The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1873-10-30
THE CONDITION. AND pno.PEcrs
OF MiNNHsU,A.

-
oF MINNESOTA.
A special correspondent of the New
York Tribune, writing from st. Paul,
under date of Sept. 2srd says:
Less than . quarter Of . century ago
the country now comprised within tho
limits of this State and Dakota Terri.
tory was wilderness, inhabited only by
about 5000 white and half.breed trad
e"s and was supposed to possess soil
and climate utterly incapable Of sup.
uutsng an agricultural population.
S'noo that time immigrants from tho
East and from Europe, often coming
from the poorest and most ignorant
Glasses, have taken up the lauds along
,ss railroads, and, beginning with moth.
,og, tho majority Of them have built
for themselves comfortable homes, sur.
rounded themselves with many of the
comforts and Injuries Ct lite, and are
to-day well-to-dol tsrnsr. Teddy
Minnesota alone Is tkSshoaae & half =
million prosperous people, aud man
strength and ignorance have done it
almost al. ''> =, - ss2s's j =, -
He continues:
" / find moro sigas Of material pros
perity among the agricultural pop.
utot'o" Of Minnesota than IN any
State I hopc oistted since /
come West The wheat Drop,
which is this year nearly all stack.
ed in good condition, is tho staple crop
Of the State, aud is the largest 10 quail.
ty ever produced. Nobody With whom
l have talked estimates the surplus for
export from the State at less than 3d.
OO0, 1000 bushels, and the present in.
dications are that most Of it will bring
to the farmer at the nearest railroad
station about 80 cents bushel. Mat
ing full allowance for lower grades and
all possible losses, this GRO? alone cau.
uot tail to bring into the State more
than SIS, 100000 cash, of which ST..
900, 900 or $8,GO0,0O0 will be clear
profit, after paying for labor, rent Of
land, seed, aud deaooting the wheat
used BY tho people Of the State. Not
only is tho crop larger and better than
ever before, but it will make more and
better -four than could have been made
OF it any previous year.
After speaking Of the prosperity Of
the lumber buainess, and of the profits
Of stock raising, he says:
l have aiready remarked, the m,jori-
ty of tho Immigrants Of this State have
been very poor. Thousands have come
hero and settled on government land
with hardly enough money to pay the
fees for entering lit $50 or $l2).
They havs. come from foreign lands
ienorsnt of our rmaunera and customs,
-igaolant ofesrl language, end in mss5
oesss iguprsutH tie 6rst rudimsnts 81
agriculture" They have buiitt for nr hemn>
selves rude huts on the southern slopes
OF the pralries, and have gone to work
with everything against them but the
main strength OF their muscles aud their
ability to endure hardships and priva.
lions.
In few years these people have con.
verted the wild prairie into the most
beautiful wheat dslds IN the world :;
the cherries cabin gives place 70 q
comfortable house comfortably furnish
ed and pleasantly surrounded Zoe
herd of stock, takes the place OF the
SINGLE COW; labor.saving machinery is
introduced, aud the farmer, resting
several months in the year, is enabled
to live a comparatively Independent lite,
10 educate his children, sometimes
sending son to college, and to lay BY
some money for emergeneies-all by
the exercises Of lar less industry than
wonld have been required barely to
support his family in crowded tene.
meot house In 40 Eastern city, and
far less than would have been necessary
to keep them from starvation in; their
oVnoo o0iuos tuo WateE. y~r- r..7
Now, Of course, nobody, will suppose
that there are not farmers 10 this State
who see hard times. Some men are
unfortunate, some are lodrlent, some
have no judgment or business ability.
and wouIo fail anywhere and 10 an,
business, aud some are extravaeant.
But the farmers of Minnesota have DOT
been called upon to raise grain tor cost
or less. and, though there have been
hard times, few OF them have run be.
hind, unless their misfortune can BE-
traced to some Known cause beyond the
general condition Of the farming BUSH
ness of the State.