The Portland daily press., 1869-10-13

Wednesday Morning, Oot, ber 70, 1869.
Letter from the Nor,h.wes,, No. xiv.
PORTLAND.

be present, half day, at the County Far of
Hennepin, in the city Of Minneapolis, and
witnessed the exhibitions of stock, farm pro-
ducts, flowers, fine arts, needle work, etc. and
listened to the annual address delivered by
Prof Fousley, OF the High School in that city.
All things considered, it was one of the best
exhibitions of the kind have ever looked up
on. True, have seen larger cattle, sheep
and swine, and better poultry on the Kenne-
bee, and more fruit and in greater variety at
the Cumberland and other county tairs in your
State, but when il is considered that This is
new State, not yet twenty-one years OF age
and that Hennepin County twenty years ago.
was nearly all in the possession of the abor1g-
inal tribes, I think even down-easters will par
don me it | award the palm to the tair of that
young and vigorous county. The exhibition
was very fine-in flowers could not well be i'm
proved. The same may be said Of many kinds
of vegetables, of portion of the stock, Of ar
ticles of needle-work and virtu. The exhibit
ton OF corn stalks was decidedly tal, several
lots averaging. should think, from ten to
twelve feet in height, but with the ears pro-
duced on such stalks I did not feel particular
ly enamored. But more Of thi. anon.
The address of Prof Fousley was, without
exception, the best thing of the kind ever
listened to-the finest production that .he ex-
hibition afforded. 1t was well and distinctly
pronounced, though in the open air and in the
teeth of fresh breeze, and completely riveted
the attention of two or three thousand per-
sons, for the entire hour which its delivery
occupied. Though a schoomaster, the orator
is man of practical ideas, which, in these
days OF theoretical and shorthand teaching,
is saying good deal His remarks were, like
the almanacs, calculated Tor more than sim
gle meridian, and would be as appropriate and
interesting in Maine as in Minnesota.
He insisted upon raising the standard Of
farmer life, and that no mas is worthy OF the
| time e-honored vocation oithe husbandman who
| is content with mere physical toll and results
with big crops ana big dividends; that no
class of men have more opportunities for in
tellectual improvement; that none have such
easy and cheap facilities for the most beauti-
full of all outward home adornments-the
adornment OF flowers; that none have less
excuse for remaining mere mechanical loco
motive machines, for the conversion oil prirni-
tive elements into articles of daily use and
necessity.
He insisted that the usual premium lists Of
agricultural fairs should be revised, so as to
reward the development of general principles
rather than mere isolated facts; that while q
fat OK is a creature beautiful to look upon, and
| has an especial beauty to the e. of the cpl
| cure, few farmers can afford to tatten Their
cattle for mere toys and play things,-merel
| tor exhibition and show. II it has cost ten or
| twelve cent: per pound to buy the beef upon
| the bones, while its market value is only six
Or eight cents, the fat OK ceases to be an OBJ
ject of interest and beauty to the common
farmer, and the mere TACT that such an ami
NAL has been produced and exhibited becomes
| unworthy OF reward, because of no practical
value as a fact. On the other hand, ii he
frmer will exhibit an OK upon whose fame
he has n-ade good, sound, healthy beef, al
cost of only six or eight cents per pound,
while the same beef readily commands ten or
twelve cents in the market, he interests the
whole beefproducing community, and the
clear development of the method by which
such results are produced, deserves aud should
receive liberal premium. The same princi-
| pie will apply to all departments of farm pro-
| ductions. 1t is not so important to know how
to grow large or tat cattle, as how to DO it eco
nomically; not SO important 10 raise large po-
tatoes or great many to the acre, as to raise
those OF fine quality; not so important TO
produce large crop for single season, as 10
know how to produce large average crops,
| year after year, without depreciadng aud
wearing out the soil ITSELF The habit is 40
wiser in farming than other things, of killing
the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Prof T., in speaking OF corn raising, stated
that in the southern States twenty bushels to
1 ihe avrv, stalks -tuvirv aifsvvu
| high, is considered "big thing" while in
| Connecticut and other New England States
premiums have often been awarded tor one
hundred and thirty bushels to the acre, gath
| eled from stalks not over seven feet hi2h
This fact naturally brings me to the subject
| of
| CORN RAISING IN MINNESOTA.
If corn in this state is not sure crop, there
is little danger that our people will suffer
fiom lack OF brede ~tnGs. Twelve years ago
or even less, The State did nor -.ise its own
bread, not enough wheat for home consu,-.u-
ton and seed; this year the crop is estimated
at t,venty million bushels, one fourth ol that
amount, probably, beng sufficient to bread
the population and to seed next years crop,
leaving fifteen million bushels for expectation.
| The recent rains, since the wheat was cut but
before it could be properly cared Tor, have no
doubt done much damage, injured much Of
the grain so that the above figures may been
some modification.
1 have intmated that corn is not sure
crop. 1t has not proved so heretofore. In
two of the last tour years corn has proved
nearly failure, owing to early frosts, and
yet do not think the failure results so much
from climatic causes or shortness OF the sea-
son, as from the kind of seed planted. The
farmers will persist in planting the dent corn
so called, similar to that raised four or five
hundred miles farther south; a kind OF corn
| produced on enormous stalks, and which re-
quire long season to mature; such corn as no
New England farmer thinks of planting. j
believe-at least 1 know of no good reason for
not believing-that il the king Philip, or some
other variety of long flint corn were
used for seed, our farmers would not only
raise many more pounds shslLed corn to the
acre, but they would be almost sure to ripen
good crop every year; and am quite sure
that meal produced from it would command
better price in the market than the meal
made from the corn ordinarily raised here.
recolect reading, in the proceedings
your Board of Asrieuture in d'scussion up
on changes OF climate il Maine, and the caus-
es which modify its rigors, the statement n
proof of such amelioratIon, that some crops
which a quarter OF century SUI % s.. ae
garded as very uncertain me ottte, ar now now
| ranked among the most relaoie, anu Ihuian
| corn was mentioned as an example OF lhis
| ciass r do not think Minnesota farmers
| aed wait Tor such climatic changes to render
,n certain crop; change OF seed and
oar,or cultivation will do the work.
hen | have made this suggestion to farm
| ers here even those considered number one,
| | have been amused al their repy. Ge ieraL-
ly they admit the corr ectuess of the sugges-
tion, but then, sa, they, "theheavy ears tbeavy
cobS) on our corn almost Invariably dlonp as
they mature, and before the hushs Try and
| are ready to cleave from the corn, the ear
hangs with its poiut towards tue sround, and
| the husks project he kprne, while the ears
| of flint corn stand erect, ripen early, the