The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1882-05-05
! THE TURNIEa TIDE.
A New Era Of Prosperity Dawning Upon
Southern Minnesota.

Southern Minnesota.
Faribault Republican.
We give below some notes and OBJ
servations made during recent trip
i'm the southern tier of counties Of
this State which may serve the pur-
pose of enlightening the people Of
Rice county as to what is being done
In other sections toward u revolution
in the system of farming which has
prevailed 80 long, and has resulted in
many Instances. in impoverishing
both farms and farmers. We refer
to wheat.growing as it has been prac-
ticed in this State.
Our observations have ranged from
Fillmore county west, through Now.
er, FreebOrn, Faribault, Martin and
/ Jackson counties. but the most strik.
ing change from the golden era of
wheat raising to ruin and bankruptcy,
we might truthful say, and the re.
turn from that to the beginning of
what promises to be an era of unex-
ampled prosperity, has been in Fill
best wheat growing sections In the
State. We have-b been informed that
a failnre of the crop had scarcely ever
heen known particularly in the west.
EN- part from Preston to Spring Val.
ley, until after the great crOpOf 1877.
Since that time there has been Il sue.
cessi0n of failures. The Root river
and its numerous tributaries, which
fOw through the county, afford ex-
cellent water powers, many OF which
are utilized in operating Touring
mills. and Fillmore has, perhaps, more
runs Of stones than any other county
in the State excepting Hennepin.
These mills insured good prices for
wheat. and with the absolute certain
" Of Il good crop every year. there
is little wonder that the continuous
wheat system of farming died hard.
Bnt it died. and the area sown to
wheat this year, it is said, will not
be one-fouith as large rs formerly.
During the whcat-grOwing period
there was comparatively little atten.
ton paid to stock raising or dairying,
and after the first failure OF their
staple crGp four years ago, most OF
the farmers sold off their stock to
get means To carry them through the
year. When the second failure came
and they had neither wheat nor stock
to sell, and the price of real estate
had depreciatci until it was almost
worthless as far rs getting money for
it was concerned, they were poor in.
deed. The wiscst ones at this juno.
tUre commenced seeding down their
farms with grass, and began looking
toward stock raising rs the only rem.
edy for the evil that was upon them.
Others followed i'm the lead. and now
it appears that half of the cultivated
area of the county is devoted to clo-
yer and other tame grasses, and
horses, cattle, hogs and sheep are
becoming abundant, and dairying is
rapidly assuming the prominent posi-
ton it should have occupied years ago.
Times are still hard sd money is
scarce, for it requires time TO recover
from the effects of four successive
years of adversely, but the revenue
already derived from the sale of grass
seeds, hogs and dairy products, ag-
gregateS no inconSiderabie sum. The
amount of money that has been dis.
bursed to farmers within the past
eleven months, for the single item Of
cream, is over S25 900. This leads
us to speak somewhat in detail of the
creamery business, which at present
occupies so much of the attention Of
the people of the State, and which,
in some sections, has really become
craze. The Spring Valley Creamery
Association was organized about a
year ago and commenced operations
during the latter part of May, and
been running steady ever since. The
building, which was designed espec-
tally for that business, is said to be
one of the most complete establish.
ments of the kind in the West, and
its products are said to rank in quail.
ty with the celebrated Elgin butter.
The capacity of the creamery is from
$500 to 5000 pounds per day, but
as yet, the products have not aver.
aged near one fourth the capacity.
During the best portion of last year
the yield, from $50 cows, was about
500 pounds per day. The work is
done by steam, a roller of eight
horse power being used.
There are two methods of operating
creameries. one by what is known as
the whole milk" system and the
other the gathered cream" system.
In the former the creamery buys the
milk, which is delivered twice day.
and pays II certain price per hundred
pounds for it, varying from SIS cents
to Sl.25, according to the price of
butter. After the cream is SKINNED
Tie patron receives q portion of the
milk. In the other system the cream.
cry furnishes the farmers with cans
into which they strain the milk as
soon as it is taken from the cow.
There is then nothing further to be
done. except to keep the milk cool
until the 'gatherer'' calls, when the
cream is skinned and the patron is
credited with the number of inches
of cream he may have each day. In
Il can ii inches long by inches wide,
il depth OF one inch of cream will
make a pound Of butter. Each can is
provided with glass indicator which
shows the amount of cream on the
milk. The gatherers each make
circuit of from 25 to IS miles per day.
There is diversity Of opinion as to
which system is the better one, each
having it's champions and adherents.
The Spring Valley creamery gathers
its cream, and the success it has
achieved during its first year, if it
does not follow the better system,
does great credit to the skill of its
Mr.. Holmes, who seems to
be well versed in every department
of the business. The price paid for
cream has ranged from II to IS cents
per inch, the latter figure having pre-.
vailed the greater portion of the year.
The production during the winter
and while the roads have
been so bad of late, hts not exceeded
200 pounds per day, but it is expected
that there will be SO per cent. more
business done this year than there
was last, Notwithstanding creameries
will be operated at Chatfield, Foun.
tain, Wykoff. Preston, Grand Meadow
and other points within fifteen or
twenty miles.
This creamery has been source Of