The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-05-17
= MINNESOTA.
Few Interesting Facts relating to it's Past
Present and Future.

"1N n ESOIA.
A Few Interesting Facts relating to its Past.
Present and Future.
Minnesota lies between the parallels
of 43 1-2 deg. and 40 deg. of north lat.
itude, and 80 deg. 90 min, and 81 deg.
5 min. west longitude, and is the act
ual center of the North American con-
tlnent. The geographical centre. of
North America, the heart of Minneso.
ia, is the pinnacle Of it's great water
shed, the source of those majestic riv-
ers whose broad basins determine the
physical contour, the climates, the
commercial movements, the avoca-
tions, and the political destinies of
two-tifths of the continent.
Its climate may be illustrated from
figures of the government signal serv-
ice, which places the mean annual
temperature of the spring-time at As
deg, equal to Chicago; of the sum-
mers at 70 deg, equal to Philadelphia
of the autumns at As deg, equal to New
Hampshire; of the winters at l6 deg,
equal to Central Vermont and New
Hampshire and of the whole year, at
IS deg, equal to Central New York,
two degrees further south.
Thirty degrees below zero is not I'M.
common, and every winter we ex-
perience several spells of 90 deg. be-
low zero. Remembering these facts,
it can readily be seen that our cold
spells must be very brief in order to
maintain mean winter temperature
of l6deg. above zero. This is fact.
The secret of the healthfulness of this
climate is not really in the dryness of
our atmosphere, so much as in the
uniformity of the moisture contained
therein. Variableness of wind, or
temperature affect the human frame
but little. but variableness of moisture
is the prolific parent of pulmonary and
nervous disorders. It is a fact that
the relative humidity of the At
hntic States is not 50 great as that of
Minnesota, but there arc numerous
changes in the quantity of moisture.
To-day the air may be very dry, and
tomorrow it will be completely satr.
rated with moisture. One day the
body and lungs are in a dry house, the
next in 4 vapor closet, consequently
~OAAouAApCAOlA 10 Luc SCOuASc VI IuOoC
States. The wondreus uniformity Of
the moisture in our air is the prevent
i've and cure of consumption.
Minnesota is fast passing from the
condition of a frontier State to that
of wealth and cultivation, blessed with
the best of school, church and social
privileges. The actual value of taxa
BILE property is $500, 900, 900, and every
year now rapidly adds to- the accumu-
lation of it's inhabitants wealth and to
it's fame as a healthful. prosperous and
promising commonwealth.
ITS PROSPERITY.
4 few figures will Illustrate the
growth and prosperity eff Minnesota's
agricultural interests in the first
twenty-five years of it's settlement.
When the territory of Minnesota was
organized in l840, it's population was
4,O57. In 1850 there were only ISL
farms, comprising about 5000 acres.
from which were produced l. 400 BUSH
els of wheat, 5000 bushels of corn, and
10000 bushels of oats. A quarter of a
century has worked wonderful changes.
Our population is now 597, 279; the
number of titled acres is 2,8l6,4l3.
From these the production in 1874 was
81, 475,475,0 900 bushels of wheat, 49,
IL, 700 bushels of oats and $500, 900
bushels of corn. In ten years the popu-
lation has increased 1873 per cent,
while the number of titled acres has
increased 302 per cent.
The following comparative tables
demonstrate our progress since 1860: