The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1876-04-06
SOUTHWESTERN MINNESOTA.

ECOm 81. O.lACS, III ' 0NA I
to LIE Mars in Iowa, a distance of about
12O miles the St. Paul and Sioux City
railroad company, has planted belts OF
timber to protect its road from snow
drifts and also to set a good example
in tree planting, to settlers on the pral-
ries through which the road runs.
Some of the young plantations i n the
Minnesota division of the line have been
greatly injured by the ~grasshoppers,
but wherever demage has been done
the trees will be renewed.
We look upon the good work OF the
railroad companies in setting out trees
along their lines of railroad,-the COM
panies that have done 80 being the st.
Paul and Sioux City and the st. Paul
and Pacifc,-as the policy from which
we may date the wide spread public in
( terest now eyinced in tree planting all
over the state.
And here, in passing we will say thai
| above all others the state is indebted to
Geo. l.. Becker, for the young groves
of timber now springing up and yearly
increasing on our prairies and for l.. b.
Hodges, whom Mr.. Becker selected to
take charge of the trees.
Mr.. Hodges is an enthusiast on the
subject OF tree planting, therefore ne
has succeeded in going ahead and draw
us all after him inspired, in a measure,
by his honest zeal.
Give fools their gold and knaves their power,
Let fortunes bubbles rise and fall,
Who sows a field or trains a flower,
Or plants a tree is more than ALL"
There was no place along the line OF
the Sioux City road we were more anx-
ious 70 visit than Mountain Lake, where
is located a Mennonite colony OF about
100 families. However these are only
the pioneers OF the large settlement OF
those people which will undoubtedly
form here; one hundred and twenty
more families are coming to the settle
ment this spring direct from Russia. A
GOOD proof that those who have already
settled in Minnesota, are well satisfied
for the Mennonites are q cautious, system
attic people, who do not move withou,
knowing where they are going to.
They are q robust, red-cheeked ex-
ceedingly amiable looking people. W
. did not see one bad c~ountenanced ma
or woman among the Mennonitesta
Mountain Lake and the old men are s.
u mild and venerable looking that "
would have been quite pleased to hav'
been able to converse with them in Gel
man. As it was, we struggled into q
= acquaintance, assisted by an Interpreter
= whom the Mennonites did not seem ,
' understand and whom we certainly III
derstood very imperfectly. One thin
we were axious to know i. e.. wheth,
:, or not those German-Russiaus legsrds
Russia rs their country. SO we put Il
question 10 Mr.. John Naufeldt, II yenc
:, able old man who might have set Tor Il
portrait OF Father Abraham.
mo they did not he answered 9Th,
ae always looked upon themselves as &c
y man c~olonists in Russia, although S.
tied there for several generations.
When does . German forget Faith
en- Land?
&c MI. Nauteldt brought $4,000. with hi
u to this country. some have brought me
m. and the majority less; but those of the
ur who come poor are assisted by the o,hei
,r> The colony landS consists OF FIVE tow
ships and one is already occupied.
nd The managers of the Sioux City r.
road have been very fortunate 10 far
ir. establishing successful colonies alo
zen their road.
ny. The Mennonites for the most part,
!. sides taking railroad lands bought
out former settlers; the average number
do acres to each family is about 100. s
ace they do not seem inclined - yet to
uld largely into raising grain, waiting
BOD the g~rasshopper pest TO disappear.
pie seems they we're quiteafamiliar in Ru:
can with q cousin of our grssshopper. = bl
i've locust who came from Egypt, and the
fore our rests do not scare them. T
rty have though. enabled them to buy
ant proved farms. IS cheap. il some
ec> stances cheaper. than wild land.
d il The Minnonites use hay and straw
and fuel almost universally. in Co.tonw,
Tex, county. and very comfortable they +
and their houses with il.
They build their houses lev. one q
man have . brick furnace in the middle Of