New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-08-08
MINNESOTA FARMING.
A PRAIRIE COLONY AND IT'S SUCCESS.


A PRAIRIE COLONY AND IT'S SUCCESS.
A POPULATION or SEVEN HUNDRED IN TWO YEARS
THE PEOPLE AND THEIR TEMPERANCE HABITS
MODEL FARMS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT-HAND-
SOME CROPS OF WHEAT AND CoRN-TuE FARMERS
UNpIsMAYED BY THE PERSISTENT CHRISTOPHER
lPROM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT TRIBUNE
ST. PAUL, Mimi, July 27.-Almost in the center of
the region Of Minnesota and Iowa visited this year
and last by grasshoppers is the site selected in the
Fall of 1871 by Messrs. Miller Humiston & Co. Of
Toledo, Ohio for the establishment Of the National
Colony. WorthingtOn, the principal town, now the
county seat of Mobiles County. Mimi, was settled in
the Spring of 1872, and has already become the most
important station between Mankato and Sioux City
on the st. Paul aud Sioux City Railroad The point
chosen for the town site is 17S miles southwest from
st. Paul. the divide between the Des Moines and
Big Sioux Rivers, and has elevation of about go
feet above St. Paul and nearly 1900 feet above the
level of the sea. Lake Okabena a beautiful sheet
OF water about two miles long and three-fourths of
a mile wide, with smooth sandy bottom stretches
ont to the south and west of the town. which uts on
its eastern end and from the further shore its banks
rise abruptly to the level of the surrounding
prairie, forming the most beautiful sites for resi-
dences overlooking the lake and the town.
The population of Worthington is now about 700
and of the county, which has been almost entirely
settled within the past two years. between two and
three Thousand. The people who began to arrive
early in the Spring OF 1872 found themselves In the
midst of broad. rolling PRAIRIE with no habitaton
in sight The railroad which stretched from one
horizon to the other, and the stumps of the trees
whichonce surrounded the lake with grove but had
been cut off by trappers, the only signs of civ
ilizaion. The last occupants were the hostile Sioux
who were driven west after the terrible of
1862.
BUILDING TOWN IN YEAR.
The coonists who represented the best class of the
citizens OF New-England NewYork. Pennsylvania
and Ohio at once went to work erecting their "caim
shanties" on the Government land which they pre-
empted orsetted upon underline Homestead act. and
laying the foundations Of the future town Worthing-
ton during the first season acquired population of
about 800, and the buildings erected cost between
$4,000 and $4,000 Two other villages Hersey
and Bigelow. were also founded, and during the
Spring and Summer of 1872 more than thousand
claims were taken under the auspices of the colony
which with previous!and independent entries. alb
sorbed all of the Government Land in Isl townships
and covered an area of between so and 800 SQUARE
miles The railroad land within the same bounda-
ries has not yet been sold
During the first year crops were raised except
few potatoes but great quantity of wild prairie grass
H.,
and properly cured makes excellent hay Great prep
araton was however. made for the crop of 1873,
and more than 10000 acres of the new prairie were
broken up and prepared for the seed. The soil is
from three to five feet deep rich dark sandy loam
with clay and gravel sub-sol O1ce subined it is
exceedingly mellow and easy to cultivate and while
il never bakes or retains the water long at the sur
face il 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 neighborhood
of 900 or 900 The variety of the crops il
greater than in most parts of the State, where the
farmers conne their operations to the production of
wheat.
FOUR MODEL FARMS.
The largest farmer in the cOlony il Prof. X +.
Humiston the founder of the settlement. who man
ages for himself and for the firm of Miller Humison
a. Co. four model farms, each embracing about half
section or 800 acres. OF course, this is only the
second year of cultivation the whole Of this land Is
not yet broken up but about thousand acres of it
are already under the plow. BY the politeness of
Prof Humiston | was, during my visit to WOrthing-
ton enabled To visit three of these farms and to see
what the prairies of Southwestern Minnesota are
capable Of producing when the grasshoppers do not
destroy the crops The Okabena farm is managed
this year by Mr. Sargent. 1t has been somewhat
injured by Qrasshoppers, but there still re NAMED
several fields Of grain that would not bring discredt
upon any Western land. saw there large field OF
oats on ground that had raised but one previous
crop Before the last grasshOppcr raid the yield had
been yariously estimated by the best judges at from
90 to 50 bushels to the acre. By an energetic war
fare upon the grasshoppers with ropes used In the
manner have described in former letter, the most
of the crop was saved, and suppose the yield will
now be at least from 40 to 80 bushels to the acre. 1t
will take another year fully to subdue the land OF
this field. but as | it, fast ripening, it stood
thick and even upon the ground its well-lled heads
attestng the great fertility of the soil The wheat
ON this farm was of two kinds the Rio Grande ana
the Red Osaka. field of the former with Its long
bearded heads was the most snowy but the latter
was really the most promising. Some Oh this "uicn
was - on SOD back set last Fall would proDaoV
have averaged for the entire field had IL not oeeh
injured by grasshoppers from 30 to 40 bnshe I'D hc
acre Taken altogether the Okabena farm in TINS
ITS second year, would compare fayorabiy Win tnc
older farms of Illinois and Indiana
EXCELLENT CROPS OF WHEAT AND CORN
Cant Miner, gentleman who began iaInins III
tho southern tier of counties in Minnesota twenty
vears ago and has worked westward, manages TINS
yoar the Ochuda farm, about two miles from Worth
;o,on This farm is inclosed on three sides by the
,n1' from which il takes its name the land gently
soping from the center all directions towards the
xoter The crops of wheat and flax and the garden
Lara had been injured by the grasshoppers but
IL; over the fields showed that the land was in no
vyav inferior to that of the first farm to which l
hote referred saw here one of the best fields OF
ybeat that have seen anywhere in the State. 1t
was growing ION sod which had been back set"
and but for the fact that the gasshopperS had taken
" =. LooJ in fonr would have no doubt, have