The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-09-23

the public school. ana SeJJled IN an
unbroken wilderness. Six years and
a month or two ago, John Nelson un-
loaded at this station the first thresh-
ing machine ever seen in Wadena.
Then the bear, the lynx, and the red
skin held possession of large portion
OF the country; then the fox barked
and the wolves howled VIII ROW the
whistle of threshing engines wakes
the echo. l believe, Of the old settlers
l now remember, was Q. $. Pratt, $.
$. Gardner. II. ". Fuller. John Wheel
er, C. i. Jordan, 4. Langley, the
Canterburys. l.. +. 1eaton and John
Parvin. Agriculture was an expert
ment, and a somewhat doubtful one
at that. Why, says the skeptic: this
land wont raise white beans! Weltry
it. said the M;s4neites. John Mel
son S threshing machine demonstrated
that wheat and oats were among the
possibilities, and with good fair yields
per acre; then it became known that
Vegetables OF all northern kinds would
grow in quality and quantity: unequal
ed by few places.-snrpassed by
none. I raise the best potatoes and
NtSCC6t!D4CS l. CfC1 Sf"" SoAo"s A0'o y WI
can't raise corn! Well, perhaps you
can't, but it has been the coldest.
bleakest and most backward season.
this present year, and we have some
fair Specimens of corn here Oh eXhi-
bition, and thousands of bushels as
good ut home. We can: and do raise
good corn,-we raise wheat. oats, rye,
barley. tobacco, &C., &C.. and we raise
habies,-I don't know that the officers
of this Association will exhibit any,
but it's because they are too old OF not
good looking enough.
Agriculture is the one thing which
makes all others possible; without the
products drawn from mother earth by
the farmers, how would the other oc-
cupations succeed? What would fur
nish occupation for railroads were the
country uldeveloped! True, the farm
er is dependent on the skilled work.
man for his machinery, his clothes,
his cultivated wants, but the delyer
of earth can live without them better
than they without him. The honest
employments are necessary for each
other; by honest employment, l mean
those that give adequate value for the
value they get in exchange. 10 not
suppose we are any exception to the
rule that in all places are men who
seek to live at the expense OF the
zvorEeTs, by trickery, fraud and mis-
representation. All such are, perhaps
not legally, but morally under the bane
Of the higher law. which says, ''TIIoU
SHALT NOT STEAL Yhe love of 1.-The
Almighty Dollar may in some cases
obscure and drain the finer and nobler
attributes Of man.
1T is 10 wonderful change from the
wilderness Of seven or eight years
ago,-ti,e wonder is that it has been
SO long delayed. We claim TO special
merits as pioneers; we have had hard
Ships; but what of that,--ncne have
done more than they could: have all
done! Look at our productions, look
ut Our people. Nothing was certain
but wheat and grass; now look ut our
corn, our sugar cane, our vegetables:
our cattle and horses. yes. and ut
o'clock tomorrow. look at our babies.
l say our, for they belong to the whole
country.
Ladies' and gentlemen. had known
or expected that this duty would de-
volve upon me, I should have justly
insisted on my placed here being filled
by some speech-nlaking man who
would have Interested you; as it is.
in formally opening this fair,-the
first ever held in this section, thank
you all, but more especially you: MI.
Secretary, and You Ntr. Chairman and
members OF the Executive Commit
tee, and again to you ladies, who have
SO kindly assisted us. 0uI gratitude is
extended. And let Inc say, the past
is gone with all its hartlships, and the
present is here and demands our at
tention; and of the future. will Wa
dena, will this glorious country. way
up here in this l}ore:l land Of Zeros.
big wheat, big potatoes, corn, cab
bages,-and better than all. big heart
ed men and women, and big babies,
fill the promise Of the present, then
may we not. with contented, s*tls-
fed pride, point out our schools, our
churches, our roads: our lecture rooms
and our comfortable, happy homes.
The fair is now open.
STOCK.
At the old boWery was the exhibit
of stock and farm machinery, and we
were somewhat surprised to see as
many heads OF fine stock as WAS there
shown. We have not the time or
space to go into particulars, but will
next week give the premium winners.
We hope next year to see this deprt-
ment three times as large.
In the evening the people gathered
in the hall to hear the. speeches OF