The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-10-05

fore it has been to the still and brew
ery--there it Is again-what shall we
do to he saved! / feel like answering
In that shSrt, curt, and i'm one sense
impudent way, so as to make an i'm.
PRESTON. Pardon me, farmers, the
apparent rudeness of the answer. To
that question, then, | rudely and yet
thOughtfnlly say, ''gO to grass" j
don't mean. however, for you to go as
certain wicked king went for seven
years and eat grass like an OK. still
NebuchedneZZar's going to grass did
him II great deal of good. mean
this: you have gone to wheat, now /
want you to go To the grass the same
way. That is, go to the raising grass.
Let it be understood that in every
place under the sun, where the good,
rich, nutritious grasses and clOvers
will grow, that there they are the
foundation of agricultural wealth. A
foundation, too, that never slips from
under u man.
When man intelligently "goes to
grass" he will naturally &C to those
things that follow, us a matter of
Course. the grass system. The grass
man gradually becomes the master of
the silualion, he becomes indepen
dent and runs his own boat. The
corners around the Board OF Trade
rooms in Chicago or Liverpool do not
then set Il price on his products. as
they do when he has gone To wheat.
Int, of course. the first question is.
Is this Il grass soil! | unhesitatingIy
answer. yes; and as good il Une Us The
sun lin,is in all its rounds.
That once settled, everything con
corning the ultimate success of the
farmer is settled. As Il rule, that soil
That will bear good grass will also
bear good corn. Some northern local
I,ies may seem i'm exception. but the
general rule holds good with these
two crops. The farmers success IS
assured.
With these he can have stock Of
any kind. The dairy is his beyond
al! question:, so are hogs. - is beef, 81
is mutton, and. too. rs a rule again, SD
are I'LL the fruits known in the telIi-
ptrate zone. Have any of you ever
seen Il picture equal Ia the reality of
that farm home, by the road side.
where the clover fields are vocal with
the hum Of bees; where the pastures,
thick.SeC sod of blue grass, white
clover and Il dozen other varieties of
lat and flesh forming grasses, are
trodden with the lOrdiy step of the
short horn and It's grades; or some of
the otter improved breeds of cattle;
where The Hastily painted house is
half hidden amid the fruit and shade
tresS and the commDdiOus barn speaks
of comfort IT, man and beast, through
winter months; and in whose stalls
the higlI.bred horses are ready to
either take the family To town at Il
spanking pace i'm the easy, cOmnOd.
iousssand luxurious family carriage, or
to bring their owner u bouncing
farm home, where every surrounding
tells of plenty, of independence. OF IN
telligcnce, of cOntenlment, and of u
home in its highest and truest sense.
i ask, have any of your ever seen Il
picture equal to the reality of such Il
hume Oh land such rs we have here!
Well, want the farmers of Southern
Minnesota to realize that ii is only Il
question of time, when from one end
of your grand state to the other there
is to be a continual succession of Just
such homes as this, only far lovelier
liz the reality than in The picture.
There is no place in America where
SO many such homes can exist to the
square mile as here and Iowa, where
so many things that go to make home
true to its dear and precious name,
"IIome, Home, Sweet Home"
My mission to you, brother farm.
ers. today is to tell you with belief
that comes from actual knowledge as
far us have gone, that right in the
soul of the 80 or leo acres you call
your farm, lie all the elements and
all the requisites for that grand home.
Ii any one ardent wish and earnest
desire of mine dominates over others,
it is that the piOneers-the farmers
of these western State-shOuld at last
make to themselves the good and de.
sirable home that they so richly de.
serve. Who should have good homes
if the farmer does not Who earns
them if he doesn't! On the result of
our toll are built up the grand homes
Of the towns and cities. We are not
eiiviuus, we ale glad to see men have
COED homes, but we want the origin.
ators Of the wealth that enables any
one to build him Il home. To have his
share of that wealth he creates, and
To have the home his industry AMI
patient toni deserves. For that rea.
son want t. see our farmers follow
| that course which will not only. sure
ly give it, but give it in the soonest
possible time. | want my fellow
farmers to appreciate the value of the
farms they own. Ii any farm in the
State is worth $50 an acre, that farm
lies here. and in Iowa. When you
get along So us To put good buildings
OH that farm. it will he worth from
$75 To $50. and pay to keep at that.
Now this is no idle fancy. 1t is no
wild dream. Already this is being
realized in Illinois. Only last week
man was telling me he had just sold
his farm Il few miles out from ElgiE.
fer 800 an acre, and that farm was
wholly devoted to dairy purposes.
For making butter or for putting up
condensed milk, Il farm here is worth
as much as farm in Ohio or in the
State of New York. The COST for
/ Transportation on IL pound Of butter
from here is little more than from
there-it does not enter into account
ut all.
With the dairy will come the hogs
| and the beef.
With grass and stock, will stay with
MS our fertility OF soil. With tins
line of farming will come independent
homes and intelligent people. he
school house will he on the hill top,
and no saloon in the valley.
Oh, let me live long enough to see
such farm homes scattered all along
these beautiful streams and over
these rich rolling priliries. Let me
live to see fruit trees without number
growing all over this good land.
Brother farmers of minnesota, let
me urge yOu To seed down your acres
with grass and to plant around your
homes trees for shade and for fruit,
that by and by, when i, comes your
turn TO die. your grateful children
will wheel you i'm the old easy chair
up once more to the window. that You
may look out again upon the lovely
ia M your toll has made look at the
fruit trees your hands have planted,
whose bending limbs are loaded with
the ripening fruit that you may
point to that quiet nook under the
wide spread branches of the great
elm you years ago brought as little
twig from the river bottom and set
out, and i'm your mind, then said, let
this tree grow, and under its shade let
me be buried; that you may listen
again to the bleating of the flocks and