The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-12-05
Diversified Farming.

The kepubllcan mas repeateai!
urged upon producers the necessity
of diyersifying their crops, so that
the prosperity of the State would
not depend solely upon the success
of the great Minnesota staple, wheat.
The results of the late harvest are
enforcing the suggestion very
strongly. Our wheat crop in the
central and southern part has been
comparatively a failure. Averaging
less than half what it did last year,
it is also poor in quality. When
the farmer who has raised ten or
twelve bushels to the acre, machine
measure, finds that perhaps a quart
er of that must be screeded away to
make his grain grade over 50 pounds
to the hushel, and gets for it but
forty or forty-iive cents, he finds it
pretty hard to make both ends meet.
In many eases when he has paid his
harvesters and threshing expenses,
he finds that he has nothing left. II
the wheat crop has been short in
in other parts Of the country this
misfortune might perhaps have been
redeemed by an increase in prices,
but unfortunately for our agricultur-
lists, the winter wheat crop was ex-
cellent, and with a large supply and
better grades of flour, prices of Min
nesota wheat must necessarily rule
low. The American Miller, in an
article upon the subject says: "Neyer
before have we had a wheat crop of
such proportions as the present one.
In 1866 when we had 35,oOO,ooo,
we raised only 2l6,OOo,O9O bushels
of wheat, and now, only twelve
years afterwards, with certainly not
more than 45,ooo,ooO people, we
raise nearly twice as much wheat .
The tendency of events is to III
crease this disproportion Of produc-
ton to consumption, for with the
pushing out Of emigration upon the
newly constructed lines of land
grant roads must come an annually
increasing accession of land brought
under cultivation and principally de-
voted to wheat, as the crop that pro-
duces quickest cash returns.
The comparatively good prices
paid for wheat OF late years, and the
large crop Of last year, have operat-
cd to the Encouragement of other
branches of agricultural industry.
The cheese factories in operation in
our country are in a languishing con-
dition, two or three having been
closed and the others being operated
to the diScouragement of other
branches of agricultural industry.
The cheese factories in operation in
our country are in a langUishing Q
condition, two or three having been
closed and tie others being operated
with scant supply OF milk, the
farmers having sold their COWS that
they might give more attention to
wheat. The same fact is true of the
wool interest. Yet, though wool is
low as compared with war prices,
we have been assured by farmers
who have kept moderate hocks Of
sheep through all the depression,
that they have found the profits bet
ter than wheat, and when the wheat
crop falls, they have something to
fall back upon. Stock is also low:
but farmer who raises stock, make.
some profit, and by utilizing the
manure his farm is improved, while
the land that is constantly cropped
with wheat, must run down.
If the present hard times shall
inculcate this lesson of diversified
ton of agricultural products, so thai
a failure of the wheat crop shall mo-
mean a failure in every thing, the,
may turn out to be a blessing il
disguise, and in the future, looking
back upon the present, we may rec
ognize the silver lining in connec
ton with the cloud of adversity.-
I Fairballt Repuh]ican