Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, December 9, 1915, Page 24

| | —— THE BEMIDJI DATLY PIONEER THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1915, Lands Identical With Fertile Lands of Europe Thousands Of Acres Of Muskeg Lands In County By 0. L. Dent, Ditch Referee. In Beltami county there are many thousands of acres of peat or what is commonly called “muskeg” lands. Owing to the vast reclamation of these lands in this county, it seems only fair that the possibilities of these lands be published, as far as can be ascertained at this time. The writer does not profess to be an ex- pert on peat lands, but feels he has had some opportunity to see peat de- velop, and feels that any information he can impart to those who are lo- cated on these lands in Beltrami coun- ty, may be of some use to them. Peat is a partly decomposed and disintegrated vegetable matter, and has accumulated in any place, where ordinary decay or chemical decompo- sition has been more or less suspend- ed—it may be for generations—and according to its origin and the con- ditions under which it accumulates, it may vary in color from brown to black; in texture it may vary from a light spongy matter, that is porous, coarse, fibrous, and even woody, and |- when dry, easily falls to pieces. ‘When wet, it is as plastic as clay. Forms of peat, devoid of structure and when dry, forms a dense, hard mass resembling a low form of lignite. In all cases, peat, when found, is quited saturated with water, and un- der natural conditions, will contain from 80 to 95 per cent water. The agricultural possibilities are many and there is no question but that when thouroughly drained and pro- perly tilled, these lands become most productive. They are indentical with the fertile lands of Holland, Belgium and Germany. Those coun- tries have been successful in the till- ing of this soil, and it seems quite feasible, that this country will, in the course of a few years, become likewise, and the great bogs of Bel- trami county will be the most pro- ductive of aii. Observations made at the time from those already farming these lands, leads one to believe that the proper procedure to cultivate this land, is first to drain the bog, which takes from one to two years to get the wa- ter table lowered to the proper depth. However, the first season that the ditch is dug, the clearing and burn- ing of the moss or sedge mat, should take place. After that as soon as possible, a discing or plowing should take place. This procedure causes aeration, which has a tendency to sweeten the soil. In addition at this time, a goodly layer of manure or fertilizer should be placed on the land. Owing to the many conditions, which exist in this soil, great care should be taken as to the kind and quantity .of fertilizer put on. Per- haps the best way to find out, would be to have samples of the muck sent to the State University and have it analyzed. Some experiments have been made with marl, and have prov- er very satisfactory. Many acres of good marl are found within a radius of a hundred miles of these swamps, and it will only be a question of time until it can be bought very cheap. There is one feature of these lands, especially those, which are already under cultivation, and that is that each year brings a more bountiful yield, and crop failure is unknown. In our sister states, Wisconsin and' Michigan, where they have thousands of acres’ of this type of soil under cultivation, . with many different kinds of crops, the grasses seem to be the most satisfactory. Many of these fields are yielding from three to four tons of timothy hay each year. There is no reason. why.Bel- trami county, with her vast acreage of these lands, cannot become the leader of the state in the raising of fine grasses. In conclusion, I find that there is only one procedure with these lands. First, carefully drain your land in- to the large laterals already provided. Second, burn the moss, clear from stumps, roots and grubs, and then dise, harrow, and plow until a good seed bed is obtained. Third, - use plenty of manure, marl and other fer- tilizers to sweten and enrich .the muck. Fourth, the selection of the proper crop to be grown. This done, and Beltrami county. will fullfill the prophecy made by those who had faith in her when reclamation was started, that Beltrami county in Northern Minnesota, was destined to become the land of certainty and the greatest of dairying counties of the| state. M. & I and Soo Depot, Bemidji THE FORD SERVICE STATION —figures out just how to keep the cost of car main- tainance down to its lowest standard.. When you buy a car it must be remembered that the upkeep cost 1s going to be an item. The upkeep of the FORD is a small item, especially is this true when our service de- partment takes charge of your car. PROOES, NOT PROMISES —we:sthnd ready to offer you. Reanlts plus lasting service Tor every part of your automobile, regardless of its make. It pays in the long run to employ the best, and that’s what you are sure of here. DO NOT FORGET ‘ ’ —That our accessory department is one of the most complete and up-to-date in the state. We fill orders by mail for- car owners on parts for miles and miles around. Quick:service, you know, satisfies. Tires and Tubes, Spark Plugs, Radlat- ~or Covers, Seat Covers, Pedal Pads, Pres-O-Lite Tanks, Carbide, SeIfStarters,Wood Alcohol C. W. JEWETT CO,, Inc. Bemidji, Minn. Phone 474 y ® | BEMIDJI'S FIRE DEPARTMERNT ONE OF BEST IN STATE Bemidji is known to have one of the best fire departments in this sec- tion of the state. During the past few years there has been no large fires and although there_has been.blazes that have been costly, serious and thireatening to surrounding -buildings the flames have been in nearly all cases con- fined within the yalls where they originated. The department is composed of 35 volunteer firemen of which the offic- ers are Hebert Doran, Chief, Ray Den- nis, assistant chief, Scott Stewart, secretary, and' John Goodman, treas- urer. The equippment of the company is valued at about $15,000. It in- cludes a Seagrave Fire Auto truck and chemical, a horse drawn hose wagon, a steam fire engine and over 3,000 feet of hose. There are 93 water hydrants in“the city. A new alarm system, notifying the firemen of fires, is being installed at a cost of nearly $400. The Bemidji Fire Department Re- lief Association is an auxiliary or- ganization which provides for sick, injury and death benefits’ resultant of service at fires. In addition to the city department the Crookston Lumber company has fire apparatus. THIRTY MOTHERS GET PENSIONS FROM COUNTY Beltrami, like other counties in the, state, gives mother’s pensions. There are 30 mothers who each month receive a total of $580. The mother pension law in the state was ‘drawn up by Sen. W. A. Campbell of Minneapolis and passed by the 1913 legislature. Under the law any woman whose husband is in a penal institution or an asylum, or who is dead or has a physical de- ficiency preventing him from work- ing may apply for .a pension. The number of children she has does not matter as long as they are all under 14 years. As high as ten dollars for .each child may be given. A mother may continue to draw ten dollars. a month for each child until 14 or until the child has passed that age or until the woman marries again or. becomes self supporting. Deserted or divorced mothers are nct allowed to draw pensions. All cases are thoroughly ‘investi- gated before pensions are granted. MANY LIGHTS KEEP DARKNESS FROM CITY Bemidji is a well lighted city. To.ward off the darkness there are nearly 350 lights of various kinds in its six miles square of territory. Of these 129 are single street lights, 40 arc lights and the bal- ance are distributed on ten arches in the downtown district. On Third street and. Minnesota avenue there are a number of cluster ornamental lights. The arc lights are being replaced by a gas filled electric light which will give much better light than un- der the old system. The arcs are 1,200 candle power. The Minnesota Electric Light & Power company' furnishes the elec- tric power and maintains the lights for the city. The successes made by settlers in Beltrami County read like fairy tales, yet they are as true as gospel. The stories of failures are few and far between and can usually be traced to a cause for which the country is in nowise responsible. * KKKKKEK KKK KKK KKK NO VACANT LAND. IN COUNTY AFTER 1917 “By 1917 there will not be an acre of vacant land in Bel- trami county,” is the prophesy of J. L. George, County Audi- tor. XAk hkkkkkkhknr * ok ok ok ok ok ok okt HAD EXCELLENT EXHIBIT AT MINNESOTA STATE FAIR Beltrami county secured third prize on county exhibit and first en potatoes at the Minnesota Staie Fair this year. The exhibit included 10 foot field peas, five foot red clover, Alaska wheat (60 bushels to the acre), 96 bushels silver mine oats, four foot second cut alfalfa from the high school farm, 40 bushel barley, ex- hibits of blue ribbon wheat, French lizo oats and Wisconsin No. 1 pedi- greed rye. One farmers' club ex- hibit contained 22 varities of wild grasses. BEMIDJI TREE AT SAN FRANCISCO EXPOSITION A four foot whitd pine tree dug up from within the city limits of Be- midji was planted by Governor Win- field Scott Hamond, July 22 -last, “Minnesota Day” at the San Fran- ¢iseo World’s Fair. Every State planted a tree on the fair grounds. SECURE 875 BUSHELS OF POTATOES FROM THREE ACRES ‘W. G. Schroeder of Bemidji dug more than 875 bushels of Burbank potatoes .on his farm-four miles west of Bemidji. The potatoes averaged 250 bushels to the acre and at 40 cents a bushel the value of the crop would be not less than $350. There is no get-rich-quick scheme about subduing a piece of Beltrami County land. But patience and hard work will bring success as sure as fate. < There may be better places than Beltrami County for the man of small means, or the renter to make money, but if there be such places they have not yet been heard from. “Opportunity” and “Beltrami County” are spelled differently but ¥ X X x K % X &% &% %¥KK¥|they mean the same thing. BEMIDJI BUSINESS DIRECTORY CLASSIFIED ALPHABETICALLY ABSTRACTS OF TITLE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS SATHRE ABSTRACT CO. ABSTRACTER Schroeder Bldg. Bemidji, Minn. “THE NEW BEMIDJI” Sold in Bemidj At your favorite store Best nickle pencil on earth. ASK THE MAN BROSVIK, THE mmn m. 938 : BAKERS AND CONFECTIONERS KOORS BROTHERS N Manufacturers and Jobbers Ice Cream, nn:mom-.om.o-; tionery, Gigars and. Foun- 816 Minn."Ave. 'N.W. Hlou 128 KEMPS DRY CLEANING HOURE Clothes- Cleaned.and. Pressed. ‘We Call for and Deliver Fromptly. BANKING AND SAVINGS Save systemad unally Make useé of our Savings Department. We wel- come your open account. : : : : 'SECURITY STATD BANE Ghe Clothes Cleaners For Men, Women and Children ‘Wholesale and Retail Sewing Pianos, Organs and Machines. 117 Third St. Bemidji. Phone §573-W J. BISIAR, Manager. PENCIL SHARPENERS OSTEOPATHIC PHYSICIAN “The Boston” DR. F. J. DARRAGH : toro Specialist of Chronic Diseases $1.0 Free Consultation. Lasts a 1ife time. 208% 3rd St., over Blooston Store Phone 31. Day and Night Calls Answered m MERCHANDISE - --|. surrms -FOR-OFFICE - s, Dry nm, 'l‘ypumur ribboms, carbom paper, G‘“""" qu' ""'.n. typewriter paper, clips, paper _ fasteners, punches, eyslets nru’ul buyers ote., ote. buy here. Get quaatity prices W. 0. SCHROEDER PIONEER OFFICE STORE Phone 66. Phone 31 -PIONEER OFFICE SUPPLY STORE Everything for the Office and School Security Bank Bullding Phone 31 GROCER FANCY AND STAPLE GROCERIES . Holstead Coffee Beachnut.Brand of Jams and Jellies Fresh Onions and Rhubarb CASE'S CASH STORB DRUGS AND JEWELRY Wholesalers and Retailers. Service and satisfaction. Mail Orders given that same service you get in person. BARKER'S Third 8t. - Bemidfl, Mian. Becurity Bank Bldg. PHOTOGRAPHER Photos Day and Night N. L. HAKKERUP LOOK! LISTEN! If you have a piece of property or auto or most anything of value to exchange, see LONGBALLA & LEIGHTON LUMBER, COAL AND W00D LUMBER, COAL AND W00D Any qmtlty you want. Building material of all kinds. ST. HILAIRE RETAIL LBR. CO. Phone 100 - Bemidjt