Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-12-20
THE FARMERS ARCADIA.
WondrOHs Rtse and Progress Of the State of
Mtnnesota-The Place In Witch to Colon

nation than We have hitherto given. There
is no State in the great American Union
with brighter prospects. Few, if any, pos.
sess such natural advantages, in climate
soil, and topography. And, although it has
sprang into existence as haunt and home
of men within tho memory of persons now
in early middle-age, it has grown in wealth,
population, and industry with rapidity
truly marvellous. Those who visit the State
and its capital at intervals of o few years
scarcely recognize the face of the country,
and wonder if the genii of Alad-
din have been transported there
to exercise their creative powers.
Let be clearly understood that We are not
counselling emigration. 1t is no wish of
ours that the farmers at home should con-
ceive ideas Of an agricultural Ell Dorado
and rush away unnecessarily in search off,
fortune. Those who can enjoy fair share
of comfort on this side of the Atlantic
ought to rest where they are, content with
their modest competence. The breaking up
of home, and the parting with all it's asso-
Citations, can never be accomplished without
pain and suffering, and whoever sets up life
in Minnesota has to toll hard, deprived Of
many pleasures, and subjected to many in
conveniences. But there will be emigration
whether we say yea or nay. There are peo-
pie always desiring to go westward, and graf
flying their penchant when the opportunity
offers. Farmers have gone constantly from
Ireland since even before the famine, and
farmers are now going from England also,
It is to guide and assist those Catholics bent
upon emigration that We wish
to deal here with the ad-
vantages and attractions of Minnesota.
Hitherto want of system has prevailed to
large extent. Men with a little capital have
landed in the United States hoping to make a
fortune, and losing their money instead.
Every intending emigrant ought to make in
fore commencing the voyage at all, and
their substance would not be wasted On ar
rival. Every facility, is now gwen for &C.
quiring accurate knowledge of tue NEST
eligible settlements for the Industrious, and
ignorance is inexcusable.
Minnesota was first officially known as o
State thirty years ago. In 1849 bill passed
through Congress defining its territory, Gre
atiug it regular State, and fixing St. Paul
an unknown village of five or six houses
as the capital. There were then about 1000
inhabitants in Minnesota. It area is 81, $50
square miles, or more than the entire of
Great Britain. The soil was seen to be fer
tile and singularly we'll watered.
Mountains there are none, though the sur
face is we'll diversified with hills. No bog no
waste, no aridness, appeared anywhere, while
the lakes-numbering seven thousand and
covering an aggregate of 100000 acres
were full of fish. Then the climate was
found to be unsurpassed in healthfulness
and suitability. The State lies between 43h
and 40 degrees north latitude, which We may
render more Ineligible by saying that the
northern boundary of Minnesota is south of
the entire of Great Britain and Ireland, Bel
gum, and Holland, and part of France; GO
that the temperature is never extreme at any
season of the year.
The Americans are proverbially practical,
and whom they take work in hand, they
execute it with an energy and disregard of
obstacles of which We have no experience in
Europe. "This is a goodly land" they
said to themselves, ''it will become rich and
busy and full of people, and We must set all
our go-ahead qualities in motion
to cover it with facilities for tilling, forest,
telling, building and commerce." Therefore
they commenced a survey which has already
comprehended 41,782,416 acres, ard which
will soon embrace the entire territory. Tc
encourage development in the most eficaci-
Gus way, they planned lines of railway and
donated to companies 1000, 900 acres in lots
f1anklng the lines at intervals, not covering
unbroken stretches of ground. Schools
we're the next thought, for the genuine
Yankee has sacred regard for education,
and 2t969,9o0 acres were appropriated TO,
school purposes. Indeed, they've speal
of Congress-went so far as to get apart
92,54S acres for State university. These
lands are not merely for school and college
sites, but property to be sold by the State
when the proceeds are required for the
erection of educational institutions. Whe1
earth is plentiful such things can be done, ant
it is plentiful enough in the United States
Now for the growth. In 1850 there wert
1900 acres under cultivation. In 1860 Their,
were 433, 267 acres, or an increase at the rat,
10000 acres per annum. The statistics fol
1877 give the total at 1885, 1896 acres unde
crops. The principal grain product is wheat
for which soil and climate are go unusuall,
we'll adapted that no other State produces 81
much per acre of such good quality. TIL
farmer finds that when he can SOW and rea!
wheat with success, it is the best commodit,
for him, because it sells most readily AM
brings in the ready money with creates
certainty. The average yield is sixteen t,
twenty bushels per acre, and as this averag
appears in sixty-eight counties, it is safe t,
assume that the whole of the State is uni
formly as fertile. Some years ago but one
half of the cultivated area grew wheat, bu
the proportion now is two-thirds, and in 1877
the total product was 40, 0OO, 900 bushels, O
% bushels to the acre. Other grain crop
are not forgotten. In 1877 there was a yiel,
of JIG, Bis, $50 bushels of oats, representa-,
1919 bushels to the acre.
The most striking development, however
is perhaps to be found in the increase o
population. We have stated that in 1851
Minnesota had between four and five thou
sand inhabitants. By 1860 there were 172,
020, a multiplication nearly forty times il
ten years. Five years later there were 25O,
O99; five years later still, 439, FOG. No halt
ing in the influx; 1875 showed 597,497
1877 showed e75, 900; and 1873 showed s25,
600, It Participated that 1880 will disclos
100000. Was the like of this ever SEQ
betore2 The growth was not only continu
GUS, but ever magnifying in proportion
| Speculative men had been gradually comm
to know the State, and as the knowlede
spread so did the anxiety to prospect it. No
do we see any immediate likelihood t
pause: Applicants for farms, and willln
workers in every branch of industry ar
ceaselessly swarming over the border an
putting themselves to some beneficial use,
We must attribute much of the prosperit,
to the railways. Carriage is the grand nee,
of all. There would be little use in pro
ducing bushels of wheat and oats in So,
plus millions if there were no facilities fo
it's quick transit to external markets. VIVA
Minnesota has done in this direction vii
excite establishment. In 1862 there wer
only ten miles of railway; in 1870 ther
were 1902 miles; in 1875 there were 1856
miles; in 1877 there were 2,2O2 miles
and in 1873 there were 1858 miles. Rail
are being laid down daily, and be
fore another year there will be at LEAF
5000 miles covered. AS an illustration Q
the traffic, we may mention that one Au,
bred trains come to and go from the eli:
of st. Paul each day. The grand benef
of this widespread railway system is this
that it enables exporters to 60 direct to al
the world with their goods. A barre
Of -four is sent direct to Liverpool 10
91.27, and to- Glasgow for $1.52; Will