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

~ w CoLC111 Oil 10
Lands.
Great Future for Southwestern
Minnesota.
From the Special Correspondent Of the New
York Tribunc.l
ST.. PAUL, Mimi, July 27.-Almost
in the center Of the region OF Mlnnes0-
tn and Iowa visited this year and last
by the grasshoppers is the site selected
in the Fall of 1871 by Messrs. Miller,
uumiston Il Co. of Toledo, Ohio, for
the establishment of the National Col
ony. Wortlington the principal town,
now the county seat Of Mobiles County,
Mimi, was settled in the spring Of
1877, and has already become the mos3
important station; between Mankato
and Sioux City on the st. Paul and
Sioux City Railroad. The point chosen
for the town site is It's miles south
from st. Paul, on the divide between
the Des Moines and Big Sioux Rivers,
and has al elevation of about 800 feet
above st. Paul and nearly 500 feet
above the level Of the sea. Lake Oka-
bena, a beautiful sheet Of water about
two miles long and three-fourtlls Of q
mile wide, with smooth, sandy bottom.
stretches out to the South and west Of
the town, which juts on it's eastern
end and from the further Shore it's
banks rise abruptly to the level Of the
; surrounding prairie, forming the most
beautiful site for rcsidences overlook
ing the lake and the town.
Tic population Of Wortlington is
now about 800 and Of the county which,
! has been almost entirely settled within
; the pa t two years, between three and
four thousand. The people who be-
gan to arrive early in the Spring Of
1872, found themselves in the midst Of
a broad, rolling prairie, with no habita-
ton in sight. The railroad which
stretched from one horizon to the 9th
or, and the stumps of trees which once
surrounded the lake with Il grove but
had been cut off ly trappers, were the
only signs Of civilization. The last
occupants were the hostile Sioux who
! were driven west after the terrible
massacre Of 1862
BUILDING 4 TOWN IN 4 YEAR.
The cOl0niStS, who represented the
best class Of citizens Of NeW-England,
! Newly ork, Pennsylvania and Ohio, at
once went to work erecting their "clai i'm
Shamics' on the Government land
which they preemptied or settled upon
| under the Homestead act, and LAYING
the foundations Of the future town.
, acquired Il population Of about 500,
| IL i
$50, 600 and SlUO,nUO Two other Villa
gcs, Jersey and Bigelow were also
founded, and during the Spring and
Summer OF 1872 more than Il Thousand
claims were taken under the auspices of
the colony, with previous or in,lepell-
dent entries, absorbed all Of the COY
eminent land in -! townships, and
covered an area Of between 800 and 600
square miles. The railroad land with
| in he same boundaries has not yet
| been sold.
During the first year no crops were
raised except few potatoes, but Il
great quantity Of wild prairie grass
was cut, which, when secured at the
right season and properly cured, makes
excellent hay. Great preparation WAS.
however, made for the crop of 1873.
and more than 10000 acres Of the
new prairie were broken up and pre-
pared for the seed. The soil is from
three to five feet deep, rich, dark,
sandy loan, with clay and gravel sub
soil. Once subdued it is exceedingly
mellow and easy to cultivate, and willie
it never bakes or retains the water long
at the surface, it is not easily affected
by drOuth. In driving over the prairie
at this season of the year. the ''sloughs':
or swampy places are all sufficiently
dry and firm to admit of the passage OF
teams. while the upland crops show no
lack of moisture. This year the
amount under cultivation, including
the land planted to trees, is somewhere
in the nei ghborhood of $4,000 or 10000
acres. The variety of the crops is great.
er than in most parts of the State
where t nc farmers confine their opera.
tions To the production Of wheat.
FOUR MODEL FARMS.
The largest farmer in the colony il
Prof. r. T.. llulniston. the founder OF
the settlement, who manages for him
self and fox the firm of Miller, IIumis
ton Il Co. four model farms, each en-
bracing about half a section or 32(
acres. OF course, us this is only tn,
second year of cultivation, the whole o1
this lard is not yet broken up, but
about q thousand acres of it are al
ready under the pillow. by the polite
ness of Prof. lIumiston | was, during
my visit to Worthingto on, enabled tc
visit these farms and. to see what thu
prairles Of southwestern MinnesOt;
are capable Of producing when the
grasslloppers do not destroy the crors
The OkAbcna farm is managed this veal
by Mr.. Sargent. 1t has been somewhat
injured by grasshoppers, but there
still! rcmaiEed several fields Of grail,
that would not bring diScrcdit upo,
any Western land. l saw there Il largo
field OF oats on ground that had RAISED
hut one previous crop. Before the last
graSshopler raid the yield had bcel
variously estimated by the best Judges
at from 90 to SO bushels to the acre
By an energetic warfare upon the grass
hopperS with ropes used in the manner
| have described in Il former letter, the
most OF the crop was saved. and [ SUP
pose the yield will now be ut least fro,,
40 to 80 bushels to the acre. 1t vii
take another year fully to subdue tho
land OF this field, but rs ! saw it, fast
ripening, it stood thick and even upor
the ground, its welliillet heads attest
ing the great fertility tie soil. The
wheat on this farm was of two kinds
the Rio Grande and the Red Osaka.
y field Of the former with it's lone
bearded heads was the most SNOWY bu1
the latter was really the most promis
ing. Some Of this which was on soc
'1H1ck Sat,' 1rSt I>.,1l would ,,rol>,,>,.