Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-02-25
horticultural.

ELors, MINI, Feb. 2, 1874.

.
surprised, as well as amused, in reading an
article in the issue Of January IL, 1874,
headed, Farming, East and West, in which
the writer makes the following statements
and assertions;
Fr.t-That the statistics Of Vermont show de-
crease ia the inhabitants in the rural districts.
Sccond-rhat this Is due 10 emigration West
Thrd-That said emigration is due only TO the Idea,
unreas0nahy held. of larger profits 10 agricultural
labor To- the Wet than In the East, and that such
idea Is an absolute dolusion'
The first and second statements in no
wise dispute, although know that many
leave Vermont who do not come West
The arguments he uses to prove the last
assertion, | think are in most part, at least
as far as my knowledge goes, greatly at
fault. was born and bred among the
Green Mountains, where | abored on the
farm until was Of age, aud do not con.
slider myself any the worse for that. |
have never advised any who were well-to-
do, and contented there, to leave Vermont,
aud | know there are plenty Of good men
DOT to mention the women-now thore.
have been in Minnesota for the last eighteen
years, with the exception Of a few mouths,
when we have made visits to Vermont and
other parts Of New England, and claim to
know something Of farming, aud the con.
dition Of schools and society, both East aud
West.
Your article says that "oue year farmer
in Minnesota cultivated ten thousand acres
Of wheat, and owing to the failure Of the
Red River and Pembina crops, he made his
fortune; but there has not been year
since that he has paid his expenses Now
any one that knows anything Of the country
will know that there has been no way to
carry grain from any part Of Minnesota
where grain was raised, to Pembina, over
several hundred miles Of wild territory,
until the past year, unless it was carried on
wagons, or on the Rcd River carts, which
are something like the Vermont cart in
form, but made without any iron-not even
50 much as a nail, and most Of them have
shafts in which one OK is used as a pro.
pelliug power and if there has been any
wheat shipped there, except perhaps little
for seed, am not aware OF it. And if he
has not paid his expenses since then, h,
must have been very extravagant.
You say that corn, for the most part
is the cheapest fuel farmer in the far Yves
can burn" Now have raised corn every
year, and nearly every farmer in this vicinity
has doue the same aud have never burnc,
f an ear Of corn, and do not know, neithe
, do | believe, that that there has been
bushel of corn burned for fuel in Minnesota
since have been here. We do not rails
corn for fuel, neither do we ship corn Il
> the East--raising only enough for our owl
/ consumption.
Your article says When the Wester
farmer sells his hogs for two cents per pound
the Eastern producer sells his for six.
/ The following were the market prices @
! dressed hogs in the places mentioned 70
the week in which your article appeared i
the Journal:
Boston. ... tG25d650 per 100 pound
Chicago. iuMG50 per 100 pound
st. Paul.................. 62ja6JO per 100 pound
Again, "when corn is twenty-five cent
, per bushe in Minnesota, it is one dolla
here" Here are the market reports for til
n said week;
New York. 9od9 cents per hushe
h Milwaukee .......-.....,... 63abl cents per bushe
st. Paul................... 5sd6O cents per bushe
!. | will also give the market price of fou
It and wheat for the same week
u WHEAT
n New York.'.'.....'....'..' 35g IS per hush,
2 ST. lu3d .u per husht
# FLOUR.
% Ny ork..................' q 3ja5 50 per ,arr,
~ MilWauhve '''''''''''''''''' $1,000 per part'
l. Yet your article says that " the cost Of trar
N sit to market is from three to four times II
A. ! value of the product"
NJ Again; THE rank vegetation Of II
IN West diminishes the intrinsic value Of a
d, cereal and Of all animal products Butte
cheese, pork and beef are not so swee
and many Eastern men in the West mpo
from the East their butter, pork, cheese al
w vegetables" admit that some cheese, AZ
"a a large amount Of fruits, both green al
~ dried, have been brought here from Ne
-, York, Ohio and Michigan, but not fro
- New England. This was because we hi
IT. not had time to raise fruit, and had no lar
dairies or cheese factories but we are nc
So supplying both these articles in a gre
~ measure. As to butter, pork and veget
-a' bles, have never known an instance Of al
ever having been brought here from I
Id East. As to quality of pork, beef a
dy vegetables, no State in the Union can raj
nd better. And our butter is of good quail
u when properly made; and some Of o
butter is 80 made but as general th
20 farmers have not the conveniences for butt
of dairying. But we make our own, and
ID have had as good butter on my own tall
u. as have ever seen in any country. '
VI " can make good butter. We have sold on
since August last for twenty-five cents ?
ia pound, and we have received an average
do twenty cents per pound for the last two yea
ad Your article makes us century behi
on in educational and social privileges III
=" is not so. As far as my knowledge c
bv tends, Minnesota is the equal of Vermo
ed in respect to common schools and this Sc
ton of Minnesota has better school-hous
zee and supports more months of school, tn
a'' any section of equal area in Vernon
e Graded schools, academies and colleges, a
to springing up all over the State, and Nj
GU nesota has, or will have one of the largo
7, school funds of any State in the UniC
, u Churches and church-goers are numerol
an and society is good. Some sections q
settled by Germans or Norwegians. TIL,
lie society is not so well liked by American