The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1882-06-02

IN comprehensive statement, we submit
ii the counties producing the larges
st crops of oats per acre. There al,
le only six out of the total number o.
g counties in the State, and they were
Blue Earth. .....................3 5000
Dahotd......,.. ................ 33.OS
q rhimore ...... ........ .......... Eli
rrceDOrn. observation-disclosures .l6
uoodnue ............... .......... S3.ll
9, oimstead. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 3O.S7
r Blue Earth county is also placed
h prominently among the principal corn
e producing counties. there being but
= seven named. 1t appears from the
n report on this product that our cOnn.
!, ty had 1882 acres planted, which
y produced 626,9l4 bushels, or al aver
= age yield per acre of 1854 bushels.
e In the growing of sugar cane it is
e gratifying to know that Blue is one of
: six Counties in the State that pro.
duced the greatest number of gallons
per acre, which We find to be over
100. Now right here let us call the
5 attention of our agriculturists to the
, feasibility of more extensive cult.
) walton of sugar cane. 1t has been
+ shown that of 446 acres planted In the
county, Il yield of over one hundred
, gallons per acre was the result. At
the average market price of syrup
this would bring the producer $50 per
acre-or larger return than almost
any product that can be grown.
The number of farms under cult
walton IN the State in 1881, is given
rs 81 ,OS9, and the total cultivated
acreage 4, 729 $3.50. TO show the great
rapidity with which this State is
gaining permanent settlers, it is only
necessary to state here that in 1870
but l,725,lll acres were under cul-
tivatiOn. Even as late rs 1877 we
find that there were but 2.8s7 ,842
acres under the plOw, which dem.
onstrates that the past five years
have witnessed rapid agricultural
developments in the North Star
State.
1t has been enormously. supposed
and even emphatically asserted by
parties unfamiliar with the tempera.
ture of this locality that fruit can not
be grown to any extent in Minnesota.
1t must be remembered that the cul-
tivation of fruit has never been under.
taken to any considerable extent. but
reports show that in 1880 there were
apple trees to the number of 1,O32,3l5
growing in the State, and in 1881, 275..
796 bore fruit. Blue Earth county has
32,363 trees growing, 1882 bearing
The number of grape vines bearing
in 1881. was 40, 1877, of which number
Blue Earth county is represented
with 2,O72 bearing vines, and the
number Of pounds of grapes realized
from these was 1882. In 1880 there
was total in the State of 147,8O3
bushels of apples picked, and al, 731
pounds of grapes produced. 1t having
been demonstrated beyond peradven.
ture that apples and grapes can be
raised here as successfully as in any
of the Northern States, more atten.
will be given to their cultivation in
the future than in the past.
The number of mich cows in the
State in 1880 is given at 22S, 1855. from
the products of which 1888, 2s3
pounds of butter was produced, and ,
All 1914 pounds of cheese. We find in Z
that year that Blue Earth county had
1900 milch cows, from the products
of which were made 68l ,848 pounds
of butter and 1890 pounds of cheese.
With the present boom in the dairy
and creamery interest it is safe to
say that during the present year the
number of milch cows in this county
will be increased to fully 10000 and
the amount of butter will exceed a
million pounds. This great increase
in yield of butter over the compare
tive number of cows may be account.
ed for in two ways. a. The i'm.
prOvement of stock and (2) the su-
perior care which will be given cows
that produce milk. 1t may not prove
unsatisfactory for our farmers to
know that the Commissioners report
shows that we are the banner county
in the State for producing the greatest
number pounds of butter. Fillmore
county comes next, and to make a
comparison we produce figures show.
ing the number of milch cows in each
of these two counties and the pounds
of butter produced.
No. Cows. Lbs. But. Lbs. Cheese
Fillmore Film s.. ...::::.. sssS aaSss i,iSS
1t will thus be seen that while Fill.
more county MIXED 1885 cows more
than Blue Earth, we produced the
greater number pounds of butter by
24O.955. With our present creamery
additions it is not claiming too much
to say that ere the close of the present
year we shall stand ahead Of any
county in the State In the number of
these institutions. These figures are
most gratifying, and commend the
enterprise and thrift of our farmers,
the superiority of our county for
dairying, and the bright future of
our agriculturists as can be substan-
TALLY shown in no other way.
Our sheep industry is also becom.
ing an important factor, and the FL.
ture promises great advancement In
this particular. The number of sheep
in Blue Earth county in 1881 was
5,37l, from which 24,869 pounds of
wool was marketed. The sooner our
farmers comprehend the profits of
sheep raising, the better 1t will be
for themselves and the interests they
represent.
The assessed valuation of personal
property Of the county compiled from
returns made to State Auditor for
taxation, is 81, 1904, 8l6.