The Northern Pacific farmer., 1880-09-16
Agricultural.
THE,FUTURE OF NORTHERN
MINNESOTA?

MIN NEi0OIAI
When one looks around upon the rap
idly developing regions OF northern
Minnesota: sees the energetic farmers,
breaking, harvesting, threshing and
busily engaged about his farm work;
observes the scanty food upon which
the wheat fields are supposed to sub
sist in the fullness of their strength
during the natural lifetime of the
owners. He feels constrained to
ask, how long is this to last! How
long will this soil continue to fur
nish strength for the complete de-
velopment of the great cerial-wheat
without being fed, without return
ing to it some of the strength it is
called upon to eNpend, in giving to
man the profitable crop which is now
expected of it? Without going into
any scientific discussion in regard to
the value of manure, we will simply
look around us for a natural solution
to the problem, as to whether it is or
is not necessary to make some return
to the soil for the benefits we derive
from it. All things that grow receive
strength to support their existence
in some manner OF other. Remove
the strength giving properties from
any living thing, and sooner or later
There can be no question us to the
truth of this proposition. Nothing
in nature lives without it's food, a
substance or matter absorbed into it's
system from natural sources and in
the manner given it by nature to sup
port and furnish it with the strength
necessary to enable it to answer the
demands Of nature: or to dO the work
that nature requires. For this plr-
pose nature feeds her subjects, and
she gives them all the food they need
to execute the labor she assigns to
them. But when man steps in with
his numerous demands, greater labor
and more strength is required of
those things in nature which man in
the greatness Of his cheek, appropri-
ates to his own use. than in their ma
tural state. Therefore, man should
see to it that natures subjects die not
Oh his hands for want of food. Is it
reasonable to suppose that our soil is
any exception to the great law of ma
ture? While it fulfilled the require
nlents Of nature, it received all nee
essary food from Il natural source.
hut when man begins to ask more of
it and tax it's strength to it's fullest
capacity. is it's natural food sufficient
10 MAINTAIN it's strength under all arti-
cial strain! The most natural an
.wer seems to be, that it will not
'>Withstand the pressure any great
langth of time unless it's strength is
!'Kept up by some artificial means,
| yhether it be by manure or otherwise.
By asking what the future of north
+ IN Minnesota will be, we have SIM
/ " to submit the prominence of our
heat in business transactions and
\ he inevitable results which would
! nsue from failure in the soil to
Il produce crop of this essential grain.
VIt is hardly necessary to recite the
hardships it would entail since all
II Ilcauainte,l with the condition of
\ u ngs here can easily imagine for
If lselves. It is for the farmers to
the question OF their own fu-
II prosperity and the welfare of
orthern community, by their
n cent and thorough cultivation
n .oil; respect for the laws of na'
forgetting that his use of ma
.hjects changes their condition