The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-05-26


there is the water works. power and
light company, which furnishes water,
steam and light to the city. These con-
Germs are all doing a good business.
Nature has bestowed other gifts
upon CrookSton with a lavish hand.
The Red Lake river gives it splendid
water powers, artesian and surface
wells furnish the purest water, build
ing stone is to be had close at hand,
its soil furnishes sand for building
purposes most abundAntly, clay beds
or unlimited capacity support the
largest brickyard in the Northwest,
hard and soft woods are found to the
east and south within easy hauling
distance, and the Red Lake river floats
lumber to its doors.
By no means the least important
branch of business at Crookston and
one of which has brought to the city
large financial interests, is the land
business, the lands for sale through
Polk county being largely controlled
by firms and. individuals making the
city of Crookston their headquarters.
Displaying a keen insight as to the
necessities of the future, and realiz-
ing the Importance of heralding to the
world the natural and commercial adj
vantages of their district if they would
grow, they have organized a Real Es-
tate Bureau. the object of which is the
promotion of their mutual interests,
and the spreading of information
throughout the entire country as to
the opportunities offered homeseekerS
and business men in Polk county and
Crookston. The advantages of the or
ganization, not only to it's individual
members but to the city as WE'LL are
obvious.
There are some thirty fraternal or
carnations in CroOl1stOn, and almost
every denomination of the Christian
church in America is represented there.
Nowhere in the famous Red River
Valley are there lands which surpass
those lying in Polk county, tributary
to CrookstOn. The soil, a rich black
loan with a heavy coating over a
clay subsoil, makes it suitable for all
kinds of diversified farming, and the
enumeration Of the products possible
would be almost endless. OF course
wheat, No. 1 hard" is the staple, and
there are millions of bushels of this
cereal which have gone to feed the
world, which drew their nutrition from
the soil of Polk county
The reputation of the Red River VAL
ley as wheat producer is SO we'll
known as to scarcely need mention
The wheat grown in the valley is of
such quality as to be first at home as
we'll as abroad 1t is Familiarity known
as mo. l Hard" and is a grade unto
Itself, as it is not grown in the country
at large.
Its superiority lies in the fact that it
contains the two most Important es-
sentials-namely, dryness and richness
in albuminoids. This statement is
based on the report from the bureau
OF chemistry of the United States de-
partment 5of agriculture, which, after
an analysis of 2,190 specimens of wheat
taken from every section of the United
States, as We'll as from foreign -eoln-
tries, came to the above conclusion
Ii was also demonstrated that a given
quantity of flour made from this grade
VIII make larger amount of bread
than the same quantity of flour made
from any other wheat. That is to say.
a barrel of flour from No. 1 hard pro-
duces twenty-five or more IOayes of
bread more than the same quantity of
any other kind of flour.
The analysis further shows that this
flour contained the highest per cent of
both gluten and nitrogen. To quote
The WordssOf the report: '"There is no
doubt that the Northwest has furnish
ed the country with finer flour than it
ever before possessed"
Wheat and oats are staple crops.
We raise both by the train load. But
II any one thinks that our ability ends
mere they should have seen the splen-
the
county lair last summer. 1t is sur
prlslng how. Tapidly and how largely
farmers are Egoipg into corn raising.
The old notion that this is not a corn
country has disappeared.
Now here Is where many have a
misconceptions They have been accus-
toned to consider this merely a wheat
raising section. No greater misappre-
hension of the real resources of this
country was conceived. True, it is that
grain is success here. But il will be
proved by the rapidly maturing logic of
events that this country-these thou
sands of unimproved acres in the val
ley particularly in the eastern part
are peculiarly adapted to stock raising
and that the very best thing that the
FARMER can pay his attention to if he
wants to make money, and build III
his land values, is the dairy In order
to accept this statement as within the
bounds of truth and reason one has
only to look at the facts in the case
If there are long winters it is equally
true that the stock here finds ample
and safe protection. There is plenty OF
timber with which to build barns and
sheds, and in the groves the cattle find
shelter from the cold and winds. These
are not unimpOrtant features. To be
able to build stabling at a small cost
means a good deal to the new settler
abundance, everywhere, and that of as
pure and fine quality as can be found
anywhere, the chance for keeping cat
tie comfortably from day to day car
readily be seen. Last, but by no means
least, is the factor of grasses. In q
large section of the country wild
grasses grow abundantly, and TIE last
half dozen years have demonstrated
beyond question that tame grasses
thrive in great excellence here. Add tC
this the raising of corn fodder-botf
of which do Well-and plenty of food
at low cost is obtained The grasses OF
this section are especially nutritious
and nowhere do buttermakerS produce
a finer quality of butter. Few coun-
tries are better adapted to sheep rails
ing. t
The dry cold winters seem to have {
tendency to increase the clip of wool
While the mutton is of the very frs
quality. Cotswolds and Shropshire
are the two breeds that thrive the bes
in this climate. The raising and feed
ing of hogs brings the thrifty farmer
many dollar. Berkshire, Poland
China and Chester White are the prin-
cipal breeds and are mostly fatted or
barley and peas, which are raised here
in abundance. There is always a gooC
market for all kinds of stock.
Dairying is also on the increase, anC
while the Red River Valley is doing
more than any other section of the
: state in giving Minnesota its reputa-
ton for the best wheat, and it is only {