The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-02-25

asse :scd valuation of property in
Stearns county is now upwards Of two
million dollars.
TIE GUARANTY OF WEALTH.
Young people starting out to seek
their fortune and make a permanent
home, ought to take the very wisest
counsel. It is natural they should wish
to be in rich country. But what is
the guaranty of wealth? Perhaps
there is no truer remark than this of
Buckles: "Formerly, the richest
countries were those in which the pro-
ducts of nature were the most abund-
ant, but n:w the richest countries are
those in which man is the most active"
( might point to a number Of our large
towns which have school houses that
cost upwards Of fifty thousand dollars,
(Rochestcr has lately finished school
house at D cost of sixty.fve thousand
dollars,) and private residences still
more expensive, to prove that Mime
sofa is becoming rich. The numerous
railroads are evidences Of the activity
and certainty of the wealth of man.
THE DIFFERENT RAILROADS IN MINNESOTA.
Now, begin In our southern ticc of
counties there arc the Southern Mime
sofa Railroad now in operation from La
Crescent; the Milwaukee and St. Paul,
striking our southern boundary below
Austin (Nlower county,) thence north
to St. Paul, and there connecting with
the branch of the St. Paul and Pacific
to this point and Sauk Rapids; the
Winona and St. Peter now running
from Winona to Waseca; the
Minnesota Valley now running
from Minneapolis (and St. PauD to
Mankato, and building to Sioux City !;
the main trunk of the St. Paul and
Pacific, above mentioned, running out
through the Big Woods, and destined
in two years to reach the Red River :;
the Lake Superior and s.. Paul is
running north thirty miles to Wyom-
ing; and the Hastings and Red River
road now running west to Pennington
in all eight different railroads now in
operation.
COST OF A HOMESTEAD FARM.
The whole amount required to be
paid to the United States for home
stead of one hundred and sixty acres is
fifteen dollars. Suppose person in
New York city wished to make home
stead in Minnesota. First-class fare to
St. Cloud, where there is one of the
land Offices, and where he can examine
the township maps Of the public land,
will cost him about sixty dollars. To
make choice selections of prairie, he
will 60 from sixty to eighty miles fur
ther west, and he can travel any way
he pleases. He must make some i'm
provements the first six months, accord
ing as his means will admit. But it
is not essential he should Immediately
build dwelling, nor that he should
constantly iuhabit or improve the home
stead. Tho law implies, especially in
case of poor single man, that he can
better improve his homestead by work
ing cut and obtaining the means to do
so, than by sticking constantly to his
homestead without the means. He
may therefore be absent from his home
stead the greater part Of the five years
that he is required to t'inhabit" it as
condition Of getting his title con-
frmed. The law requires an honest
intention and effort on the part cf the
settler to occupy and improve the
land.
A settler can build cabin of logs
in a few days. One hundred dollars
will build a snug one Of logs or lumber
Breaking should be done in June o,
July-carlier if posslble-that the
tough sod may have time to rot. The
average cost Of breaking is five dollars
an acre. If the settler has team o.
his own the expense may be less. Po
tatoes or a small crop Of corn may b
raised from the land the same season i
is broken, but wheat cannot be raiset
till tho next season If a crop Of whea
is to be put in the fencing can be go
out the fall or winter following th
breaking. 1t will require about fiv'
thousand rails to fence twenty acres.-
In many places tamarack poles ar
available, ia others the light poplar o
slender iron wood. II the homestea,
is near oak or maple timber, the rail
may BE- split.
The public has some data as to MIA
it costs to split rails. Robert Donnel
the celebrated Alabama divine, when
young man in Middle Tennessee, spl
one thousand rails (of CEDAR in on
day! Abraham Lincoln, soon after b
emigrated into Illinois, and when abou
twenty-ono years Of age, paid for enouh
brown jean fora pair Of trowsers b
splitting rails at the rate Of four hur
dred rails per yard! An ordinar
hand will not split over three huudre
in day. We can assume that enoug
for twenty acres could be split IN thre
weeks, and that the whole cost inclut