The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-11-05
MANITOBA VS.. MINNESOTA.
Lord Beacosa@aeld Contra<ztoted-Iho IL
vantn0es Of Mtnnesoty.

New York Times gives an account of Mani
the following extracts:
All this may be very interesting reading in
Europe, hut here in Winnipeg, the capital Of
this great Northwestern region described in
the land pamphlets, there is little evidence OF
this boosted fertility of tie soil. The pros.
poet all around is dreary one. will not
undertake to say what may be the quality of
tue land in those regions described as lying
from 300 to 700 miles further beyond
the pale of civilization, where, as IN
induoement to settlers, some Of the prin-
cipal towns are represented as shaving
fortniRhtly express, carrying her
Majes:y's mail and passengers to Winnipeg
But must say that it seems strange that
within sight of this town. from which so
much information has been forwarded free
of expense to ell the European States, there
is hardly the slightest trace of cultivation to
be seen. You can walk out of the main
street upon as bleak and unacceptable q
prairie az you can find in the whole North
West. believe am correct in stating that
there is not an ear Of wheat, or grain OF any
knd-not even vegetable grown within a
distance of many miles of the town. And
as fertile as they are represented, they ought
tie inhabitants of the principal city within a
| reasonable distance of its site. One thing,
| at least. as certain, that unless the citizen
here can make better showing in the way
of agricultural products in the immediate
vicinity of the town, they had better abandon
the business of furnishing land pamphlets to
the distressed agriculturists of European
States, and recommend their agricultural
authors to teach them how to cultivate q
patch OF garden, instead of wasting 50 much
rhetoric upon foreigners.
AS to the attempt to prove that all the
| valuable lands of the United States have
| been sold, and that only q few worthless
patches remain, have only to say that the
| citizens of Winnipeg stand more in need of
| being convinced upon this subject than Eng
lish agriculturists. Mr.. Trail, who is an
old resident OF this town, recently purchased
| ten sections or about 1000 acres of wheat
land from the st. Paul, Minneapolis & Man
ltoba railroad company, in Kittson county,
! Minnesota, almost on the borders of Cada.
da. He also owns a largo tract of land on
the other side of the Red river, in Dakota
| territory, while he has made very little. in
vestments in Manitoba. Mr.. Traill was for
several years connected with the Hudson
Bay company, and had ample opportunities
of judging of The quality of the land here,
as we'll as of the facilities for dieposing of
its products. and he certainly can
not have any prejudice against the old Do
minion. Upon some of this land he has
had an average yield of 20 bushels of wheat
to the acre this year. Still lower down in
the Red River valley, Mr.. March, of Mime
spolis, and Mr.. Spslding of New York, farm
5000 or 5000 acres at Warren, and in some
places had a yield of 371 bushels to the
acre this season on first crop. Their aver
age yield was about 81 bushels to the acre.
The large farms of Messrs. Cheny, Cass and
Dalrymple, in Dakota Territory, where, Mr..
william Q. Dalrymple informed me, they
Lad l3,OOO acres of q wheat crop this year,
from which there was yield of over 200, 600
bushels-these extensive farms are all within
the limits of this valley. There is also the
Grandan farm, of some 10000 acres, not
far distant upon which there were
over 900 acres under cultivation this sea-
son. This valley j. regarded as one of the
finest wheat fields in the world, and yet there
are come 200 miles of 1t in length BY nearly
100 in width still unoccupied, except in
patches here and there. Within the past
twel.e months the st. Paul, Minneapolis &
Manitoba railroad has been completed to St.
Vincent, and for 200 miles you drive through
this immense plain without meeting with
moro than few settlements. Since the
completion of the railroad, however, farmers
have been focking in from all parts of the
country, and it ID safe to estimate that with
in the next few years there will be more
wheat raised in this valley alone than in
many years to come in the whole proper
lands of Canada.