The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-12-09
THE WEEKLY PIONEER AND DEMOCRAT.

gable waters. 1t is destined 10 furnish q
great and profitable business for the people
Of our State. f&
As to Uheat we can compete with every
State south of us and beat them. We have
better climate for wheat than any State
south we have as good soil, and upon an
average, we have raised and do raise from
five to ten bushels more to the acre. The
transportation will cost US no more than
them.
As to corn, we undoubtedly grow it here
in perfection but | cannot think that it
can be made an article of export south to any
great extent, although I was informed by a
gentleman some time last spring upon the
opening of navigation that be had bought
and was shipping 10000 bushels Of corn
from this State to Cincinnati in the State
of Ohio. The price which he received and
paid have forgotten, but 1 do recollect
that it paid the farmers we'll and paid him
well. I cannot help believing however that
the farmer would derive more profit by
feeding his corn aud making beef and pork
for expectation, than by any ordinary sales
of it. But this question must be solved
by future observation and experience.
AS to rye, oats and barley, the same may
be said as to wheat, and l have no doubt
that we can compete successfully as to these
articles with any State in the Union. About
the time that these small grain crops were
maturing, 1 made journey through Dako-
ia and Rice Counties; also up the Mime
sofa river through Carver aud Mcleod
counties, and up the Mississippi river
through the several counties, to Monticello
in Wright county. Their growth on the
Mississippi was respectable and would have
done credit to any mans farm, but not equal
to what have seen before in former years
on the same farms. The reason was mys
terry to me, for l had supposed the season
had been favorable one to their soil. The
crops were however all so good as to leave
the farmers nothing to complain of.
I had week before that been to Glen
coe as already remarked, through Carver
and Mcleod counties, and found all the way
such enormous growths and beautiful fields
Of every description of grain which the far
mers had cultivated, that 1 might have ex-
pected more on the Mississippi than the
farmers were expecting themselves but in
travelling through Rice county, 1 drove
almost whole day in perfect amazement
There was all the way continuous success
sion of such fields of corn, grain and vege-
tables as I have never in my life before seen.
And say this not only as to the wonderful
growth of the crops, but the immense ex-
tent Of the fields, which were often seen as
as far as the eye could reach. There have
been and are much larger fields of wheat
and other grain than are to be found in
Rice county, but it was pleasant to see that
the country was divided up into farms of
about equal extent, and what seemed almost
wonderful, they were generally not only
permanently, but very neatly fenced. do
not think that section of the country is more
fertile than the counties of Carver and
Mcleod nor was the growth of their crops
superior; but it has the advantage of hav-
ing had an earlier settlement, and beautiful
and extensive prairies to cultivate instead
of solid forests as they have in Carver
county.
There are few people who have been
through the State who will not justify me
in these remarks, and it seems to me that
we shall be large exporters of the various
products of the soil. Here then is another
resource upon which we can rely to a large
extent for population, wealth, power and
position among the other States of the
Union and let me remark that of all the
resources which any country of any magni:
tude OF territory, has, or ever had, this is
the first and greatest; for no country of
any magnitude ever did or ever can exist
unless the basis of its prosperity was or
shall be the cultivation of the soil.
Again, we have as an important resource,
for good many years to come, our extern
sive forests of pine timber. This, however;
l regard merely as a temporary auxiliary,
and to last, perhaps, not much beyond the
time when we shall have another much more
important. mean the manufacture and
expectation of every description of manu-
featured goods and wares. Manufacturing
isithe hand maid of agriculture. To make
a State prosperous, populous, and wealthy,
manufacturing and agriculture must go
hand in hand together. In this State we
have as many advantages for making us a
manufacturing State-I mean as many
hotuAoi uuy OtuCI OUdtC III
this Union. 1t is cold enough in this State
to give health and vigor to the Inhabitants.
There is physical law, which originates
another law of labor and trade. 1t is this,
in our country, and in most other countries,
the North has, as general rule, and al
ways will manufacture for the South.
There are no manufacturing establishments
in the torrid zone. Here the climate creates
a necessity for labor and energy, and at the
same time it creates the necessity, it also
furnishes energy and vigor sufficient to per-
form the labor.
Our State is fast filling up with class
of laboring people, honest and intelligent,
who desire to maintain themselves and accu-
mulate something to protect them against
rainy day by their honest industry. This
class Of people will soon become so numer-
GUS, that unless they can be employed in
some manufacturing operations, very many
who are unacquainted with the business of
agriculture, and whose habits and tastes are
opposed to it, will be very likely either to
desert the State, or to a greater or less ex-
tent become burden to it. 1t is an early
day in the history of this State to talk Of
large investments in manufacturing but
early as it is, the time has approached when
capitalists may commence to invest in this
State with more certainty Of safety and
profit in the investment than at any other