The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-09-27
CORRESPONDENCE.
Tire Lesson Of the Storn,---An instructive
Letter.
LONG LAKE. Medina. Sept 9TH, 1875.


Ed. Anti-Aonopolist:
SIR-The last rains, commencing on August
Gath, and continuing almost without inter-
ruption to the present date, is a lesson traught
with instruction to the farmers OF Minnesota,
a class OF men on whose success the prosperity
OF all classes in our State largely depends. We
have been favored this year with one OF the
most magnificent grain crops perhaps ever
raised in Minnesota, and our state leads the
Northwest, not only in the production OF
wheat, but IL the manufacture OF -four. Short
crops, owing to failure OF grain. bad weather
and hoods III Europe, and Ill extensive areas
in the United States, haYe caused an active de
mand for breadssuffs, and the prospect was
that the somewhat depressed circumstances OF
the farmers OF, our State would be bettered by
the higher price received for wheat, the staple
OF Minnesota, the chief product OF their la
Dor. This bright prospect has been to q con-
siderable extent overcast by the destruction or
deterioration OF grain exposed to the risk of
the weather; and this loss we cannot attribute
to causes beyond our control, but has been
caused to great extent BY the negligence OF
the farmers themselves. We have had, this
year, splendid weather, up to the cath OF Aug
" e may calculate the harvest was nearly all
cut down, and al least a week elapsed after it
was ut for stacking, ere tae weather broke
Had the thousands of men and teams in our
State been employed i'll this interval in stack
ing it securely, the heavy misfortune that has
bela!len us, might have been to great extent,
obyIated. When the rain commenced, a very
large proportion OF the grain was III shock,
waiting for the threshing machine, to thresh
from the shock-a shor-sighted policy, and
one attended with no commensurate benefit to
| counter balance the risk. A considerable
amount of grain will be no doubt more or less
injured by careless stacking. 1t is OF no use
for our farmers TO toll in raising a large crop,
and lose it for want OF care IN the end would
I na,lf nrn
mode of stacking, that the farmers who can
procure lumber, would build sheds to cover
ter grain. cheap and efiicieLt shed may
be constructed and covered with good sound
lumb-r, which would keep the stacks safe; or
for those farmers who live at distance from
| lumber, or W.lose crops are very large, would
suggest the method OF matching employed ia
England, where it is universal, ana renders
the stacks imperv.ous to rain, even In that
moister climate. trust that the severe lesson
taught this harvest to the farmers OF our State.
will not be forgotten i'll the future, and that
they ard our State will not suffer such heavy
loss again from similar causes.
The Medina Mill Company have completed
their Touring mills run OF stOnes-6ln pO-
sition now. The mill is 60xA5 feet, four sto-
ries high, with engine house attached. 1t was
} built under the careful inspection Of a first
class millwright and mechanic, Mr. Amos
GRAY. of Minnetonka The engine, S5-horse
|
the modern Improvement, furnished by the
J Minneapolis ''North Star MIL furnishing
Company, is A. 1; and think that the Medina
/ mill will prove standing advertisement as to
the manner in which that company can I'll! 9
: bill OF that desert ption. On starting, the mil
was found to work smoothly and well, and
: judging FROM the quality Of the flour produced
by the competent and trained millers en-
gagged, the company expect 70 make their brand
: equal to any other mill The facilities OF tht
mill for handling grain and tlonr are unsur
I passed The ST Paul L Pacific railroad rum
: close past the mill, and short spur. tract
brings the cars alongside. The rsiiread rum
i west to Breckenridge, through the wheat bel
! of Minnesota, with a noble agricultural coun
try tributary to IT. also the mill can draw on
/ large local supply in the neighborhood. !.
/ trust that this new enterprise win be profitabl
/ to shareholders. and add something to Ia
productive industries OF our State.
). am, sir, yours respectfully,
. VI, J. LYDIAHs