Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 October 1906 — LETTER FROM NORTH DAKOTA. [ARTICLE]

LETTER FROM NORTH DAKOTA.

Buttzville, No. Dakota. Oct. 15,1906. Editor Democrat: — Having been here almost a month I concluded I would write you my views of Dakota. It is a fine looking country and the crops this year are as good as any I ever looked at. There was no threshing done when I landed here so I could see what grew here this year. The land is certainly very good but yet I am puzzled to know what to say to the poor man about coming here. One thing certain, if a man is able to get his teams and tools here, it beats Jasper, but it is here as it is in Jasper, the landlords figure for themselves and not for the renter. They rent for half and furnish the seed and agree to pay for their half of the threshing, but they figure from the stack. Now the farmers can’t stack their grain for they have too much, and shock threshing is ten cents a bushel, so the landlord counts four cents for his half, making the tenant pay sixteen cents. But taking wages into consideration—wages are about one half higher here than in Jasper county —I believe it is better here for a a poor man. To a man that can raise SI,OOO or $2,000 he would have a sure show to do well here. I was talking to a man this morning that came here three years ago with his wife and four children and thirty-two cents in his pocket. Now he has his team and tools to farm with, and is farming. If a man had money to invest in land I don’t belive he could he could do better than to invest here at Buttzville. Of course the atmosphere gets in a hurry sometimes and travels like everything' If you wear a straw hat you have to chase it a hundred yards every little while. I chased mine Saturday while the wind played Yankee Doodle with my over-coat tails. Yes there is lots of atmosphere here. I haven’t located yet but am about to rent f of a section five miles east of Lisbon. I was past John Brown’s place yesterday, but didn’t stop. He had a fine crop this year. Bud Hammond had 4,400 bushels of wheat and 2,000 bushels of oats and has 80 acres to thresh yet. Cut this in half and

you have what his share is. I mean to prospect over the country for the next thirty or forty days and find out what is here if I can, but if I was able to buy I would be satisfied to settle here, for I don’t believe land could be any better. Wishing you all health and a prosperous future, I remain, Yours Truly, Henry Snow.