The morning call., 1891-11-24
MINNESOTA AND CALIFORNIA.

The wheat crop of Minnesota in 1891 has
now been figured up by the State Bureau
and approximate results have been reached.
These are interesting to Californians. be-
cause Minnesota and California have here
tOfore corresponded very closely in an
average of years. AS a rule our wheat
makes better and whittier -four than the
Minnesota wheat; this will be denied in the
Northwest, but it is So and anyway the diff
ference is so small that it is not worth
quarreling over. On the other hand, Min
nesots's crop exceeds ours in quantity; but
this again depends largely on the weather
in the northern Tier of States.
In 1890, the wheat crop of Minnesota was
reckoned a. 40 coo bushels. and ours at
nearly 80, coo. 600. Their acreage planted in
wheat was 2.O79.GGO acres. while ours was
about ., 400, COO Thus the average yield per
acre in Minnesota was twenty bushels to
the acre while ours was less than fifteen.
the scanty yield of the wheat fields of the
southern San Joaquin Valley and the coun-
try south of Techachapi lowering the aver
age of the whole State.
We have no reliable estimate OF the acre
age planted to wheat in this State during
the current year; but on the Produce Ex-
change the crop is supposed to be about
l. 4yttUeO bOiiS, say OD,btJyDVO puSuGko. Inc
acres planted to wheat in Minnesota this
year are figured at ], 1850. 900, and the State
statisticians, estimating the yield to be the
same as last year. twenty bushels to an
acre, reckon that the crop will foot up o.
100000 bushels-nearly twice that of Cali
fornia. These estimates will require con-
irmatiOn before they are generally ae-
cepted.
rrill ha af,rad iv,f La fret YNla hot
the alleged increase OF acreage is quite I'M
precedented. 1t amounts roughly to 66 per
cent. 1t is almost incredible that so tre-
mendOus an extension Of the Minnesota
wheat fields can have taken place. in single
year. The increase is equal TO the entire
territory occupied by wheat in Wisconsin,
or Pennsylvania, or Tennessee. Mime
sofa is large State, larger than Kansas and
more than half the size of California; but it
Is almost impossible TO believe that so vast
an area as 10000 acres of new land was
broken and planted with wheat in a single
twelve months.
Again, an average yield of twenty bush
els to the acre for an area so large as 3, &c.,
600 acres, without subsoiling or fertilizers,
must be regarded as large. In the sandy
black loan which covers large portion Of
the State, and ab0unds in organic matter,
with some mineral salts, twenty bushels or
more may easily be raised. But large por-
ton OF the settled counties of Minnesota is
covered with drift detritus which is not
favorable to plant growth, and in these
localities the average has not been over ten
or twelve. In 1890 a conjunction of favor
able circumstances raised the average OF the
whole State to twenty; they may have been
| repeated in 1891; but 1t is hardly probable
| that they were. 1t must be remembered
| that the average yield of wheat land in
| France is not over thirteen bushels, and
rarely exceeds nine in Russia.
For twenty years Minnesota has absorbed
more than its share of the best foreign i'm
migration to this country. And this is the
more curious as the State is suffering from
want of diversified agriculture and from its
dependence upon railroads for access to
| market. With the exception Of half a
| million acres planted in fax it grows moth
| ing but cereals. 1t is remarkable that a
| State which suffers from such drawbacks
| should be drawing more people from Scot
| land, England, Germany and Scandinavia
| than California.
This state of things can hardly continue.
| There is hardly an instance on record in
| which community planted at such vast
| distance from consuming market as Min
nesota is, and dependent upon one resource
alone, has attained abiding prosperity.
| Cheap and fertile land, and the blessings of
free and orderly society, may for time at
tract settlers from oyercrowded regions
but. in the long run. the man in search of a
home will pitch his tent in country where
lie has choice of ways of earning his bread,
and where he has not got to divide the prod
uct of his labor with a carrier who de-
| hands the lions share