St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-07
Pointed Sketches Of Individual Firms That Doing the
Major Portion of the Business in Their
Respective Lines.

possessions, southwark into the states
OF iowa and Nebraska, eastward into
Wisconsin and Michigan and westward
across the great territories of Dakota.
montana and on TO the Pacific coast.
New fields OF trade are continually be-
ing opened up within this great area, as
new railroads and settlements each year
MI up this great and fertile country.
Inc commission men of st. Paul are to
be round in every part of this extensive
neid OF trade, pushing to the frontiers
Win perslstency and energy which
rapidly brings each new settlement and
district into trade relations with
tnis commercial center. The pro-
duetiye resources of this great tri-
Dutary territory are so numerous and
varied, that the prosperity of the COM
mission trade has been uninterrupted
by any serious drawbacks. A few of
the many resources are the agricultural
products of varied farming; stock rails
ing upon the immense grazing fields in
the west where pasturage and water
are insured for every month in the year;
stock raising by the farmers of the
states and territories: the great mining
Interests of the North and West. includ-
ing, gold. silver, copper, lead. iron, and
the great lumber interest, all of which
are as yet but
In Their Infancy.
Bearing in mind the qualifications of
the commission buSineSs-the fact that
there is not single line of trade in
which 1T does not enter, sketch of the
business done in st. Paul would not be
complete without reference to the state
at large and the railroad interest. Both
enter largely into the commission bust
ness. 1t is upon Minnesota that, as a
whole, the commission men depend
upon for their products and also for
their market.
The soil of Minnesota ranks with the
most fertile in the world. The upper
layer OF the drift deposit forms the soil
or all parts of the state, except that in
the Vicinity of Lake Superior and near
the Mississippi river in the southeast
corner of the state. In the latter local
ity the soil is mold of similar COMPOST
ton with that of Ohio The depth of
SOIL varies from one to five feet, and
nearly everywhere the subsoil is not
only similar in its elements. but
equally fertile when exposed TO
the Influence of the atmosphere.
1t is made up largely of alumina,
silica ana lime, mixed with various
mineral salts, and contains considerable
percentages of ammonia and phos-
phOruS III divers combinations. 1t is,
likewise, filled with vegetable and ami
NAL matter, and these combinations of
organic remains, with the varied bases,
giving it an abundant supply of fertil-
izlng properties. In appearance the soil
is OF dark to grayish brown color, being
darkest III the lower plains and valleys.
where it occasionally approaches to
Dlackness and is quite viscous when wet.
IL Is everywhere exceedingly friable,
and so easily worked that hoe is not
needed in the
Corn or Potato Field.
The best test of the soil, however. is
its record of averages of cultivated veg
etable products. The statistical reports
of crops, published by the state, which
are known to be from IL to 20 per cent
less than the actual results, give the fol-
lowing mean averages of the staple
crops, from term of thirteen years,
ending with 1882, viz: Wheat I4.O9
bushels; corn, 30.51 bushels; oats, 80. Ia
bushels; barley, 1926 bushels: rye.
1921 bushels: buckwheat, Ills bushels;
potatoes, 1929 bushels; and beans,
u.37 bushels per acre. When
it is remembered that these are
general averages from a territory
extending through hve and half de-
greeS of latitude and five and a third of
longitude, it must be admitted that they
make good showing. Instances might
be gathered from almost every county
III which farming is carried on wherein
all of these averages are largely ex-
ceeded. Yields of upward of 20 bushels
of wheat, 40 bushels of corn. 45 bushels
of oats, 30 bushels of barley, % bushels
of rye, Is bushels of buckwheat, $50
bushels of potatoes and 16 bushels of
beans are quite common. and, indeed,
every careful farmer in the state would
show these or greater general averages
for term OF ten to twelve years.
Tue sell of Minnesota is peculiarly
adapted to gardening. There are no
clods to interfere with the working. of
the ground, and vegetables of all va
rieties grow with great rapidity, while
retaining all their excellence, or being
superior in quality to those of slower
growth in more humid climates. The
garden vegetables cultivated here en-
brace nearly all the ordinary varieties
of the north temperate zone, and they
are usually large and.
Delfcfously Favored.
Flower gardening is also carried on
quite extensively. The outdoor flowers
comprise the usual varieties of roses,
plnks, peonies, peoples, lilies, dahlias,
china astors, pansies, lady slippers,
sweet williams, phloX, larkspur, morn
ing glories, Towering peas, bleeding
hearts, tulips, lilacs, snOwballs, chrys-
anthemums and host of others com
mon to the gardens of Europe and the
Northern United States. There is al
ways fair demand for pot plants and
cut flowers. and nearly every village in
the state of 500 inhabitants and upward
has one or more greenhouses.
A good deal of difficulty was expe-
rienced in introducing apples into the
state, but now Minnesota produces as
fine apples as can be found anywhere.
and the annual product reaches 200. 900
bushels. A number of varieties of Gull
tivated plums and cherries are success
fully cultivated, and currants, goose
berries, raspberries, black berries and
most other varieties of small fruit do as
we'll in Minnesota as anywhere else.
The fact is, most of these are found
growing wild in nearly all parts of the
state, and are equally large and well
favored with the cultivated fruits.
Grapes are found growing wild in ALI