The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1894-01-05
THE AGRICULrURALWioRLDI
aATrnas OF lxrnnssr no ran.


fas the following letter from Gen
q. &. Andrews Of st. Paul:
The hard tln,cs through which w
IRE passing will have had one favor
able effect on agriculture. People IL
cities who have expected to accumu
late wealth rapidly, hut who now art
suffering from the long continued bust
ness depression. have been inclined te
under value agriculture as too slow O
business; but now, they witness the
comfortable and independent situation
of the farmers, they almost envy him
his happiness. They are sorry they
have not farms themselves, and many
of them will try to procure one. Tho
farmer is probably aware by this time
that, take 1t all In I'LL, his occupation
is one Of the safest and best. Certain.
w. lie feels the depression less than
any other class.
The hay crop Of Minnesota this sea.
sOn was remarkable for abundance and
good quality. A little was shipped d.
rect to England. Forage Of all sorts Is
very cheap. At present the farmer Is
getting but 20 cents a bushel for oats.
$3.50 ton for upland prairie hay, and
~ for timothy. Early in the autumn
the city jobber warned his customers
they must pay up: The country trader
notified the farmer likewise; cOnse-
quently farmers who are in debt are
selling everything they can to pay their
debts. 1t is not improbable, therefore,
that forage will be thirty per cent.
higher In the spring.
Hog-raising Is proving one of the
most profitable branches Of agricuf-
turc. Men who from their intelligence
and skill, may properly be termed far
Mers, last year cleared nearly 50 per
hog, weighing 24O to 300 pounds and
to 3 months old. Stock-raising of oil
sorts is largely on the increase. Last
year this state produced S:1OO.OO0
worth of apples The Okabena. Ouch.
css and Wealthy prove to he hardy and
productive varlties.
Our very warm summer made the
corn crop excellent, but injured wheat.
wlicl, was below the average Of II
bushels per acre. Our best farmers.
however. who practice rotation of
crops. average 20 bushels Of wheat
per acre. Such farmers have part
Of their land In rel clover and timothy,
the fertllzing effects OF which, together
with the liberal use Of farm-yard ma-
nure for the corn crop. maintQins Il high
fertility for the whole farm. The pro-
grammc of diversified farming In Mill
nesota In recent years has been such
that farms, including good buildings.
in various parts OF the state, sell ut
rather high prices. have in mind II
respectable farmer who has nice farm
Of $50 acres, with good buildings, in
81 desirable community, 90 miles from
Minneapolis, which he has carefully
cultivated 80 years, spending his profits
In improvements. but which he now
wishes to sell for $1O,jGW. In the south
west part of this state good unim-
proved lands sell Mt from $40 to $40
per acre, and there Is one county In
which they sell readily ut SIS per acre.
On the other hand, railroad lands be-
tween here and Duluth. from which
most Of the timber has been cut, are
lEing sold for actual occupancy at 81
per acre. In remote localities public
lands can be had under the homestead
law, which, however, requires q resi-
dcncc Of five years before title can bc
acquired
About One-thiul of the northern half
of this state produces, or once pro-
duced, pine forest, which is rapidly dis
appearing, no pains being taken for re-
growth. The value of the lumber cut
last year was $13,OO0,OOO. In Austrla,
Germany and Sweden, and probably
some other countries, fore SITS arc owned
by the government. and administered
SO us to continually Yield fair net
income. Also, fur-bearing animals and
game birds are propagatctl. The black
cock, IN excellent game bird, twice rs
large as our prairie chicken. IS colo;,.on
in the forests ;,ld markets Of Northern
Europe, but is unknown in this coun-
try.