Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-09-21
Che freeman.
Letter from Minnesota.

coming quite up TO her expectations in the
wheat crop this wear. Though the total
am unit will moi be much if anv below the
average the average was greater ami
therefore he yield per acre must be less
The wheat in this locality was thin on th,.
gro md. In some places there was con
siderable compliant of blight and in other
places here was added to the other plaques
the chief OF ALL the chnlz bog. But prices
are = 10 |. Never since [ have been in
Mune- ta ha, the price of wheat ruled 50
high 1T thl, season Of the year as now.
TnlS will very nearly make mp for the short
crop Three Years ago when through this
region there was 50 much of blight there
wa, not only not more than u half crop
harvested but only half price could be at
tainei tar that. Farmers said it was the
smlt price that beat them and not the
sm,lI crop. WneIt sold that year from
twenty five to forty cents per bushe.
This year there has been paid already as
hi5 5h Us It dollar and twenty cents for No
ty is put at twelve bushels per acre. Even
81 small yield ut such price will leave
margin of profit,
There has been good deal of discus
sion OF late among agriculturists of the
necessity of depending on something else
he>iles wne 1t raising but old habits are
not easily chGngel. could not see as |
lookc over the fields in this county that
any less amount of wheat had been sown
this yrar than formerly or that the amount
OF "har crops was perceptbly greater.
1t was wheat, wheat everywhere. No,hing
bring, ready money like wheat But
VIII at raising is laborious and costly.
From beginning to the eni it is heavy
expense. 1t requires costly machinery to
seed it, to harvest it and to thresh it. The
day seems to have passed for men OF small
capital to 90 into the raising of wheat with
m ia chance of success. There has been
Lrcar Improvements in harvesting machin
ery during he last few years Self bind
erS that was almost considered an impossi-
hlity by practical men few years ago
are beginning to be considered indispens
able. Reapers and harvesters of the old
sorts are being east one side now AS the
sickle and cradle have been in years gone
by, But self-bindersi cost money, three
hundred and fifteen dollars is quite a sum
for Il machine that can be run only about
ten lays in the year. The facilities offered
for buying these machines on time is fatal
to many II farmer Of small means. He
gives his note for certain time imagin
ing he shall receive such aid from the use
OF his machine rs to make payment for it
comparatively easy. But the note becomes
due and the money has not been raised.
Crops were lighter than he expected,
hired help cost more and his hopes have
no been realized He must have an ex
tension of time. The interest is high and
the debt grows Other debts also multiply.
His machine is heavy and he needs anoth
cr horse; he runs in debt for it. He thinks
he needs forty acres more land to give full
scope for his self binder and team and he
buys it on time, mortgaging perhaps some
personal property to make the first pay
mcnt Now he must mortgage his home
stead to get money to pay for his machine.
soon he is hopelessly involved and the
wISest thing left for him to do is to sell
out and 20 to Dakota where land is cheap
and try i over again. That is the history
of many thrt have gone there and it is no.
an overdrawn picture Mlny a harvester
has cost II nun his farm in the end. 1t
seems to be considered the rule the larger
scale IA man can farm it on the more ne
will make providing he has capital and
experience, but many lamentable failures
occur with those who rush into it without
either
But raising wheat is not the only thing
Minnesota can excel in. never saw finer
corn fields than can be seen at the present
time everywhere over these praires. II
used to be reported that Minnesota was too
cold for corn raising; frost left too late in
the spring and came too early in the fall
but the report is without foundation. |
have been here seven summers and | can
testify that where it has been we'll attend
ed there has been good crop every year.
Iowa farmers say that we are ahead of
them this year. took dinner with u farm
er of moderate pretensions in an adjoin
ing town last week, and he told me he had
town to the null and received for it $42
In the spring he had hauled a hundred
bushels to market and received $40 for it.
lie said mis- corn yielded him nearly fifty
bushels to the acre. He WAS satisfied that
corn raising was far the most profitable
with him. He and his boys could manage
his corn field, and he was no money out
His fat hogs and his fat cattle were a better
source of revenue than his wheat fields.
Then the dairy business is getting to be
more and more profitable. This cool eli
mate makes butter making in the summer
safe and rcmunerativc. The tame grasses
are easily raised, and prairie hay is abun-
dant The interest is rapidly increasing
in this drpar ment of industry. Cows are
worth 81 per cent more now than they
We're a rev years ago. The establishment
ofcreameries has done much to stimulate
en- erprise in this direction
This has been season of storm. Wine
and rain and hail have played serious mis-
cbiefn many places. These severe storms
are usually quite local in their character
In one place they may do great damage
while in another not far from it no harm
will be done. One passed within a few
miles of Freeborn only IA few days ago;
being caught in it could judge of its char
l., I,,l Of 4 In