The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1899-05-05
he Creamery
Minnesota.
T he
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To the Editor: -Within the past ten
years from small beginnings, the but
ter and cheese industry of Minnesota
has risen to its present magnitude,
when in 1898 the state produced 40, $50,
0OO pounds of butter and millions of
pounds of cheese. On January 1st of
the present year there were in oper-
alton in Minnesota $50 creameries and
80 cheese factories, thus making it one
of the principal dairy states of the
Union. During the past three years at
all the great dairysconventions, Min
nesOta has almost uniformly carried
Off the first prize for perfection in but
ter making. This was specially mani
tested at the Trans Mississippi Expo.
sition at Omaha when Minnesota was
awarded the first premium at four out
OF five competitive scorings between it
and other dairy states of the Union.
To have the greatest success in but
ter and cheese making the following
requirements are necessary: An
abundant cool and pure supply of
water, cool climate free from extremes
OF great heat in summer and with cool
| nights, the lat er being absolutely
necessary, Also country which will
produce an abundance of summer
grazing and winter forage, If any one
| of these factors are absent the greatest
possible skill cannot manufacture but
ter and cheese of the highest grade 1t
is because Minnesota pos sesses in the
highest degree these qualities that may
be traced it's amazing progress in the
dairy industry. As the central part of
the state, in Aitkin, Cass, Wadena,
Morrison, Becker. Clay, Polk and other
counties possess all THESE advantages,
the butter and cheese industry is
naturally increasing very rapidly in
central Minnesota. Aitkin and sur
rounding counties are the natural
home of the tame grasses; nowhere
west of the Rocky Mountains do clover,
timothy, blue grasses and other pas
tnre grasses thrive as in that section of
Minnesota, caused by the rich pro-
ductive soil, long summers with abund-
ant showers free from whitening
drouths, where under such favoring
conditions red clover has been known
to make growth of forty-two inches
from seed the year it was sown, where
timothy has produced from two to four
tons per acre and where blue grass
makes d continuous growth throughout
the summer months, to add to these ad-
' a ltages there are extensive natural
hay meadows producing from one and
one-half to two and one half tons per
acre of natural blue joint and other
grasses. Then this section of the State
is truly a land of lakes, springs,
brooks and rivers, producing an un-
limited supply of that pure cold water
so necessary in cooling milk and keep
ing it at the proper temperature. AS
if to make this perfect country for
dairymen, there is an abundance of
timber, producing shelter and causing
freedom from storms and strong winds,
thus enabling milk to be delivered at
the central stations during all days of
the year. Immediately to the eastward
of these counties is the market pro-
duced by the cities of Superior and
Duluth and the growing towns of the
iron producing district of the state
which make the best local markets at
the highest price for butter and cheese
of any part of the northwest Then
for the shipper there exists the advan-
tage of being able to ship butter and
cheese to eastern markets at merely a
nominal rate by water from Duluth to
buldlO dIlu Cl0N0lduu duu QUIET STGdG
eastern butter markets. over the Great
Lakes the air over which is so cool
in summer that injury never comes to
butter land cheese shipped by this
route,
The Northern Pacific Ry. Co owns
many thousands of acres of land in
these counties which it is selling on
ten years time at the low price of from
three to six dollars per acre with one
tenth down at time of purchase and
balance on ten years time in payments
of one-tenth each year at 6 per cent in
terest. 1t has many 40, so, 100, $50 and
$40 acre tracts of land excellently
suited for the dairy industry for sale
| on these terms. In addition there are
many thousands of acres of Govern
ment land still open for settlement in
this part of the state. Governor Lind
of Minnesota, in recent address be-
fore the State Agricultural Society in
January last in st. Paul said I'm
mys opinion the dairy industry of Min,
nesota will by reason of it's great ad
vantages be largely developed in what
is known as the timber district of the
state" F. w. WILSEY,
Eastern Land Agent,
| Northern Pacific Ry Co.,