St. Cloud visiter [sic]. [volume] (St. Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1857-1858, 1858-02-18
Famine and Frnit

Famine and Fruit.
An old man called upon us to admins
ter personal reproof for what he thought
our great sin in asserting that there is no
famine in Stearns county. He gave his
name as Mu|lin, said he had taken a claim
on lake, ten miles in circumference, and
twenty miles up the Wa1ab river, that the
lake, by the public surveyors had been
called Mullins lake, as he was the first sat.
tier on its banks. He had taken his claim
ten months ago, aud added, sit is such
farm as could not be bought for money
in Maryland or Virginia." He assured
us that many people in that vicinity
were reduced to great straits, that
he had subsisted upon fish and pota-
toes all last Fall and the early part OF the
Winter, except when he was successful in
hunting, and some twenty or thirty pounds
Of flour received from the contribution fund.
One family he named had lived upon pota-
toes and the milk Of two cows, being
obliged to sell all the butter to buy cloth
ing and -four. Two other families he
named, whose potatoes he thought, would
not last until Spring; and there would
nave been great suffering, but that quite
number of capitalists had moved in taken
CLAIMS, and loaned III oney in small sums,
at large interest The trade Of the people
in skins had been greatly impaired by SET
tiers, farther back, in,ercepting game. The
people had put up large quantities Of hay,
but could not afford to haul it to market, as
htA -,r -
three dollars day.
We have no doubt whatever OF the truth
OF his statement, but SEQ in it no ground
for the cry Of famine, or a begging expsdi-
ton to other States In the midst Of the
general panic and distress which has pre-
Vaile! all over the commercial world, ard
the thousands Of poor in ali cities who
have no work, no farms, nc cattle, no hay.
nothing to sell and no property as basis
Of c,edit, it is sinful and shameful for men
with the resources Of our Stearns county
farmers, to cast themselves upon the list
Of applicants for public charity. Let the
world take care OF its widows and children,
and the wives whose husbands have been
made drunkards by its rum holes, before
our brawny farmers, with their broad
acres, their oxen and cows, bins of pota-
toes, cribs Of corn and ricks Of hay, come
in for the dole OF charity.
Let them come up and authorize orr
county Commissioners to tax the property
of the county for any assistance that shall
be adiudged necessary, and leave aims for
women, children and crippies.
From the famine Mr.. MuiIin wen: on to
speak OF other matters, and we found him
very intelligent. He said he had been
llo'tlcnltorahst for forty years, working
principally in Maryland and Virginia,
that he had been employed in the public
gardens at Washington, and had taken
'is claim here for the express purpose Of
establishing a nursery. We remarked
that many peopEW believed fruit could not
be raised in Northern Minnesota, and en-
CURED if he thought it could. Think! !"
he replied, Il think nothing about it. |
kn>1o that it can. Wherever ( find the
natural growth tind here, know can
raise any kind OF fruit that will flourish in
Maryland or Virginia. Yes and raiss j,
better aud faster and with half the trouble,
tor Inc soil IS so much better suited to
fruit. Wherever you find the While
Thorn and the Black Thorn you can raise
fruit. On my claim and all through that
nsighborhood we have the White Thorn
the Black Thorn, The Crab Apple, Wild
Plans, of the best quality, and in the
greatest abundance, Strawberries. Rasp-
berries by the bashel, Uooseberries and
Currants and Blaohberres all through Il e
woods. and why should We not raise any
kind of fruit ~
We know his enumeration of the indi-
Gen!ous products Of the soil, is strictly Cor
rect aud were very glad to hear profess
sional horticaltura|ist express the couvic-
ton We had already felt On this mooted
question Of fruit. The natural growth
here is 80 identical with that OF Western
fennsYl vania, that We can sec no reason
why minnesota will not produce any thing
that will grow il, the old Keystone.