St. Paul daily globe., 1891-11-26
1T WILL PAY
To Grow Fruit and to Raise High
Grade Stock

L
Grade Stock.
A few words on tree culture. There
were this year 29,35O trees planted
throughout the state on Arbor day, and
the number Of acres planted during the
season was 1,112. making the whole
number of acres planted and growing
So. .442. There were 231.515 rods planted
on highways and farms. Tree culture
is no mean question for the farmers of
Minnesota. The trees protect the crops.
The grain annually lost by single
storm of wind that uncovered it in the
early spring, or by sweep of hail that
powders it into chOwder, would pay for
belt of timber on the windward side
of every eighty-acre lot. The woods of
Minnesota are large, but the woods
mans AK is quickly leveling them to
the ground, and this yearly planting of
young trees is work which cannot be
TOO highly commended.
To conclude with few remarks on
fruit growing and stock raising. 1t has
already been briefly shown the interests
farmers are taking in stock raising and
fruit growing. but purely in a statistical
way. There is nothing he may want
for his household needs, so far as fruit is
concerned, but what he can raise upon
any of the older counties in Minnesota
and the visitor will quickly ascertain
| that in the fruit and vegetable lines the
| farm IS tue source of all. 1t would pro-
long this already too long article to en-
| ter into details about fruit growing.
| A very large crop of strawberries are
| annually raised in the state, and the
home market is in the latter part of this
season entirely supplied from the
source. Raspberries were also a most
| excellent crop this year, and very salts
factory returns were forthcoming. j.
| s. Harris, Of La Crescent, says:
| Il hold to the opinion that the farmer
and his family should be supplied with
| an abundance of fruit the whole year
around. There are but few farms in
the settled portions of the state so badly
located that it cannot be produced upon
| them in most varieties IN quantities
ample for the needs oil the families, and
| at cost that will make the growing of
! it profitable investment"
In addition to strawberries and rasp-
| berries, plums, blackberries, eurrants
| and grapes thrive well in this state.
! Currants are valuable and much ne
| elected fruit. They will grow IN almost
any kind of soil. Every farmer ought
| to grow small fruit. 1t will pay him in
cuSe for him not undertaking this neces-
| sary and pleasing adjunct to farm.
In special articles, from the pens of
gentlemen especially identified there
with, Minnesota as a stock-raising
state has been critically treated. To
therefore enter into any long desSerta-
tion thereon would be unwise. That it
will pay farmers to raise stock cannot be
gainSaid. There was time when
| prices fell SO low that the question
was bruited abroad: "Does it pay
the farmers to raise stock?''
| Prices, however, are better now.
can be too low when the farmer would
be justified III dispensing with his
stock. The farmer should not confine
himself to raise cattle solely. 1t will be
found that horse raising, in the future,
an important factor in the receipts of
| the Minnesota farmer. The Minnesota
climate is peculiarly adapted to horse
breeding. What the farmer must do
is to raise horse that will sell, or, as
Prof. Roberts, OF Ottawa, once put it:
81 have in my stable two half-bred
PercherOn horseS-and | suppose if
| they had been half-bIood Clyde it would
be all the same. L think, after the
service of the horse. that they cost no
more to raise up to five years than
saddle horses. Two years ago a man
came along and offered me 5000
for them. Now, that is an un-
usual clse, but such horses with you on
the average will sell at $500 in your
market to-day. and we are glad to buy
them at that price. Those are not the
only two; L have four more in the Uni
versity stables. We are keeping nearly
an animal to the acre. buying some feed
| of course. Then il the horses crowd a
little on the farm and you get over
stocked, will tell you what to
do; just kill that COW that
has been running you in debt.
DO anything with it but keep it, because
it is just running you in debt. One
| third of the COWS i'll New York, and do
not hesitate to say One-third of the cows
| III Ontario, are running their owners in
| debt. 1t is like the old lady who bought
eggs for siXpence and sold them for six
| cents, who, when asked how she did it.
said she could not but she bought and
| sold so many. Taking statistics | find
this Is about true in New York
among those who have not felt the i'm
| petus OF the agricultural improvement
we are trying to Introduce. That the
first quarter of the cows are running
their owners in debt every day they
keep them; the next quarter are just
| holding their own; the third quarter are
| making enough to keep the first; and
| only the last quarter are making profit.
| You may test almost any dairy in the
country and keep count and you will
| find that these are really about the exact
facts"
These are wise words. They sue
| cinctly put the case before the farmers.
A vast amount of money is lost by the
| low grade of cattle many farmers keep,
and if they would aspire a little
higher they would find their returns
at the years end considerably aug
mented and their prospects brighter
| Stock breeding-that is high grade
stock breeding-is engaging the atten-
! ton of some of the most substantial
men in the state. Gov. Merriam is one
| of many city gentlemen who have es-
tabiiShed stock forms of this character,
| and it is confidently expected
that in a few years Minnesota
| bred horses will occupy a very high
/ pedestal in the estimation of
the horsemen of the country. Among
! most enthusiastic breeders there is a
! sentime - that Minnesota will eventu-
ally lead Kentucky for hoTses-but that
time is not yet. What is needed is to
! get the rank and file of the farmers in
! terested in this. As soon as this is ac-
| cOmplished, there will then be better
| chance for Minnesota TO come TO the
| front in the manner its enthusiastic
| lovers Of horSeflesh assert is its destiny.
With q String to 1t.