St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-08

Let me refer you to the example Of
Stearns county, between st. Cloud and
Sauk Center. That section was set
tied by Germans from the upper Rhine
country. Not long ago You could
hardly find man there who could
speak English. Now the old farmers
are worth from $4,000 to S15,-
600. Many have sold their
farms to their sons and moved into the
towns. and these farmers have bought
the farms Of less Industrious people
around them. Let the foreigners come
in; they will help develop your country
and add property to your assessment
rolls We should remember that agri-
culture is the main pursuit, and upon
its prosperity depends the success of
all other lines of business. Nine-tenths
of all the wealth of this state is pro-
duced upon the farms. You farmers
must earn ten dollars in order that
people in other pursuits may get one
dollar We are all interested in the
success of the farmer. If you had no
surplus products to ship. and no money
to spend in travel, we should have to
stop running railroads.
Mr. Hill spoke at some length In
praise of the work being done at the
agricultural college, which he regarded
as the most important branch of the
state university. 1t had been demon
strated at the college, he said, that
| twenty sheep could be subSisted on an
acre of land, and that three half-breed
steers could be fattened on the feed
consumed by two scrubs. and would
give fully a third more beef. He said
that if the farmers in Mile Laos coun-
ty would go down next summer and
spend a day visiting the college and
experiment farm and learn all
they could about the new scientific
methods of farming and feeding stock,
he ha a
train ready for. them, and would take
them down and back without any
| charge. Mr.. Hill spoke of his own
experience in farming on his place in
Ramsey county. He said that this
year he had made his potatoes count
for 10 cents bushel by feeding them
| to pigs, and he said that he had found
| that he could fatten four hogs from the
| SKINNED milk of one cow. There was
| no money which he received which he
valued more than that he got from
selling butter to his neighbors.
Mr.. Hill was listened to with the
closest attention. by the large audience,
! and was frequently applauded.
E. V. SMALLEY,
president of the ST. Paul Chamber of
| Commerce, followed Mr.. Hill He said
that during the five years, between the
| federal census of 1890 and our state
census of 1895, Minnesota gained over
| 27O 900 inhabitants. In that same period
Kansas lost over 1000 This is sig
| nificant fact. The explanation is that
| Minnesota has now a larger area or
unoccupied fertile land, with rainfall
| enough for successful farming, than any
| other Western state. In Kansas set
tlement on the smooth prairies advanc-
ed beyond the line of sufficient rainfall
| and was forced to draw back. The
| great wave of Western migration, Which
ran high and strong In the seventies
and eighties, sought the praries. where
farming is easy, and skipped the woods
district of Minnesota. Our forest re-
| gion is about one and one-half times
the area of the state of Ohio. Nearly
| half of 1t is has a fertile soil and Is
lightly timbered and easily cleared. 1t
| is a great reserve of wealth for Mime
sofa. The movement of immigration
! westward for the next two or three de-
cades is going to be largely movement
! in the woods, where land is cheap, rain
fall ample and market near at hand.
| Farmers are everywhere going into the
! timber to clear up the fertile lands
| This movement is destined to add at
least million to the population Of Min
nesota.
Judge A. C. Dickey. of Princeton, fol-
| lowed in a very interesting talk, de-
voted to the advantages Mile Lacs
county offered to new settlers. Col. p.
B. Groat secretary of the Minnesota
State association, gave detailed ac-
count of the progress already made by
the state association. G. w. Horr, Of
st. Paul, gave his hearers some most
practical suggestions about how the
immigration work should be carried on.
A characteristic address from Col. w.
G.. Plummer, of North Dakota, follow
ed D. s. Reese, clerk of the state
supreme court, was next, and talked
entertainingly, and in turn was fol-
lowed by
A. G. BERNARD,
editor of the Grand Rapids Magnet.
! Mr.. Bernard spoke of the rapid growth
Of the forest region during the last few
years, and predicted more rapid de-
velopment in the future. E. e. Web
ster, of the North American Review,
who has been spending few months
in the state, was then called out and
made a most polished address in which
he eulogized the public schools and
the high educational advantages and
church privileges of Minnesota. Moses
Folsom, immigration agent of the
Great Northern, suggested ways and
means whereby the community might
best place their advantages before the
world. The closing address was made
by Samuel Hill, of Minneapolis, presi-
dent Of the Eastern Minnesota.
Letters of very enthusiastic nature
and most encouraging to all interested
in the good work were received from
Hon. L. L. Schurmeier, president of the
State association; Mr.. F. l. Whitney,
and Hon. w. D. Washburn. Our
people appreciate the coming Of the
prominent visitors from the Twin
Cities, and the movement which SO
auspiciously started today will result In
great good to this whole region.