The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-07-08
Republican Nominations.
Letter from the Nsr,hwe.t-No. VIZ.
OF BRUNSWICK.

probably, that offences will come, against the
win both of writer and composltor, even
when critical proofreader strives to avoid
them. To guard against such apnoyances as
much as possible, have hitherto written ev-
cry word out at full length rather than use
common Arabic figures or authorizations, but,
departing from this rule in my letter OF the
18th inst, l find it necessary to make single
rs'. CORRECTION.
BY the use of wrong figure in the letter
referred to, your compositor made me state
not only what is not true, but contradict the
very statement which the figures were intend
ed to illustrate, and which 1 desired to inn
press upon the readers attention. said the
average yield of wheat per acre, in Minneso-
ia, for 1867, as given in the Agricultural Bu-
reau statistics at Washington, was 1872 bush
els, while that OF Connecticut was 16 bushels,
and of Vermont and Massachusetts about
one bushel less, showing, as l intended TO
state, that the three States having the largest
average yield per acre were New England
States. Your compositor substituted 10 2 for
1872, and thus not only overstated the Min
nesota average by three bushels per acre, but
contradicted what alleged regarding two of
the New England States referred to. The
Importance of this error alone is my apology
for making the correction.
BIG FARMING.
Hastings, Dakota county, is on the wester-
ly side of the Mississippi, some thirty-fve
miles below st. Paul. and few miles above
the junction of the st. Croix with the Faith
er of Waters" The St. Croix is the bound
ary between the Gopher and the Badger
States, and between il and the Mississippi is
rich broad, fertile tongue of land, extending
few miles below this place, which takes de-
served rank with the best cultivated wheat
lands of the State.
On this tongue of land, and but a small
distance from the spot where write, is the
celebrated Dalrymple farm of two thousand
acres, nearly the whole of it under wheat cul-
tivation. Mr.. Dalrymple is the largest wheat
grower, and probably by all odds the richest
farmer in the State. He is lawyer by pro-
fession, and believe practiced law and spec
ulated in real estate awhile at st. Paul, but
having acquired comfortable property and
becoming tired of or disgusted with voca-
ton for which he had no taste, he embarked
raising and wool-growing. A couple of years
experience in this direction satisfied him that
the winters of Minnesota are too long and Sc
we're and the snsw too uncertain as to depth,
to make sheep-culture safe and reliably
profitable business, and he therefore disposed
of his stock and purchased the land where he
now operates.
| From an article recently published in the
Chicago Post, written by Mr.. Pusey, Assist
ant Secretary of State for Minnesota, gath
er some statements of fact in relation to Mr.
Dalrymple's success thus far, which may NOT
be entirely devoid of interest to your agricuI-
tural readers. For two years past Mr.. d. has
had seventeen hundred acres in wheat. In
1867 he raised $500 bushels, and being in
close proximity to two navigable rivers,-be-
tween which and bordering upon them his
farm lies,-so that expense of transportation
was small, he realized for his crop $3.50, oi
which s14.500 were profits. That year, it
will be recollected, the wheat crop was light
and prices ruled high. aas s1. sa,s
In 1868 the aggregate crop on Mr.. Dal
rymple's farm, was $4,000 bushels, or twenty
three bushels per acre, which was sold in the
field, before the price had declined, for thirty
dollars per acre, or about $1.31 per bushel
afording net profit of S20,40Ol
rosr or ppoprrrvrro,r
Mr.. Pusey says Mr.. Dalrymple purchases
his supplies at wholesale prices, takes every
advantage of the market, adopts system ol
rigid economy systematizing perfectly and
personally overlooking all his operations, and
yet the cost Of production of his second crop,
with no expense for fencing or extra expense
for breaking included, was eighteen dollars
per acre. These figures, it will be seen, are
far above those gave in my last, as the cost
of Minnesota wheat raising.
According to these figures, had Mr.. Dal-
rymple realized only the average market price
for his wheat-eighty-fv cents per bushel--
as he would have done with little less tore
sight, or if he had been little farther rsmov-
ed from the market, his profits would have
been cut Down from $40, 400 to the less com.
Portable sum of only S1.55 per acre. or 50 ,6S5
in the aggregate. Fye
ANOTHER VIEW.
1.-The local papers have reported Mr.. Dal-
rymple's wheat field for 1868 at two thousand
acres, ,-three hundred more than given by
Mr.. Pusey. Mr.. p, says he was possessed oI
ample fortune when he commenced farming
less than three years since, so that he was
able to pay cash for his purchases. His prof
fits the first year were fourteen and hall
thousand, showing that he did not commence
operations for 1868 under circumstances ol
embarrassment, or devoid Of princely in
come; and while Mr.. Pusey reports the mel
profits cf his crop for 1858 alone, over and
above expenses Of production, interest on in
vestment, &C., at $40, 400, Mr.. Dalrymplt
himself reports his entire income for that
year, from all sources, at only $1,000! Pu
this and that together, and then guess if you
can how much confidence may be reposed in
newspaper statistics of western farming prof
| its.
| There are other large farms In the State
besides the one referred to. Gov. Marshall
with partner think, has between one and
two thousand acres in wheat in one of the
southern counties of the State, and 1 have
heard of others who reckon their wheat patch
by thousand acres or more; and yet the
Farmers Union-the only agricultural paper
in the State-speaks very emphaticaly against
both the wisdom and economy Of such large
overgrown farms.
ca sA A PLEAsANTER VIEW. al N
would by no means have your readers in
fer that your correspondent secs no bright
side to Minnesota, no "silver lining" to the
confessedly somewhat dark cloud which he
has hitherto presented to their view. The
State has a full share of advantages, and they
win not fail to attract notice or to be appre.
ciated, and 1t is only when these advantages
are properly viewed by those famil-
lar with the stil higher advantages
Of the "Dhigo" State, that they appear IN an
unfavorable light. Those who come mere 70
escape the chilly, penetrating and dlsagreea-
BILE fogs Of Lake shore, or who have shaken
their flesh off in the valley of the Wabash and
| similar localities, or who have roasted in the
dcbilitating atmosphere of St. Louis in sum-
mer, or who have contended with want in
some large city, scarcely able to "keep the
=