Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-09-22
Letter from Minnesota.
FREEBoRN, Mimi. Sept. II, 1880.

usually good" flair" or "middlng." 1t
is not by any means a great crop, but it is
better than it was last year or the year
before. The yield is from twelve to fif-
teen bushels to the acre. Last year it
was only ten, year before last there was
every appearance of good crop till about
the time the wheat was filling when the
hot, wet weather without so much as II
breeze to enliven the atmosphere |
caused the grain to blight badly. Last
year it was something the same. Though
the blight was not quite 50 bad there was
not so much to blight. Farmers with
heavy mortgages to lift found their
was getting desperate. This
year they watched the clouds and the
weather indications with u good deal of
anxiety about the time the wheat was
filling. For a while it seemed evident
that the old disaster was to be repeated
but kind providence turned the wind
into the northwest where it remained
some ten days continuously, giving the
wheat time to fill out and ripen. The
mercury ran down some nights during
this interval as low as 80 while the vigor-
Gus breeze from the northwest drove the
blight all away and the crop in this part
of the country was saved.
There seems to be growing opinion,
however among the farmers here that the
period for growing wheat in this locality
has passed. They think the years of
failure will increase while the years of
success will soon become few and far
between. If one wishes to make money
raising wheat he must go still farther
west. Somehow it seems to be the fate
of all these western states that for n few
years after the virgin soil is opened up
bounteous crops of this indispensable
cereal will be raised but soon it begins to
fail. 1t was so in Wisconsin, so in Hi
nois, so in Indiana and don't know but
| might go back to Ohio, New York and
even Vermont and the same thing would
be true. For the first few years after
these states was settled wheat grew rank
and tall. plnmp and we'll filled, Just when
the farmer most needed it he got spend.
ing money and the wherewith to establish
himself in his new home, but after few
such seasons there came blight, and rust,
and weevil and mildew, chinch bugs,
and grasshoppers, and the poor wheat
crop though it struggled desperately to
dodge all these, had finally to surrender.
Then the farmer turned his attention to
other things-growing corn, oats, cattle,
sheep, hogs, dairy products and the result
often was that the change proved gain
rather than loss in the long run. Theil
prosperity may not have been so apparent
but it was more real. Their land was
not so soon exhausted, their capital not so
effectually drained away in the purchase
of machinery and hiring harvest help. Nc
crop brings the ready money like wheat,
and when the crop is invariably good, Of
course it pays; but there must be
heavy outlay of expense, even for the
smallest farms, and when n failure comes
it is felt. Other crops have slower returns
but on the whole l AN inclined 10 think
are Just rs sure and even more so. They
bring in the money after while and
bring it in more abundantly.
Some school mates that used to know
in the days of yore in the good old state
of Vermont, that were born in Illinois hui
upon their fathers death had returned tC
their fathers and mothers kindred in the
Green Mountain state to spend theil
youth and to await the development o
the strength necessary to cope with The
difficulties Of prairie farm, used often t
tell me of the great wheat fields in Illinois
and fill my wandering ears with stories of
the marvellous crops raised there. They
had sort of contempt for any efforts il
that direction in Vermont. Twenty wear
ago they went to their Illinois farm agar
and took up the work they had left but
few years before, but when | visited then
Il year ago found they had entirely givel
Iup raising wheat for expectation. Tc
raise their own bread and seed was al
they aimed to do and sometimes the,
didn't do even that. Other crops hat
taken the place of wheat which ha
become more sure and more profitable.
Now this same thing seems to be com
ing true of Minnesota Some of thu
counties east of US which used to show tn
best wheat fields in the state if not in tn
world were almost total failure agai
this year. For three years now they hav
had no good crop and the present year ha
been the worst of the three. The averag
yield in some of these counties will onlv
be about four bushels to the acre. Th
people are being driven to the conclusion
that change awaits them here similar t
that which has been felt in all the state
east and that they must prepare to NEE
, it. If the line of wheat growing is NOV
ing westward they must move westwar
f too or modify their mode of farming t
| suit the inevitable tendency of thing
Years ago the counties of Wabasha, Goo,
> hue and Olmstead were considered bannt
} counties in wheat raising and their ric
! fields were the pride of the country, BIT
r their glory in this respect seem to be Dc
3 parting. Fifteen or eighteen years ag
. farmers came in there from Wisconsi
where wheat growing had begun
decline and they thought they had reacht
the garden of the world. Now they al
moving on to western Minnesota or d.
kota and trying the same experiences ov
again.
4 But while the wheat crop is becomir
less and less certain corn and other croE
are becoming more and moro so. Cor
that is at all well attended to invariubl
produces bounteous crop. Flax, cat
barley, potatoes and garden vegetable
one can raise in abundance and not ha
/, try, have ripe tomatoes rotting in N
u