News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-11-25
Letter From Minnesota.
MINNEAPoLIs, Sept. 80, 1886.


MINNEAPoLIs, Sept. 80, 1886.
MeSSrS. Editors:
Thinking that perhaps few lines
in regard to the Northwest might be
of interest to your readers, and es-
pecially to the people Of Wolcott and
vicinity, the place of my former home
and birth, submit the following:
From Minneapolis, over the Northern
Pacific railroad, one passes through a
beautiful country, dotted with small
lakes and partially covered with
growth of what is called the "scrub
oak" This land, when grubbed, is
the very best for wheat, and also
raises oats, rye, barley, buck-wheat
and corn. This land differs from land
further north and northwest in re-
gard to corn raising. They raise as
good, and / think better, corn here
than in Vermont. Potatoes are not
raised very largely, unless near good
markets. The country is made up Of
all classes of people. But few emf
grants stop here, as the land is near
Iy all occupied or owned by other par
ties. The towns are about the same
as all western towns, with two or
three general stores and other small
ones of the different lines necessary
to make up a town, and from one to
half dozen saloons. No matter how
small the town, they are seldom long
without the bar. My brother, w.
J. Hutchins, resides in the town of
Royalton, Mimi, about 100 from
Minneapolis, on the river Platt;
town of 800 inhabitants, with -four
ing mill having a capacity of turning
out 225 barrels of flour daily, a steam
mill which saws 1000 feet of lum-
Der daily, a %, 200 bushel elevator,
three churches, three hotels, and sew
eral stores. Four years ago there
was but ten or a dozen houses in the
town. 1t is quite grain center for
the farmers. AS high as 5000 bushels
of grain has been taken in there in q
day this season. My father lives
about mile and q half from Royal
ton on 125 acres of fine land, ten
acres of which is covered with growth
of oak timber, the balance being in
prairie. 1t is about one-half mile
from the Mississippi River, just
above what is called the "bottom
lands" These lands flow during the
high water seasons, the same as a
good deal of the meadow land does in
Vermont. There is land one mile dis
tant from my fathers farm that has
borne crops every year for twenty
years, and without spoonful of ma
nure. We have had splendid weather
here this fall, and, in fact, always do
until late in November. Farmers are
still blowing. Land plowed in the
fall yields better crops than when
plowed in the spring. The land
through this section yielded from
eighteen to thirty-fve bushels of
wheat to the acre this year, which is
about an average. Tame hay is very
little cultivated, except by farmers
from the East, although it makes
much better than wild hay. Unim-
proved land can be bought from eight
to twelve dollars per acre. I think
poor man stands better chance to
get home here than in the east, but
a man that is comfortably situated
and owns a home had better stay
there. | am with the same firm [
started with six years ago, doing well
and get better salary than [ ever
could in Vermont. Will not write of
Minneapolis, as it is we'll known as
the liveliest town in the West.
Yours truly,
MORTON NJ. HUTCHINS.