Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-03-07
A MINNESOTA PASTORAL.
This Story Comes from the .Garden Spots
and Reeks Of the Soil

state prosperous. According to his
tale he owns land by the thousand
acres and thinks that if he can per-
suade immigrant farmers to buy of
him it will be to their everlasting pros
perlty and help him along in the world.
besides doing little for the state. Nc
thought comes to him that his motives
are not patriotic. The people of Min
'nesota," he says, ''don't bother their
heads about immigration. Foreign
sers may come there if they want
TO. but they've got to come without
begging; we don't mind their coming
II they'll settle among us and learn
our ways, but we don't want 'em in col
-onies, bringing their socialism, and
communism, and their other isms with
them to destroy the peace of our state.
Give us immigration, but not colonial
ton. That's the way they talk, and
that's why we've had no agent here to
turn foreigners up our way"
What inducements have you to offer
to farmers?"
Nothing extraordinary. 1 believe
My land is the garden spot of America.
That's all. Amt no place that can beat
it for crops"
''Corn?'
Zone hundred and fifty bushels to
the acre. Plant in April and gather in
November. One blowing, no hoeing
Fodder till you can't rest. Have to pull
1T from horseback. Why? Stalks SO
high you can't reach to the top. There's
only one trouble with corn growing in
Minnesota; you don't have enough nub-
bins to feed your steers"
'Nubbins for steers?"
That's what's the matter. The ears
are SO big that steer can't get 'em in
his mouth. See? You've got to chop
'em up and that takes time
do you grow potatoes?"
Sweet? No. They grow themselves.
We just give 'em half a chance. Run
furrow in the sand, drop in your seed.
cover it with your foot as you go along,
and leave the crop to itself. 1t grows
summer and winter and you needn't
ever dig it for year or two. OF
course, by and by the 'taters get too
big to be good. AT eighteen months
old half one makes meal for twenty
persons"
ANY turnips?"
"a few. 1t don't take many to do us
We daran't sow the seed as other farm
ers do. We check off the turnip patch
like a chess-board, making the corners
ten feet apart, SO that turnipS won't
crowd. 1t won't do to have 'em too
thick. How large do they grow? Well, !
had fifteen merino sheep, fine fellows
they were, and fused to fold 'em every
night for fear of dogs. One day three
of the biggest were missing and the
whole farm turned out to find 'em. We
hunted for 'em for two days, killed sew
enteen dogs on suspicion. and gave up
the search. The next day found the
three inside of one of my turnips. You
see, they had jumped into the turnip
patch and eaten their way right into
one of the vegetables"
''How could you feed such things to
your stock?"
80, we have to chop 'em up. Use
fifteen-foot cross saws on mine"
How about pumpkins?"
Pumpkins? They fairly sweat, they
grow SO fast. There amt no finer
music than the sound of CROWN pump
kins. Best scarecrow in the world,
self-acting. Crows and black birds
worried us lots until made the discov-
cry. Plant one in your raspberry patch
and the birds won't come around. Why?
The growing pains and the groans of
the punkin brighten 'em away. Ever
hear of Punkin Vine creek? Got it's
name from a punLin vine. Years ago
when the Cherokee Indians lived in
Minnesota they wanted some sort of
bridge across the creek. There wasn't
q tree around, and they didn't know
what to do. An old settler said he'd
fix it. He planted punkin seed near
the bank and when the vine began to
grow he trained it in the direction OF
the water. In few days it grew
across to the other bank and bore a big
punkin on that side, which held it sc
that the Indians could cross. Any old
farmer up there'll tell you the story
From what I've seen of punkins
readily believe it.
SIS yours good fruit country? Any
-apples9"
.'More'n we know what to do with
I turned all my hogs and my neigh
bors' into my orchard the other day tc
see if they couldn't rid me of a few
bushels of the fruit. They didn't dc
much good. l drove through the mex,
day with horse and buggy. The ap
pies were SO tnlch ou Tile STOuuu IHd
there was regular sluice of cider fol
lowing me wherever / went. Mashed
cut, you know, by the wheels and
horses hoofs. That1l give you some
idea of our fruit crops. Anything else
you'd like to know?"
lis it all like what you have beer
telling me?'
Every man for himself. you know
I'm talking for my own region.
haven't travelled much"
do you mean to say
young man 1 haven't got time t.
90 into details. Do you want to go to
minnesota? Come up there and start q
newspaper.
I'D starve to death"
mo you won't. I'll chip in bushe
of 'taters and l know the neighbors
will throw in punkin or two. Say
can You tell me where I'll find some
boiler or kettle-works? l want to give
an order for a kettle twenty feet
across the mouth and sixteen feet
deep"
NV. What in the world will you dc
with such kettle?"
Boil my turnips in it-"-Chicagc
Tribune.
He Gets Exercise.
'sYour husband applies himself toe
closely to his desk, said Mrs Wilkes
TO the authors wife. Does he ever