The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-05-10
A Travellers Tale,
MINNOw LAKE, Mimi, |
April "a, 1880. {

April "a, 1870.
To the FREE TRADER:
Having arrived in this region of the
aurora bOrealis some two weeks ago,
imagine a few lines from here may not
prove uninteresting to your many
intelligent readers.
| left Ottawa the 9th inst. on the
c., b. & Q. at 1886 p. m. and reached
Campbell at p. IN. the next day. The
route is pleasant one and the con-
nectionS close. In passing through
Northern Illinois and Southern Wis
cOnsin | was surprised at seeing a
good deal of snow still lingering on
the north side of the hills and ice on
the ponds and lakes. Lake Pippen
was vast sheet of ice and quite a
number of ice beats ia kind Of sled
and boat cOmbination) were Swimming
over its surface under heavy sails.
They seemed to move with great
rapldity, shifting and turning as
readily as if sailing in the water. I'm
mediately above Lake Pippen all
traces of winter gradually disap-
peared-no more snow or ice was visi-
Bile and the face of the country began
to put on more Spring-like attire.
At st. Paul the lawns were as green
as in Ottawa. From st. Paul to this
place the air felt more like summer
than early spring and the husbandmen
were everywhere busy putting in theil
crops. In the afternoon it was absO
lutely uncOmfOrtably warm in the
cars and the doors and windows were
thrown open to admit the cooling
breeze. / know there is general
belief that the climate of Northern
Minnesota is dlSagreeably cold; that
the winters are long and severe; that
men and animals freeze to death in
bowling billiards and drifting SHOWS
that the soil produces nothing but
wheat and that in course OF time that
will fail. 1t is reasonable that people
should think so who know nothing
about the country. 1t is true that the
winters here average from 8 to 10 de
grees colder than they do in Illinois
but this is more than compensated fol
by their uniformity. AS rule, they
are more agreeable than in any othel
state | have ever visited. There i:
not that diversity of temperature
warm and muddy one day and colo
and frosty the next. The farmer car
calculate with certainty when it viii
! freeze up and when spring will com
mence. He makes his arrangement:
for freeze-up about the middle o
November and for the opening o.
spring the middle Of March and he !:
seldom disappointed. The winters
are dry and Internationally will
snow enough to make good sleighing
! The roads are always good. Cattle
horses and sheep run out and feed or
the dry grass where the snow il
! drifted off or gather around the straw
stacks and when spring comes are in
much better condition than those fec
on corn stalks in muddy fields and il
chilling rains. Stock keep clean ant
a heavy coat of hair protects then
from the cold. They are healthy ant
it is surprising how soon they fatteI
on the spring pastures. 1t is an ad
mitted fact that no state produce
fairer horses and cattle then Northern
Wisconsin and Minnesota. OF lat
years some Of the fastest and bes
breeds have originated there. Fine
stock raising here is in its infancy yet
but, as far as experience has gone, il
has demonstrated that this climate
produces more vigorous and hardy
class of horses than Illinois or Ken
lucky. This dry, healthy climate aid'
to develop all their powers-the ricf
pastures furnish the muscle, strength
and endurance, and the good roads
give ample scope for speed and bot
tom. The breeding of blooded cattle
and sheep has also proven to be moi
only Successful, but profitable, which
was fully proven at the Minnesot;
state fair last fall. Stockmen from al
over the West who attended the fail
freely admitted that the display o.
fine cattle was equal, if not superior
to any they had seen in the western
states. The fact that Minnesota wheat
is superior to any raised in any othe
part of the known world has made it:
product here the leading crop. Dat:
and barely yield wonderfully, but arr
not as profitable as wheat, and are
therefore, chiefly raised for home use
Certain kinds of corn mature readily
as far north as Grand Forks, n. ID.
and yield from forty to seventy bushels
TO the acre, but the great amount o
care and labor necessary In cultivatlnl
and gathering it renders its raisint