The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-10-04

The Winona Republican gives an inter
of the state commissioner of statistics,
and incidentally calls attention 10 the
force with which the figures disprove the
idea thatSouthern Minnesota has lost her
prestige rs wheat growing or general
agricultural region. The Republican,
shows that the yield per acre OF wheat
in Southern Minnesota is superior to
that of the Northern counties, whose al
legged productive qualities have been SO
persistently held up to popular admIra-
ton in the twin city papers for years. a
few leading comparisons may be made.
In the northern counties Polk has an
average of 10 bushels per acre; Otter
Tail, 10 80; Clay, u; Douglas, is; Kan
diyohi, 10; Marshall, y; Mcleod, 1850;
Swift, 20; Norman, 9; Pope, is; Wright,
20. An equal number OF southern coun-
ties are thus credited Blue Earth, IL 80;
Brown, II; Dakota, $50; Faribault, 20;
Freedom, 20; Goodhue, %; NicOlIe;, 20;
Rice, IS; Scott, 20; Watonwan, %; Wi
mona. These illustrations are taken at
random from the sections respectively
on account of their prominence as pro-
ducers. The result shows a general av
erage Weld of 1905 bushels per acre in
the northern counties as compared with
1925 bushels in the southern. (By way
of parenthesis it should here be stated
that Blue Earth actual average is at
least "a bushels to the acre. This com
parison is only as 10 quantity, but from
all that can be learned, including the
complaints of local papers regarding the
poor wheat being pushed into Duluth, 1t
is safe to say that the grain of this sec
ton of the state, with its uniformly high
and sound condition stands at the head.
In the matter of corn the same COnsplc-
uous superiority of Southern Minnesota
is noticeable. The great corn producing
counties of the state are practically all in
the southern section--the counties of
Martin, Houston, Fillmore, GoOdhue,
Blue Earth, Winona and Faribault lead
ing in the order named. The highest
yield for these counties is | ,723, 900 bush
els, and the lowest 100000. The largest
average yield per acre is 90 bushels, this
being the estimate alike for Winona and
Houston counties. Extended to oats,
the comparison is no less favorable to
the southern region. With the excep-
tons of Polk and SibleY all the counties
in the state returning yield OF 100000
bushels or upwards are situated IN what
is distinctively known in Southern Min
nesota. And SO of barley in perhaps
greater proportions although the fig
ures for this cereal are not given in de-
tail in the commissioners report. In
closing it's admirable article the RepuJti-
can makes the following timely and
truthful comments:
In suggesting these comparisons be-
tween the northern and southern sec
tions of the state The Republican Is not
animated by desire to undulY eXait
one of them at the expense OF the other.
But it has become 80 much the fashion
of late for the "metrOpolitan" Journals
to magnify the grain-produciDg qualities
of the northern counties, TO the obvious
and inevitable disadvantage of the south
ern, that it is quite legitimate and prop
er to show from what are given ont as
official statistics, that, despite of inter
ested representations 10 the contrary,
Southern Minnesota yet maintains her
supremacy az the most fertile part of
this everywhere productive state. This,
after all, is the true and choicest home
of the farmer who would obtain, one |
year with another, the greatest returns
from the soil in compensation for his la
Dor, whether those returns are sought |
for in the form of corn, barley, oats,
wheat, or any other of the cereals for
which Minnesota is justly noted through
out the civilized world. AS for cattle,
horses, and the various products of the
dairy, Southern Minnesota is,as respects
soil and climate, incomparably superior
to the northern region, and needs but a
1.-THE of the energy, the progI essive spin
il, and the investment of capital, that
have made Northern Minnesota and Da-
kota so inviting to foreign capital, to
place this favored and attractive region
before the world as the very garden
not exactly of the gods, but of Humanl-
TVS most enlightened, we'll deserving
and prosperous sons.