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DAKOTA COUNTY HERALD
SEE RECORD CROP
Au.."-"...i"---H-""-'"'
THE STORY OF
OUR STATES
By JONATHAN BRACE
Western Canada Farmers Re
joice Over Bountiful Harvest.
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"A
ACTI nro ns much a part of tho
desert ns the snnd and the blinding
glare and the lack of water. The
desert without the cactus would be
like "Uamlet" with Hamlet left out.
There are something like Ave mil
lion square miles of desert scat
tered about the globe and It takes
about a thousand species of cacti
to go round.
But the traveler does not have
to visit all the deserts of earth to find variety
of species. Down on tho border line between
the United States and Mexico there are famous
cactus areas, where this curious and Interesting
plant mdy be found in bewildering vnrloty. At
one end of the scale the desert wayfarer sees
the giant saguaros, 50, 60 feet high, Jluted, col
umnnl forms with branching limbs and curving
lines. Close to the other end is the dreaded
choyns little round patches of glistening, frosty
white. And under every bunch are tho discarded
Joints, like little frosty pine cones covered with
spines. Old desert travelers claim that the choya
Is alive and leaps at man and horse. Certain It
Is that It seems Impossible to avoid the steel-llkc
thorns that pierce leather and flesh. Apparently
they are poison thorns, for the pain Is like no
other and almost unendurable; they sting and
burn nnd at the same time seem to freeze and
they stick like a barbed fishhook.
On the other hand, there is the bislgni cactus
which has saved uncounted lives of those who
know. Its barrel-shaped mass contains a fluid
resembling water; and It is cool. Then, again,
there is the cactus that furnishes "peyoto" a
stimulant of which the Indians are so fond that
congress has thought of passing legislation to
control its use. Again, there are cacti that fur
nlsh delicious fruits. Some of the cacti are good
eating. Somo are used for the manufacture of
a variety of articles ranging from toothpicks to
chairs. One kind of cactus has been used for
hrps ns a hair brush.
In short, the cactus Is almost aa useful to the
American of the Southwest and to the Mexican as
the buffalo used to be fo tho plains Indian. It
is no wonder that the cactus Is seen on the flag
of Mexico and many of the old-time coins and
that It is the state flower of more than one of
the American states of the Southwest.
Manifold as nre the present uses of the cactus,
there is every indication that Its usefulness will
be extended, by the evolution and development
of special -varieties. For example, there Is prob
ably a future for the spineless cactus as a food
for rattle. Any forage that can be grown on
the desert without Irrigation and has a food
value something like half that of alfalfa Is bound
to have a future. The world is presumably to
near further from Luther Burbank's experiments.
Dr. P. L. Sherman, experimenting with spineless
vurletles, found that they were rich In sugar and
were fitted for the manufacture of cheap candy.
It Is also eay to Imagine conditions a few years
hence under which It will bo worth while to
develop the fruits of the cactus family.
So, nil in all, the cactus family Is one of the
most Interesting In the world, to say nothing of its
value, both actual and potential. Dr. William
A. Murrlll of the New York Botanical garden
has written for the Scientific American Magazine
a mo3t interesting article outlining the many
uses of cacti. The article Is Illustrated from
photographs by courtesy of the United States
National museum. Says Doctor Murrlll:
It Is estimated that there are three billion
acres of desert land In the world; and, if theso
unnttractlve and unproductive wastes nre ever
to "blossom like the rose," it will be the cacti
or plants similarly adapted to desert conditions
that will furnish tho flower?. Desert plants were
like other plants once, but tho vital necessity
for preserving moisture gradually wrought a won
derful change In their appearance and structure.
Few of tho cacti now have any conspicuous
leaves, their place being taken by flattened
Joints, or pads, which are modified portions of
the stem; and even the sap has become mucilagi
nous or milky, preventing the loss of water to
tho hot, dry air by which theso plants are con
tinually surrounded. Spines of various shapes
and Blzes serve to protect them Against grazing
anlmalB that are often killed when driven by
hunger nnd thirst to devour these plants In spite
of their spines. Tho few forms of spineless cacti
that occur In the wild stuto always frequent
rocky ledges nnd other situations that are inac
cessible to most animals, if not to all,
Tho number of species of cacti recognized la
large, amounting to about one thousand, and' half
of these are found In Mexico. They vary from
tiny plants no bigger than one's finger to trees
V) feet In height, presenting all manner of queer
nnd Interesting shapes nnd furnishing the botan
ist with no end of knotty problems. Extensive
Elections of living plnnts may be seen under
glass at the New York Botanical garden, tho De
partment of Agriculture In Washington, nnd the
Missouri Botanical gardeu in St. Louis; while
others in the open are to be found at Itlvereldc,
"California: Tucson, Arizona; MewMla . N ,v
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Mexico; Laredo, Texas; Miami, Florida, and else
where. , Cactus plants are certainly not ornamental In
the ordinary sense, but beauty Is relative. A
forest of giant cactus trees stretching mile after
mile In the desert with nothing to rival them
may be decidedly attractive. In Mexico the cactus
ornaments the national banner nnd Is stnmped
on many of the 'older coins, whlie In Arizona and
New Mexico it has been selected as the stnte
flower.
The cactus family is noted for the magnificence
of Its flowers, which are usually large, often
fragrant, wide-spreading or tnbular, dlurnnl or
nocturnal, evanescent or persistent, and vary In
color from white, yellow, or orange to rose-colored,
deep-red, or purple. The calyx and corolla
are not distinct, but the numerous stamens In
the center are often differently colored and lend
an added charm to tho flower. The fruit Is often
brilliantly colored, highly ornamental as well as
useful, and lasts for a long time.
The cactus plant hns indirectly added much
to tho attractiveness of certain manufactured
garments by supporting the cochineal Insect, from
which the famous cochineal dye Is made. This
insect occurs on a species of Opnntia, the
cochineal fig, nnd Its near relatives, along with
other mites and scale-insects, but it Is so minute
and difficult to distinguish with the unaided oye
that It was long thought to be the seed ,or bloom
of the plant Itself. Leeuwenhoeck, In 1708, dis
covered that It was the female of an Insect (Coc
cus cacti), which never moved from n certain
spot on the cactus, the male being the active
member of the family, but colorless and therefore
useless. These Insects are harvested three times
during the dry season, being swopt from the cacti
Into wide-mouthed bags with stiff brushes and
killed In boiling water or hot ovens, after which
they nre dried In the sun and put up In small
packages for tho market. In this thoroughly
dried condition 70,000 inxects are required to
make a pound.
The ornamental value of cacti, although Im
portant, Is not uppermost In the mind of the
average Inhabitant of arid regions. The trunks
furnish him material for houses, corrals, fire
wood, etc., ana, when planted close together, they
form hedges that aro lasting nnd impervious. It
Is here behind a shield of thorns that the little
cactus wren finds n refuge from hawks where
she can build her nest and rear her young In
safety.
The cactus trunk Is composed of a wood axis,
or skeleton, surrounded by pulp. From thlB
skoloton table legs, chairs, napkin rings, canes,
veneering, etc., arc made. The spines also nre
useful, serving ns needles, toothpicks and pins
for mending leather or cloth. Some nre curved
nnd supply ready-made Ash-hooks, while tho
straight ones aro hound to silvers of bono to
form very efficient barbs. Ono species of cactus
bears fruits that resemble great chestnut burs,
nnd these hnve been used by the Indians for ages
ns hair brushes.
The pulpy parts of the steins nnd fruits nre
highly valuable as food both for man and beast.
The young pads, or Joints, may be rut Into Htrlps
nnd cooked like string benns, or boiled us greens
or stewed like okrn, or fried like eggplant, or
pickled, or made Into sweetments like citron.
"Tuna cheese" Ib mado from the fruits of certain
cacti, while the Juice of red fruits Is often used
In coloring ices, Jellies and enndies, nnd even In
water-color painting.
Tho traveler who "knows how" need never lack
for wnter where there nro cacti. He may cut
off the top of a barrel-cactus, pound up the pulp
and squeezo the water from It Into his drinking
cup, He will find It slightly snlty and bitter,
but clear and rather palntnble. Or ho may sup
port n cactus trunk on stones, build a fire under
each end, nnd mnke n hole In the middle, from
which the water will gradually trickle.
The Indian traveler also uses the milky Juice
of Mnmlllarta for healing cracks In his feet or
tor Internal enmplnlnts whtn on long Jornr.
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One of the most curious and interesting of tho
cacti Is the "mescal button," or "peyote," which
Is a strong stlmulnnt and allays all hunger nnd
thirst nnd fatigue for the time being. Tho Tara
humaro Indians nnd Hulcholes of Mexico mnke
a cult of the "peyote," going on long pilgrimages
In search of It and employing It both medicinally
nnd religiously as a cure for all bodily Ills nnd
a powerful uld to abstinence.
In certain parts of Mexico, Sicily nnd else
where, the natives live almost entirely on fresh
cactus fruits when they are In season. They
grow them in gardens and orchards nnd often
gather them at dawn when they are coolest, al
though their temperature Is nlwnys below that
of the surrounding air. They nre also used In
salads, preserves, pickled with lemons, dried, fer
mented ns a beverage, made Into a syrup called
"tuna honey," a thin paste called "melcocha," or
a thick paste similar to guava Jelly. Even tho
seeds are sometimes dried and saved to use when
the fruits nre gone.
Tho Barbados gooseberry, used for tarts and
sauces In the West Indies, Is apple-shaped and
decorated with small leaves or bracts. Tho plant,
Pcreskin aculeatn, is n straggling shrub with
slender branches, recurved prickles, glossy-green
leaves, nnd clusters of pale-yellow flowers.
The prickly penrs, or tunns, nre abundant nnd
much used. They nre pear-shaped or globular,
weighing from an ounce to a pound; red, yellow,
of purple In color; and usually sweet, though
sometimes ncld In flnvor. Tho skin contnlns clus
ters of tiny spicules, or glochldla, which are very
Irritating If taken Into the' mouth, so that care 1b
required In peeling them. They nre sometimes
called Indian ilgs or Barbary figs because of the1
numerous small seeds which they contain. Sev
eral species of Opunlln are cultivated for tholr
fruits as well ns for their edible Joints. Thq
flowers are large, usually yellow or orange, rarely
rose or red.
Delicious fnills nre those of Cereus pltnhnya
nnd lis relutlves. This species grows to tho
height of 00 feet and Its trunk reaches two nnd
a half feet In diameter. The fruit Is gathered
at dawn with long reed sticks nrmed with sev
eral prongs.
The fruits of Cereus glgunteus, n handsome
enctus of the Southwest, are also much esteemed
either In the fresh stnte or preserved. They nro
egg-shaped, two or three Inches long, green on
the outside nnd crimson within. The strawberry
pear, obtained from Cereus triangularis, Is pear
shnped, bright-red, with slightly ncld pulp, mak
ing It desirable In the fresh condition or ns nn
Ingredient of the "pepper pot" of the West In
dies. Excellent fruits are also produced by
LoniHlreocenms thurberl nnd certain other largo
tree-cacti, and thewi "pltnliayns" do not have tho
annoying prickles found In the fruits of Opuntln.
"ttiirnmhullns" nre the stnnll cunnntllko fruits
of Myrtlllocactus. They nro eaten fresh or dried
like rnlslns The melon mctl produce a number
of small eillhln fruits resembling tiny senrlet rad
ishes or red peppery. Tho Mexlcun strawberry,
found on a species of hedgehog cactus, Is snlmon
colored, two Inches In length, nnd very sweet In
flavor. It gets its iiiimn from Its numerous mi
nute seedfi. Tetezo figs, so Important to tho natives
of southern I'ueblii, are the fruits of n species of
I'nchycereiis.
Although many of the wild ctictl furnish valu
able food for inim and beast, It muHt he nd
mttted that there Is room for Improvement both
In the quantity nnd tl.e quality of this food. I
have visited Mr. Burbank's experimental grounds
In California and fully realize tho difficulty of
his task In dealing with the cacti and the Impor
tance of his results. Ills problem wns lo tnko a
vagrant, forbidding plnnt, and divest It of Its
thorns and prickles, breed out Its Indigestible
woody skeleton and Improve the size and llnvor
of Its fruits.
The fruits of the Durban); creations nre over
three Inches long, usunlly yellow or red In color,
and have flavors all their own, resembling ihos
of peaches, melons, pineapples, ate.
( by McClura Nwipapr, Byndlet.)
OKLAHOMA
OKLAHOMA holdl
tho record for
rapid growth. It was
In the first term of
President Benjamin
Harrison that Okla
homa was opened up.
Good farm land avail-
Able under the Homestead Act was diffi
cult to find so the United States bought
from tho Indians, who hnd been seg
rcgatcd In Indian territory, a largo
tract of somo -10,000 square miles that
hnd tieen used largely by the Indiana
ns pasture for their cnttlo and horses.
This was called Oklahoma, a word
meaning "lino country," and was ar
ranged to he ready for salo to homo
steuders at. 12 o'clock noon of April
22, 18S0. Troops were placed on
gunrd to prevent nny settlers entering
before Hint time for more than 100,000
"boomers" ns thoy wcro culled, enme
from all over tho country to obtain
farms or places for business. On the
stroke of the hour, bugles sounded nnd
the mad rush by men, women nnd chil
dren to locate claims began. Tho gov
eminent had arranged land offices at
many places at which claims could be
filed for the farms or city lots, and
all that dny these wcro besieged by
fighting mobs to register their selec
tions. Before nightfall hundreds of
farms wero staked out and Oklahoma
City nnd Quthrlo wero well on tholr
wny to become cities. Tho lnttor In
particular seemed to burst full fledged
from grassy plain to bustling city. In
less than three hours four business
blocks were laid out, and lined with
tents In which were shops nnd ofllcea,
A city council was elected at four
o'clock with over 10,000 votes cast,
nnd the Oklahoma Herald Issued Its
first edition before nil tho "boomers"
had reached town. In less than six
months Quthrlo had four newspapers,
electric lights, street cars, and half a
dozen banks. Additional lauds were
opened up for settlement In later years
nnd the same scenes of phenomenal
growth wero re-enacted.
Thus was developed this region
which came Into the possession of tho
United Stales as a part of the Louisi
ana Purchaso in 1803 and which wns
set aside for so many years, as Indian
country. Previous to the formation
of Oklahoma territory, congress hnd
forbidden white settlers In tills part
of tho country, nnd this edict was en
forced by federal troops. As the de
mand for mora laud was felt and ns
the Indians decreased in numbers, In
dian territory was added to Oklahoma
territory, and In 1007 It was admitted
to the Union ns the Stuto of Oklahoma,
nddlng another star to our flag, which
for eleven yenrs had contained forty
five. The stnto has flourished to such
an extent that it has ten presidential
olectors, which Is mor than double
that of many of the older states of
larger size.
NEW MEXICO
I ITS r
I plies, New Mexi
co's history is close
ly allied with Old
Mexico. It was tho
Spanish who wero
its first explorers,
Do Vnca visiting this
region In 1030 and Coronndo four years
later. The natives were the Pueblo In
dlnns, although they aro sometimes
erroneously reputed to have been Az
flOPS 11R Hlfv UAtM wall nflvnilniifl flflO
the nrts and had n comparatively high
civilization. Theso Indians were con
quered In 1C98 by Juan de Onuto nnd
became subject to. Spanish rule, being
forced to work tho mines nnd pny
tribute. Missions were established
and Santa Fo was founded about 1005,
Except for a period of ten years
when the Indians revolted nnd main
tained their Independence, Now Mexi
co remained under Spanish control un
til In 1821 Mexico gained Its udc
pendenco from Spain. Then New Mexlcc
became a province of Mexico. Thus
It remained until tho outbreak of the
Mexican wur, when In 18-10 Colonel
Kearny marched from Fort Leaven
worth with his troops, occupied Santa
Fo nnd declared this region n part of
tho United States. By the Treaty with
Mexico In 1818, tho upper part of the
stuto wns formally ceded to the United
States and the Territory of Mexico
wns organized In 18C0, which reached
from Texas to California. Arlzonn
wns set off from New Mexico in 180!l
nnd a few years later a portion wiih
contributed to Colorado. Application
for admission as n stuto started lu
18IW), but It wns not until 1012 that
New Mexico became tho forty-seventh
state.
New Mexico ranks fourth lu slzo
among the states with an urea of
122,031 square miles, but Is sparsely
populated and accordingly hns only
three electoral votes for President
Favorable Weather and Fertllo Land
Combine to Pour Riches Into the
Hands qf Agriculturists.
There nro those In nearly every state
In the Union who have relatives or
friends, or someone thoy hnve known,
who nro residents of some of tho
provinces of Western Canada. They
havo gone thero to carry on tho pro
fession nnd occupation of farming.
Their progress hns been cnrcfully
watched nnd such news ns may come
from them or tho country thnt thoy
hnve taken pnrttal possession of will
bo rend with Interest. Importnnt news
Just now Is the condition of the crops.
Nowspnpcr correspondents nnd govern
ment representatives are now In a posi
tion, nftcr making n careful survey of
conditions, to announce that the crop
conditions lu Manitoba, Saskatchewan
and Albcrtn carry tho promise of an
early nnd bountiful harvest nnd farm
ers view the outlook with utmost
pleasure. Good growing weather hns
prevailed since seeding nnd nil cerenl
crops nro well advanced. Wheat
headed out hns long, heavy bends, and
big yields nre lndlcnted; predictions
aro being mado thnt the record pro
duction per ncro In 1015 will bo ex
ceeded. Harvesting began in some
sections In tho enrly pnrt ot August
An Interesting fenturo of tho sltuntton
Is the fnct thnt there aro no bad re
ports from nny -pnrt of the country
from tho lted river to tho Rocky moun
tains nnd from tho International,
boundary to Pence river. Thero will
also be good fruit, vegetable nnd root
crops.
Most rcmnrknblo has been tho germi
nation of most of tho grain. Mnrquls
whent sown on May 11 was fully
headed out on June 30.
Considerable advancement hns taken
plnco In tho Inst fow yenrs In the
growing of corn. Sunflowers are nlso
being grown quite extensively. Both
these do wonderfully well. On July 4
tho writer wns shown a twenty-ncra
field of corn that had readied a height
of upwards of five feet, while a flve
acro field of sunflowers closo by, was
entering for a keen ruco skyward. Both
will doubtless bo used for ensilage, to
which will bo added a splendid crop
of alfalfa or sweet clover, which also
have proved very successful. Now
tliat corn, sunflowers, sweet clover and
alfalfa have taken a liking to tho coun
try, It will mean a period of recon
struction In many farming districts,
and mixed farming will supersede tho
period of "grain mining" that, no mat
ter how fertile the soil, no matter how
generous It may bo in giving forth
from its great storehouse of nil the
properties that havo given to Western
Canada Us well-earned name of the
whent granary of tho world', too much
may be asked of It; tho departure from
this Into the sphere of more Intensive
farming, covering many generalities
not bofpre indulged In, will add dol
lars per acre to the value of this pro
ductive Innd. Those who have
watched the progress of Western Can
adu1 have been looking for the day
successfully. It hns how nrrlvSd. j
Tho cnttlo nnd dnlry Industry will
be given nn Impulse that will attract
thoso who have been wedded to this
kind of farm life, while none of the
Interest that may be taken by the grain
grower will be lessened. Already thero
is an influence following the fact that
corn nnd sunflowers enn be grown,
thnt Is lending to the erection of silos
in many parts of the country, all In
dicating a growjng satisfaction as to,
the great future that lies before It.
Due chiefly to tho drop in costs of
materials nnd wages, farmers through
out the prairie provinces are erecting
many buildings thlsfycar, says the edi
tor and manager of the Prairie Lum
berman, vho whs a vIsJorj Van
couver n few diiys "ngoT A "campaign
Is under way among the retail lumber
men and farmers, urging the erection
of 2,000 silos this year, and this Is
meeting with success, more plans and
specifications having been prepnred
nnd more structures being under way
prohluhly than at nny other time In
the history of the West. Advertisement.
Almanac an Old Institution.
Almanacs are by no means ot re
cent Invention, In fnct, thoro Is one
In tho British museum nt present
which wub Issued during tho reign of
Rnmcses the Great, and Is about
3,000 years old. In those good old
days almnnncs were worth having. In
stend of merely telling you thnt Mon
day was the first of April It wont
on nnd said th.t on that day you
mustn't start ou a Journey, or look
at n rat, or go outdoors before day.
; light, as these things were unlucky.
Protection Against Radium.
A physician using radium hns to In
sulate himself thoroughly from Its ef
fects. Dr. Belcherc of the French
Academy of Medicine Buys they must
wear gloves lined with lead, and spec
tacles containing lead salt; they must
hnndlo the radium salts with pincers
and sit at the table lined with lead, Ho
is perfecting u lend protector for the
heart and lungs, but udvlses'opcrutoni
to wrap themselves In thin lend sheets.
Jud Tunklns.
Jud Tunklns suys nature puts
enough scnles on u fish to give It more
of a bathing suit than somo hutuau
beings wear.
From Missouri,
"What In tho world are you kick.
Ing about?" asked tho red-headed land
lady. "When I took my room you
told mo there was n single hair mat
tress on the bed," said the thin board
er. "So I did." "Well, will you pleas
come up to my room and show1 me tht
single hnlr?"
Knows a Lot
"So your son Is homo from college?"
"Yep." "Una ho learned much?" "Ha
certainly has. More than hla mother
and I have picked up la a llfetlaw.'
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