The Western advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1872-1874, 1874-08-22


pers, but a drive over tile, fields showed
that the land was in no way inferior to
that Of the first farm to which 1 have
referred: I saw here one of the best
fields of wheat that I have seen any
where in the State. 1t was growing
on sod which had been shack set,'' and
b 1t for the fact that the grasshoppers
had taken about one head in four,
would, l have no doubt, have been a
premium crop. The garden on this
farm had been replanted two or three
times, and each time destroyed by
grasshoppers but in spite of the pests
some of the vegetables were doing fine
ly, and the whole piece was Il model in
it's freedom from weeds and the care
bestowed upon it. On this farm are
] 400 sheep, which are doing we'll, but
it is yet too early to speak Of the profit
Of wool-groWing as Il business in the
colony.
The finest crop on the Buckeye farm,
managed Ivy Mr.. Fletcher, will proba-
bly, be taken from field of corn. This
was also on sod, and, when | saw it last
week, stood five or six feet high, looked
wonderfully thrifty, and was rs even
us though it had been trimmed. [ have
seen corn in Illinois and Indiana TIL !;
! year that was taller and further adj
Vanced. but none that looked BETTER
| visited several other farms around
! Worthingt0n, one or two of them as
I, as fine rs those | have mentioned, and,
! Judging by its fruits, [ think the Sec
ton selected by Mcssrs. Miller and
1lumiSton for the site Of their colony
has agricultural possibilities far above
the average of Western prairie lands.
A TOTAL ABSTINENCE TOWN.
The business of the town of WORTH
ington has already grown to very re-
spectacle proportions. The number of
stores Of various kinds is about twen-
ty, and considering the misfortuncs of
the country, they are doing good bu-
siness. The Okabena Touring mills
were built last year at Il cost Of be-
tween $s5. 1000 and $4O,0 600. They have
an elcv:t " with q capacity to store
about $4,000 bushels Of grain. and the
mills are capable Of manufacturing 100
barrels Of flour day. a middlings
! purifier Of the most approved pattern
enables them to produce the very best
kind Of flour that is made. The coun-
| try for a hundred miles west Of WORTH
i ington IS already filling upWith settlers,
who find this place their most conven~
lent market. Some idea Of the magni-
tulc Of the lumber trade of this town
only two years old, may he obtained
from the fact hat single dealer paid,
during the last eight months of the
year 1873, to the st. Paul and Sioux
City road more than So, 600 for freights
alone.
lave said that the colonists were
representative Of the best class of
people from the Eastern and Middle
States. One Of the fundamental prin-
ciples of the colony is total abstinence
from the use Of Intoxicating liquors.
The charter Of Worthington, granted
Ivy the Legislature. forbds the manu-
facture or sale Of Spirituous or malt
liquors, and the people of Mobiles Coun-
~ elected by an almost unanimous
vote Supervisors who have refused to
license the sale Of liquors. There is
not Il drinking saloon or a bar in the
whole county. TIE religious, social.
and educational institutions of the
colony are, Of course. still in their i'll
fancy hut promise to be inrverv respect
worthy of the people who found them.
The provision that has been made by
the State for the support Of common
Schools is Of the most liberal character,
and this will he supplemented by local
taxat ion and individual bounty insur-
ing to Southwestern Minnesota as good
schools as there are in the United
States.
TIE CLIMATE OF THE COUNTRY.
The climate Of Minnesota has been
.lccribtd Il thousand times. The Win
ters are cold, but the weather is subject
to less sudden changes than are en-
countered in lower ATTITUDES. The
Summers are short with some very
hot days which bring forward the
crops with wonderful rap(lity, while
the cool nights are Favorable for the
proper ripcning of the wheat. It is
no uncommon thing, on land that has
been cultivated for several years, for
the farmer to begin blowing on the
10th Of April, and OH the 10TH Of Au.
gust, four months after to have his
crop Of wheat harvested, thrcshed and
sold. The effect Of the dry atmosphere
upon conoumptiveS is often very bene-
fetal, and the country is entirely free
from all malarial diseases.
beautiful as this country is, it has
some faults. One of the greatest of
these is it's lack Of timber. The Great
Woods Of Minnesota, which are the
nearest. are nearly u hundred miles
away, and lumber and fuel are, there.
fore very dear. Wood is sold at from
six - eight dollars /, cord, and soft
coal from Iowa ut Sc to IS atom. Lum.
Der costs about S25 thousand. The
rolonists have already planted hun.
dreds of thousands Of trees, many
having taken advantage of the ''Tim.
Der Act,' and nearly all of them lav,
ing set out groves about their houses
On an "Arbor Day." last Spring, Il
great number of trees were planted
along the streets of the town. These
trees grow with wonderful Tapidity in
the rich, warm soil, and in a few years
they will not only afford q grateful,
shelter, but furnish fuel for the people
In the meantime the colonists hope tc
utilize peat that has been discovered
AID they Lave already found that the
dricd siy'1Sl grass and the rosin weeds
make Il very good Summer fuel. The
water. like the most Of that in the Mis-
sissippi Valley, is hard.
TIE FUTURE OF SOUTHWESTERN
MISNEsOTA.
| Taken altogether, with it's drawbacks
and discourayem ents; the success OF
the National Colony has been very
gratifying to it's founders and members
Even with the loss Of two successive
crops by grasshoppers, the people arc
not III the least discouraged. There is
no reason to fear that these pests will
return again next year, and the colo
niStS will on on this sp3cNn IrcnE I'M