The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1879-11-13
Retrospective.

Below will be found the figures
giving the amount of business trans
acted in the month of October, 1878,
and the sumo month for the present
year. In summing the matter up we
must take into consideration one very
important fact, and that is hat in the
fall of 1878 the productions from
ParIzer's Prairie and contiguous
country in tbs main sought market
ut the n. P. railro ad with WAden1 as
the shipping point, and by the bust
ness men Of Wadena this country was
regarded as the most valuable tribu-
tarE to the town, giving it that i'm
porSance from the fact that it figured
larg eIy in the business transacted last
year at this point. The grain of Park
ers Prairie and surrounding country,
amounting to 100000 bushels
has been taken this year to Alex
anCria and other points. carrying
with it 4 trade Of at loest $4,000,
for tAe simple rclsol tl,t t.lc price
Of WHEAT at this pl.ce hts beea kept
below the ruling IN sr;1et prices else
where. TIL, circum st inces which
have causel the unfortunate conli-
tioA of the market here this year,
have been iii u measure unavoidable
and will surely be obviated by the
enterprising managers OF the n. P.
of their business to attract freight to
their road rather than maintain q
policy which will drive the business
Of the country lying between here
and Alexandria to the other rail-
roads. This TACT alone would seem
to argue strongly in favor of the
early return OF the trade which has
been lost to us this year.
The question will naturally be
a~ked, why have they not pursued
this policy this ycar instead o; suffer-
ing us to lose all this trade? The
reason is simply because they have
not been able TO move the grain
raised, and because the storage ut
Duluth has been totally inadequate
to accommodate that which was
moved, compelling them to keep cars
on the side track filled with wheat
which it was impossible to unload.
There are other points which could
be mentioned that have figured in
tbs result but we will not mention
them at this time. We can say,
however, that change for the better
may be confidently locked for next
season. We have referred to these
points not for the purpose Of bewail-
ing over them, but simply to show
the conditions under which COM
parison of our trade for the two ears
must be made.
The month Of October in The years
1883 have been selected for publ:
cation on this OCCASION, and we shall
keep up this system as near as posi-.
(,le for each month hereafter. The
figures are rs follows:
Total amount Of business transact
ell in Oct. 1878, $23,O97 AZ
Total amount Of business
transacted Oct. 1879, $42.G5480
Increase in 1879 over 1878 19.557.3S
Total amt Of wheat shipped in Oct
1878, 26,800 bushels. Total amour
of wl.cat shipped in Oct. 1879, 49,,
74S bushels. Increase over last yea.
G,948.
The total cash receipts at the sta.
ton IT,, Oct. 1878, 81 ,184.ln
Receipts for 1879, 2.3G2.82
Increase over last year. l,l78.72
Thus it will be seen that there has
been very marked increase in the
amount OF acreage under cultivation
in the Immediate vicinity Of Watlena
The figures do not inelude tie >'loo;
business nor the amount Of improve.
ments which have been made here
In 4 week or two we will publish ILL
article reviewing the work ofl879 in
regard to buildings and improve: