Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1884-10-22

ing company, was organized with a cash
capital Of $4,000. A building was erect
ed and operations begun in canning vege-
tables, but unfortunately for them their
engine exploded, killing one man, and in
consequence no work was done that year.
This season, however, it has been most
successfully operated, and is destined to
become one of the most important insti-
buttons in the city. The principal vege-
tables used are sweet corn. tomatoes,
squash and pumpkin, of which large
amount has been put up and are now up
on the market. The management is in
the hands Of president and board of di-
rectors, and the stock is at par.
A foundry and machine shop for the
manufacture of Ames Bros. improved
Diamond Feed Mill, of whom McLaugh-
lin & Sheldon, Owatonna, are agents for
the United States, has been in opera
ton for several seasons and is an insti-
tuition which is constantly increasing in
proportions and Importance. |
In addition to these manufacturing es-
adjustments, there are a number of
wagon and carriage manufactures
on small scale, creamery, cheese
factory, and butter tub factory. All
these establishments contribute their
quota to the employment Of labor and the
production of wealth.
Of course Austin has the usual number
of business houses to be expected of a
city of 5000 people, located in the center
of so rich an gricultural region, and
some estimate can he had of the volume
of business done there by the following
figures During the year 1883 there was
received at Austin 25,812,017 pounds. or
10, 996 tons of freight, while CATS tons
were shipped. Besides this amount of
general freight shipped there were sixty
cars of stock, 10, 600 bushels of wheat, 49,
600 bushels of oats, %, 900 bushels Of bar
ley, 1900 bushels of flax, 1900 bushels of
timothy seed and $4,000 bushels of pota
toes shipped during 1888. There were
during the year 772 deeds recorded show
no drag in the market, and as an evidence
of prosperity the fact that the annual tax
sale for the year 1884 was So, 000less than
previous years for long time, goes to
prove that its people are getting to be
| more able financially.
NEWSPAPERS.
Austin has two good live newspapers,
which is vastly better for both the city
| and the publishers than if there we're a
half dozen aceakly ones. The Register,
the oldest paper in the county, was
founded in 1857 by c. H. Davidson, the
present owner and publisher of the TRAN
SCRIPT. Both papers are credit to their
city and the section of the state in which
they are located
BUILDING BOOM.
| Austin has been very unfortunate with
some of her business buildings. Good
| from the city, stone for foundations and
for Easements was taken from the bed of
Cedar river. In time when exposed for a
few years TO the rigorous frosts of our
Minnesota winters this stone has resolved
itself into its original state and crumb-
ling away has left many fine business
blocks in very dangerous condition.
One three story block containing two
stores, and one of the finest buildings in
the city, fell from this cause, while
another three story block had to be taken
down and rebuilt. The block which con-
tains the Opera House was saved at great
expense, and new stone basement put
under the entire block. Several other
buildings have had to be treated in a
similar way, entailing almost if not quite
as much loss to the owners as if they had
burned. Mankato stone has been substi-
tuted for these rotten stone foundations,
and will be used hereafter exclusively
has struck Austin, the outlay of suf-
ficient capital to replace these poor foun-
dations has been quite considerable. in
addition to which large number of resi-
denccs have been erected.
WHAT AUSTIN WANTS.
And now that have told in some
what imperfect way what Austin is, what
1t has, and what it is doing, I now pro
pose to say something about what it
wants. In the first place Austin wants
manufacturing establishments enough of
one kind or another to utilize the flow Of
water which is continually going to
waste. It is hard to stipulato just exact
ly what factories would be the most de-
sirable, but almost anything which will
produce something which the people Of
this section need would be of benefit to
the community as a means of employing
labor and wealth producing agency.
A paper mill, a carriage and wagon fact
DRY on a large scale, harvester works,
seeder or pillow works, OR any thing in
short which requires skilled labor and
! which produces something useful
Another thing which Austin wants is the
complete settlement of the rich agric,ll-
tural lands of which Mower county is
composed. Over 100000 acres of the
finest lands in the world are still unpro-
ductive, because they are not in the hands
of agriculturalists. What this county
wants is a demand for small farms, Of
from 80 to 100 acres each, with a good,
thrifty, practical farmer on each of them,
who will make the soil yield him the
a higher and more restricted system of
cultivation is what this and every other
county in the state needs to bring about
the greatest possible degree of prosperity.
When the average farm in Minnesota
contains but eighty acres there will be
more practical economy among the farm
ers, higher system of cultivation, and
more aggregate wealth produced than
now. The era of bonanza farming has
passed, and let us hope that a higher and
more restricted and profitable era has be-
gun.
How can the 100000 acres of vacant
land in Mower county be brought under
cultivation and made to produce some
thing? This can be done by revealing tc
the outside world what opportunities the
county possesses. Tell the world thai
these lands can be bought at prices rang
that they are not excelled in fertility anC
natural advantages by any on the west
ern continent, that they are nearer mar
ket and will enable farmer to get better
prices for his products than the plains Of
) distant Dakota, that they are bette
adapted for a system of mixed farming
than lands further north, that the fines
small grain, the best grass, the best corr
: and the best stock can be produced or
them, that they lie in the dairy belt where
more money can be made out of COW
every year than from the best ten acr.
field of wheat with the price at one dol
! lar per bushel. and that any man with
} few hundred dollars in money and dis,
position to take hold and wrestle for /:
, living can purchase land here, and you
will see the zoe, 600 acres of uncultivatel
! lands in Mower county snapped up in
trice. This is the mission which the
l press of Minnesota have to perform, ant