The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-03-27
LETTER FROM UNCLE JOSH.
FIDDLER's CREEK, March IA.
No. IL.
Editor Free Press:

Editor Free Press:
At the close of my last letter l was
telling you what the stranger was
saying at Park Lake, and we will fol-
low him. cit may be well to state
now," said the stranger, "that no
sooner had the farmers commenced to
lay up money than there became APP
parent desire to live better. Homes
were made shappier. The people
dressed better, ate better food, had
more leisure, spent more money in the
towns; furnished their houses better,
in short-began to enjoy life. Trades
people were delighted with the new
order of things. Better mail service
was accorded-for the farmers began
to take daily papers and magazines,
and books began to come in by the
ton, and soon the want of better
schools was felt, schools of higher
grade. The farmers felt the need of a
better education, and now that they
could afford it they wanted their
children educated as well as possible.
There was one drawback to the COM
plete happiness of the people, the
land was subject to severe drought
some seasons and as consequence the
farmers oftentimes had to be content
with but half crop. But what can
not money do with brains behind it?
The next step was for system of IT.
rigation, with country filled with
lakes, streams and riverS-it did not
take long to establish the system
and this, together with a thorough
system of drainage, soon made the
entire territory under the federation
the garden spot of the world.
In the old times the forests were
confined to the margins of streams,
lakes, ETC., and it did not require
much thinking to conclude that trees
would grow wherever there was water,
and as soon as irrigation was eStab-
lished, fruit orchards quickly followed.
People used to think that apple rails
ing could not succeed in Minnesota,
and it was attributed to the cold
winter climate, but it was no colder
here than in Vermont and New Hamp-
shire where apples grow to perfection.
Nothing was needed but water as you
can see by looking about you, for now
we raise apples of the finest quality
and they find a market all over the
country on account of their extra
keeping qualities.
We found that drainage was just as
no of q
seasons of the year we have heavy
rain storms, especially in the spring,
and without drainage the land was
kept cold and crops were backward,
but now we have such control of these
matters that when we get too much
water by rain fall, we quickly get rid
of it, and when the clouds give US the go
by, we simply turn on the water from
our reservoirs. The pipes that carry the
water to our crops are all laid beneath
reach Of the pillow, they are made of
clay or concrete, and are perforated
allowing the water to escape and the
moisture is drawn to the roots of our
crops by capillary attraction, and thus
you see, drought has no terrOrS for
us. When we SOW we reap full crop,
and as curious as it may seem, our
crops are twice as large as they were
before we introduced the irrigation
and drainage system, and although
the system cost an enormous amount
of money, we had something with
which to pay for it. The increase in
crops soon paid for it, and there isn't
a mortgaged farm in the Federation.
We discouraged the idea of any one
farmer owning too much land. We
wanted more farmers and thus by en-
cOuraging the plan of holding so to go
acres instead of two to four times
that number we brought the people
closer together, and so you see farm
houses and buildings close together,
that is, compared to the old way.
One of the earliest demands after
the farmers began to have plenty of
was for better roads. In the
old times during the spring and fall,
it was all good team Of horses could
do to draw an empty wagon. But
that is all changed now. You can see
for yourself how perfect the roads are.
1t cost an enormous amount OF money
to build these roads, but here they
are, all rock foundation, and compost
tion surface, good as good can be,
every day in the year. ASK any farm
er you meet if he would like his mon
ey back, and 60 back to the old mud
roads, and he will laugh at YOU"
"My dear SIR" l ventured to say,
"what is your political system, | am
very anxious to hear how you manage
in politics." Let us walk up toward
my house and l will tell you all about
it," UNCLE JOSH.