St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-05-04
THE CATTLE KINGS.
continued from First Page.


the first farmer visited was an old friend in
Alton, Washington county, who lived on
poor sandy farm on the edge OF the timber
skirting ROLES creek, and that beautiful fer
tile prairie reaching off towards Cottage Grove
was entirely unoccupied. / remember riding
with my friend over that virgin prairie where
now are the very finest farms in Washington
county, and he assured me that that prairie
would never be occupied. Why not? said l.
go because it can't be. 7It'S too far from tim
ber." I remember that as late as 1873 1t was
the general belief that the bottom lands In the
RED RIVER VALLEY
would not produce wheat because you
can't get your crops in early enough" But to
get back at the feeding question. AS L have
said, have had no experience in feeding, but
within the last few months have seen fig
ures, said to be accurate, which seemed to
prove that the farmers Of Minnesota can
''feed cattle say for four winter months
during the fattening process at net profit
of say $40 to SIS per head. If this is correct
and we could by any means place it within
the reach Of the farmers Of this state that
each could care for say thirty head and
make profit of $40 per head or $500 for the
winter, 90 you realize what a boon it would
be to the farmer? Three hundred dollars net
profit to each of the 900 farmers of Min
nesota means S30,000,000 net profit to the
state. 1t means that the farmer can pay Off
his mortgage educate his children and pro-
prosperity to the merchants, the bankers and
the manufacturer. 1t means green old
age to
THE RAILROAD MANAGER
and peace and happiness to the widows and
orphans who are dependent upon his divi-
dends for n living. 1t will lift that care-worn
look from the brow of my distinguished friend,
the state railroad commissioners, caused by
his continued anxiety to reduce the freight
rate Oh wheat. What will the average Granger
say? Why, my annual income has increased
$500. What do l care about the rate on wheat?
1t | got it all it would make only a difference
of $50 per year, and your rs per cent. reduc-
ton would only amount to $l2.50. 1t amt
worth talking about. Seriously. gentlemen,
do you realize how much the average farmer
OF this state need additional industry which
will give him an additional income? Take
the last United States census tables of 1880
and you will find The statistics of the crop of
1879. You will find in that year that
MINNESOTA FARMERS
produced 35, 900, 900 bushels of wheat 215-
900 bushels of rye, 23,000,000 bushels of oats,
100000 bushels of corn, q, 600 900 bushels of
barley, II, 900 bushels of Busk wheat, "a few flax,
a little sorghum, poultry, eggs, butter, cneese.
garden truck, potatoes, ETC., etc, that the
whole value Of all these products, except live
stock, on the farms before it had paid any
freight, including all sold and consumed by
the farmer and his family amounted to $40
ZOO, this was the gross value without de-
Quoting the cost of raising it. Now divide
this gross sum $40, 600 between the 90, 400
farms then in the state and / am sure you
will be astonished as was to find it amounts
to S533 to each farm. Mind this is not profit
or what the crop brought over and above pro-
duction. Applying the same test to our
neighbOring state of Iowa we find the aver
age farm produces 1874, about 40 per cent.
more. Ii 1t were necessary and time would
permit could quote pages of statistics point
ing in the same direction but the observation
and experience of all business men abundantly
prove the Importance of a diversified indus
try for the farmers of Minnesota. The most
practicable way out of it seems to be by add
ing to the live stock on the farms.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO ENCOURAGE IT?
In my judgment nothing would do SO much
as an established market. AS it is now, if the
farmer raises wheat he can turn it into cash
by hauling it to the nearest railway station
any day in the year, at its market value; if
he raises steers, he must wait till some itine-
rant purchaser happens along and makes him
an offer: or perchance he may sell it to the
local butcher on sixty days time and take his
chances of getting paid. How can he do 9TH
erwise? Chicago, the nearest market, is 40C
TO ZOO miles distant. The average farmer
has not more than one, at most two steers to
sell per annum. 1t takes twenty to make a
carload. If ten nelghbors join together and
make carload. which one of them knows how
to get it to Chicago? How to deliver it when
he gets there? How to sell it, or how to get
his money? and after getting his money, how
to get it home? for
THE AVERAGE FARMER
to ship directly to Chicago is evidently i'm
practicable, and if he can't sell stock what is
the use Of raising it. ] am engaged in small
way in raising stock on my farms in the Red
River valley. 1 have no difficulty in raising
it, but can't sell it. have demonstrated Ito
my own satisfaction at least) that we can't
have market here unless the farmers can
stock until there is a market. The farmers
have no money to buy stock with; the most
of them think they can feed cattle "because
they can't raise corn The question is what
to do about it? My own judgment is thai
some of us who have the courage of our con
victions must build big barn like they have
near Omaha and fill it this fall with say 1900
head of steers, and feed them during the win
ter on the available products of the country
and demonstrate that profit can be made in
fattening cattle here, the same as the
BONANZA FARMERS
demonstrated that wheat could be raised in
the Red River valley. Once demonstrate by
actual figures that it is profitable, the farm
ers will take hold of it. Men of capital and
our banks will furnish money to carry the
| cattle while being fed by the farmers A
! steady daily supply of beeves will be pro-
y
Strengthening houses and their accompanying
| industries in their natural sequence, adding
| directly to the wealth, population and retail
] trade of our cities, and by adding to the
wealth of the farming community, indirectly
adding to the wholesale commerce and man
ufacturing industries, increasing the demand
| for lumber, and by better cultivation of the
| land, while decreasing the acreage cultivated
| in wheat, will actually increase the quantity
| raised.
Thus all classes will be benefited. 1t seems
| to me to be matter of so much importance
that it should claim the best thought OF
OUR BEST MEN.
Looking to the future, the question Of
| proper location for yards, feeding anC
Strengthening establishments may be proper
one to consider, though consider this of sec
| ondary Importance Upon this matter have
tried to consider the question fairly and upon
its merits. 1t has occurred to me that the
| location should be outside the city proper
easily accessible to the city proper, with goot
drainage and plenty of water. Such loca
| ton have secured, located about four mile:
down the river from the city. 1t does no
follow, of course, because / have purchased
this land for this purpose, it is the best loca
ton, or that such establishments should bt
| located there In whatever we may do in thi:
matter l want the hearty support of every
business man and citizen, and all these mat
tiers must be decided on their merits.
/ will have train at the Union depot to
mori ow morning, and invite all present tt
go down and look these grounds over.
j. j. HILL SPEAKS.
At the close of Mr.. Stickney's speech
which was frequently appauded, he sale
there was a gentleman present who hat
had experience in breeding cattle, which h,
himself had not, and called on j. j. Hill
for some facts on that subject. Mr.. Hi
said:
Gentlemen: I do not feel entirely {
| stranger among Il lot Of cattlemen and mer
chants, for have had something to do will
! both, and sometimes l felt sorry, but gener
ally got along well. Mr.. Stickney has giver
some figures about the corn crop in 1879 il
this and other states. Now, in 1885 Iowa. a
state entitled to the front rank in agriculture
got an average of thirty-five bushels OF corr
to the acre and Minnesota thirty-sevel
and a half. On my farm, which il
poor land, l had lao acres OF corn last yea
and got flfty-three and half bushels to the
acre. Our people lose sight of one thing
They think that without corn they cannot
feed cattle. In all the world the highest
that cold