Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 August 1908 — JASPER COUNTY CONTINGENT PROSPERING. [ARTICLE]

JASPER COUNTY CONTINGENT PROSPERING.

Jasper Kenton has given The Democrat a little resume of the Jasper county colony near Mitchell,' .South Dakota, which will be of interest to thetr-rtitmy friends here. Fritz Zard has all of his 320 acres under cultivation in corn, oats and wheat, except about 60 acres. His crops are good and he is losing little by being drowned with the unprecedented raipfall of last spring. Charlie Zard, his brother, was badly worsted by the heavy rain, and Mr. Kenton thinks, fully 25 per cent of his crop was ruined by the wet weather. Mason Kenton has 160 acres of good corn with possibly 12 acres loss by water, and 280 acres of small grain with 50 or 60 acres that will be a total loss. Truman F. Nichols, who went out last spring, has lost about half of his crop by the wet process. He intended to plant five acres of potatoes, but the wet weather prevented him. doing so. Tim seems to have got’into a bad location, but while there is life there is hope.

Samuel Parker went out last spring also. He has an excellent crop on his 400 acre farm, but did not fare so well on some rented land. About ten per cent of a loss will result. J. A. Knowlton has one of the best fields of wheat in the surrounding country* and his oats is also good. He seems to be hooked up in fine style on small grain, although his corn crop is a failure. William A. Clark, son-in-law of R. B. Porter, has good crops all the way round, and has lost but little by water. E. S. Kenton has reasonably good small grain crops, but failed to get 160 acres ot corn planted on account of the wet spring. Jesse Saylor has been badly worsted by water in his small grain, and has but little corn. Bob Schook has good small grain crops and some corn. Jesse Ball is working for an Indiana firm from Kokomo, who have the contract of building a 879,000 postoffice building at Mitchell. He is getting his 12.50 per day, and has a steady job. It would appear from this report that these people are doing very well, everything considered. Mr. Kenton brought a small sample of Black Hill’s ’/soal with him, that seems to be of a better quality than that mined farther east in the Dakotas, as we understand it, this eastern coal is known as lignite or imperfect coal, being more like charcoal than anything else. This sample is-as hard as some Indiana coals and is said to burn freely. It is also plentiful. Premiums on butter—Home Grocery.