Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1886-05-12
j. j. Hills Remarks.

Mr.. Stickney spoke about the corn
crop of Minnesota in 1879. If he had
taken the figures for 1885 he would
have found that Iowa-and Iowa con-
slider in the front rank of agricultural
states-in 1885 raised thirty-f bushels
of corn to the acre, while Minnesota
raised lhirty-seven and half bushels.
[Applau>e]. We have county
Kandiy ohi-where it was said no one
could raise corn. But that county
raised last year 100000 bushels on poor
land too, and didn't ship bushel, but
fed it to cattle. l had 1873 acres in
corn aud raised an average of fifty
three and one-half bushels to the acre.
1t was not touched with frost and |
harvested it. A few years ago it was
said man was pretty far from home
when he was where they could not
raise corn. Now a man goes q good
ways from home and finds he can raise
corn. It's hard to say what you can
and what you cannot raise. There is
one thing the people lose sight of when
they undertake to feed cattle-that
they can do it without corn. The
highest price paid in the world for cat
tie sold on the hoof is in d country
where they never raise an ear of corn
and don't feed it. That is in the
northeast of Scotland. in the
county of Aberdeen. They send their
animals to market in better condition
and get one cent or three-quarters of
cent a pound at least more for them
than any other cattle in the market,
and they can t raise corn. Now can't
afford to be wasteful in my farming
Qaughter), and so imported a man
from that country just to feed my stock.
We have an agricultural university in
Minnesota with a large endowment,
but no place where a man can learn 10
feed cattle. Now l pay my farmer
$4,000 a year A voice-''Don't he
strike?'] and he don't strike. Now
the difference between intelligent farm
ing and farming as carried on in our
state, is the difference between poverty
and wealth. Nowhere where there is
civilized state of things is the soil cult
waited with as little intelligence as in
way to do it our farmers will find it
out, and continue in it. A man will
get farm, and he wants a big one
500 or 1000 acrus. He will cultivate
800 acres and put a mortgage on it all,
and expect to work four months in the
year. Now there is no place out
side the tropics where a man can live
by working four months in a year.
Now it seems that they don t catch on;
they don find the way to do better.
l thought the trouble was with the
railroads, I heard so much about it,
and l examined our own consciences.
[Great laughter. After considerable
rakjng found one. Renewed laugh
ter. All we'll regulated railroads have
one laughter and remark by Gen.
Becker. ':He must have used micro
scope.'1 wanted to see if it was our
fault. In the competition for settlers
we find that they 60 to Kansas and Ne
braska, where land is worth $15 to 500
an acre. They can't live here. They
can't raise corn. They want to feed
stock instead of going broke on wheat.
[ don't mean the men who get rit h
raising wheat in Chicago. Laughter.
NO MORE H1GH-PRICED WHEAT.
The day for high-priced wheat is
gone forever from this country, and
will never return as long as wheat is
raised for export. Some governments
want cheap wheat and are willing to
put up money to get it. Great Britain
paid three hundred millions sterling to
open the wheat fields of India. The
rent paid is $3.50 per acre, and the
price of transp ortation from the interior
10 the seaport at Calcutta is more than
from Devils Lake to Liverpool and
yet they sell it in Liverpool for Is
cents per bushel. We have been ex-
porting 100000 or 8O,OOO,0OO BUSH
els per year. Not over Is, 000, 900 BUSH
els will be sent, however, of the pres
emit crop. The average crop in this
country is 4OO, 600, 600. OF this we use
for bread and seed $4,000. 900. This
leaves As. 600. 900, bushels, and this res
idue makes the price for all the balance.
IF the farmers would buy this 1900
600 bushels and dump it into Lake
Michigan they would make money by
it. But they needn' t do it; if they re-
duce the production Is per cent. they