Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 April 1917 — LETTERS FROM OUR READERS [ARTICLE]

LETTERS FROM OUR READERS

Newell, South Dakota, April 3. Mr. F. E. Babcock, Rensselaer, Ind. Dear Sir —Enclosed find postoffice order for $2 in payment for The Democrat. We could not get along without it as it gives all the news from our old home. While we are far from there, that seems to be our real home. Would say this has been a very long and hard winter here and is hardly over yet, as no farming is started. Thg snow is about all gone, but it is so cloudy most of the time that tfye land does not dry very fast. It has snowed about every day for a week in the Black Hills, but it snows up there about nine or ten. months of the year. The stock losses have been quite heavy over the country this winter. Some have had as bad as a total loss, some none, but most losses were from: 10 to 30 per cent. We got the 640-acre law December 29 last and there has been 99 per cent of the land in this county filed on and the other 1 per cent has contracts pending, so no use for anyone coming here for grazing land. But there are some homesteads yet under irrigation. I have a full section besides the eighty acres I bought, but have not proved up yet on part of it. Will take three years yet to complete me. Wil] farm yet this season under the ditch, but am getting started in cattle and want to get back to homestead after this. With best wishes for all in old Jasper, I will close,

H. H. HAYES.