army and the navy. Probably no other state in the union can boast of such a record. It might be of interest to some here to know that Captain Rowley is the head if the Davisson county militia. Mr. Rowley is the son of W. B. Rowley, former citizen of Rensselaer. Capt. Rowley was on the border last summer, at which time he became acquainted with a number of the members of Company M. Mr. Harmon will leave tomorrow for a short visit in Illinois before re turning to Dakota.