The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-15

up. The northwestern banker is studying
but to the legislator he is inclined to
say wait"
January Trade Figures.
January trade figures have convinced
northwestern merchants that, with fair
crop, their prediction, that 1902 will show
record breaking figures in every line OF
traffic, is to hold good. Every trade cen
ter, big and little, in the northwestern |
states reports the best January in its |
history. Never has there been such a |
demand for merchandise during the first |
month of the year. Minneapolis is a fair |
indicator OF this remarkable increase.
This city in January received 52,26l,O |
pounds Of merchandise and shipped out |
49, 405,2S6 pounds. In January of last |
year merchandise received here aggre- |
gated 40,O97, 1913 pounds, while $3.50, $40 |
pounds were billed out. This is an in |
| crease Of about 80 per cent on both mer-
chandise received and billed out. This |
item includes mainly the results in gen
eral jobbing and manufacturing. The |
machinery trade began business in 1902
with a rush. The total receipts for the
| month aggregated 12,77S,0 600 pounds, with |
shipments of 4,S50,0O0 pounds, against re-
ceipts last January Of 7,820,000 pounds !
and shipments of 1887, 900 pounds. The |
| fruit trade Of Minneapolis continues to
keep it's fast pace. In January, 1901,
| 1884, 900 pounds were received here and
| 1874, 900 shipped. This January new
| record was made, 3,114,0 900 were received
and the shipments amounted to 1,O4O, 43S.
| Building material Of all kinds is being
ordered early. This has the effect of
continuing the fast clip in the white pine
lumber trade with which the last year
closed. January shipments of lumber
were in excess of 25,000,O00 feet as
against shipments of 2S,415,GOO feet in
| the same month of last year. The odds
and ends of the shipment statistics which
go under the head of sundries. foot up
Is, 900 pounds for January Of this
year as against 100000 pounds for the
| corresponding month of 1901 The receipts
| of wheat, corn, oats, barley, rye and fax
at Minneapolis in January, 1901, totaled
9,O16,OO0 bushels with shipments of
1,874,00 bushels. Receipts of the same
grains in January this year aggregate
1886, 900 bushels and shipments 2,183, 1000
bushels. The flour mills shipped a quar-
ter of million more barrels of flour in
the first month of this year than in jan
uary, 1901. ..---
Travelling statesmen representing north
western houses were in the field earlier
| this year than usual This was due to
the demand from many dealers for early
shipments The "old northwest" gave
northwestern wholesale houses the best
| January business since the country was
| settled. Orders received from the Pacific
| northwest show satisfactory increase.
! Minneapolis houses have future in the
| Pacific coast trade and while the traffic
| increases the results are such as to en-
| courage the local houses to stay in the
fight.
| Flax Attracts Attention.
Flax may not be king, but~it is drawing
the attention of the business men Of many
| sections of the country to the northwest.
Inquiries are already coming from points
east and south as to what the northwest
will do on fax acreage in 1902. North
| Dakota turned the big trick in flax last
year and handlers Of grain generally pre-
dict big increase in flax acreage in that
| state this year. North Dakota is pro-
| ducing most of the fax of the United
States. It's yield in 1901 surprised most
| of the big handlers Of that grain. A con-
sentative estimate places North Dakota's
flax yield last year at 17,000,O 600 bushels.
Other estimates go as high as 100000
| and %, 0O0, 900 bushels. Minneapolis mills
shipped in January of this year 1881, 900
barrels Of linseed oil, as against 2,628,000
barrels in the lame month of last year.
| Last months shipments of oil cake were
| 10, 651 900 pounds, as compared with $780,
| 900 pounds in January, 1901. Every item
connected with flax production and the
| manufacture of it's products shows big
| increase over year ago. There has
| been money In 1t for all hands. The
| northwestern farmer who raised fax last
|
part of this acreage in flax this year The
| price has been good. 1t is estimated that
| 80 per cent of the flax yield Of 1901 has
| been sold by the producer at an average
price on track of at least $3.50 per bushel.
| The farmer in that section of North Da-
| kota west of the Red River valley is be-
| hind with his plowing. In the opinion OF
men who have studied the situation, this
| means that a large part of this acreage
| will go into flax. In addition to this
there will be an immense amount of new
ground to be broken by this years ar
rivals in North Dakota. These will be
| greatly tempted to put much land into
! flax when they see what others have done
| who have been there before them.
| In 1887 there was marketed at Mime
apolis 200 bushels of flax, and 5SS bush
els at Duluth, making total at the two
primary markets Of 294, 58S bushels. The
| big figures of last year show to what ex-
tent flax production in the northwest has
| increased. It is conceded that the region
! Of flax production will continue to move
| farther north, as has been the case for
years, but North Dakota is expected to
hold the belt for several years to come.
! The soil and climate are especially adapt
ed to flax raising and the farmers will
| stick to 1t as long as the price holds good
and the crop is not injuring his land.
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