The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-08-12
From Minnesota.
CAMPBELL, Mimi, Aug. 8

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Sunday, July 80, at 2 p NJ. we Or. Hathaway
ard myself started from Ottawa for the Red
River country, by the Albert Lea route, arriv.
ing in Minneapolis at O'Clock on Monday
morning. The railroad connections at that
place are such that we were obliged to remain
IN that city all day to get train for Campbell.
We managed to pass the forenoon pleasantly
and probably however, in sightseeing. The
immense water power, flour mills, saw mills,
the street Improvements, public buildings, &C.,
are objects of much interest to stranger. In
passing through these great mills, single one
of which has nine miles of betting, and turns
out five thousand barrels Of flour per day, we
Involuntary wondered where all the wheat
comes from to keep them running.
In the afternoon we took in" Lake Mime.
tonka, a beautiful sheet of water about dozen
miles from Minneapolis, on the Manitoba
road. This lake is a famous summer resort,
visited by thousands of health and pleasure
seekers from the East and South 1t is ire
gular IN shape, with many little bays and in.
lets extending inland, is studded with wooded
hills covered with heavy timber. Its waters
are clear, cold and blue as the sea, and are
well stocked with bass, pickerel, pike and
perch. After enjoying ride across the lake
on one of the small steam pleasure boats,
purchased a couple of dozen minnows and
hired a row-boat, went out a mile or SO from
shore and dropped line" l shall not state
the number nor the size of the black bass
landed in one hour and thirty minutes (Which
was all the time could spare lest some o.
tawa disciple of Isaac w. should call for the
proofs, but will say that lover of bass and
plckerel hook -andllne fishing here finds his
Eden.
On August LIST we arrived IN Campbell,
village Of probably two hundred inhabitants,
situated on the Manitoba road in the heart Of
the famous Red River wheat region. A ride
of fifty miles across the level praIries of this
country solves the problem that puzzled US IN
Minneapolis and answers the question:
"Where does the wheat come from to keep
all the great mills running?" Wheat, wheat
everywhere. The farmer that has less than
one hundred and fifty acres OF wheat has only
"a patch".. The crop this year is certainly q
good one, and will, no doubt, average twenty
bushels per acre. The crop ls much better
on old ground than new, principally because
Of the difficulty IN getting the newly broken
soil in good condition for the first sowing.
Oats harvesting has commenced This crop
is also good, many farmers claiming that 1t
will average fifty bushels per acre. Oats is
surer crop than wheat, and will, for number
of years to come, no doubt pay better than
wheat, for the reason that the immense lmmi-
grafton will make home market for all kinds
of feed. and keep the price of oats much above
Milwaukee and Chicago prices. The prices
paid last spring were from 75c to SOC per
bushel, while wheat sold at the same time for
about $l.10 per bushel.
The Ottawa colonlsts are all tlOurishing and
in good health and spirits. Their land Is ev.
cry year rising in value, and if they but sue
coed in paying expenses with the crops raised
they will all be swell to do" financially in
few years.
The great drawback of the country are the
mosquitoes. The New Jersey mosquito would
lose his reputation should he emgrate to the
Red River region stand ready to make an
affidavit that tor size, symmetry, voracity and
general blood thrstlness the Minnesota variety
has no equal on the face of the earth, and as
to number they equal the sands upon the sea
shore. 1t Is said the smallest of them make
good bait for plckerel fishing. An old resi-
dent here told me that stranger sportsmen
sometimes mistake them for prairie chickens
until they have winged number of them.
After thoughtfully considering the matter l
have come to doubt, somewhat, the old resi-
dents statement.
Wheat harvesting will commence about the
10Th or 10Th of the month. All the latest and
best Improvements IN farm machinery are
used Without the selfblnder it would be i'm
, possible to harvest the Wheat raised. The
binder so reduces the expenses of harvesting
large tracts of grain, as to make farming on
a large scale profitable. This Is not first
. class corn country. There are few fields OF
corn growing, but the season is too short to
mature any kind of corn that Is as pr 'titable to
, raise IA wheat or oats. The tame grasses,
however, take hiuily 10 the sod aud climate,
I and yield abundant crops wherever sown
r Some of the most noticeable advantages of
the country are healthful climate, a fruitful
Z soil, cheap lands, a peaceful, industrious PEG.
n pie, and the large number of acres that can be
Y successfully titled by one nan. On the other
4 nand there are many disadvantages. The
long, cold winters, scarcity of timber and feed,
v standing water on the lands during the rainy
o season in the spring, and scarcity OF fruits.
Many of these disadvantages will no doubt
: be overcome by the settlement and improve
S ment of the country by tree planting and
]. drainage.