The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1905-10-05
HOW THE FARMERS
CAN MAKE MONEY
J. J. Hill Proves by Census Reports That Farmers
Must Diversity Their Interests and Raise Live
Stock to Compete With Earnings in the Older
States.

road delivers an address ne produces Some
facts OF startling significance which are
worth considering and rejecting upon. He
spoke at a fair at Willmar, Kandiyohi
county. a few days ago and as usual his
thought. A large portion of his address
was devoted to showing the farmers OF
Minnesota and the Northwes how much
more profitable they could make their
labor and investment. He drew largely
upon the late United States census report
to show how much larger per acre earn
sofa asserting hat the other states did
not have any more If as many natural
advantages as Minnesota. The contrast
with the neighboring state of Iowa sub
Iowa, was actually forced to abandon
wheat raising and go into live stock with
census rssq 9epor tha nro sne was ss.a aS0 per acre re
against Minnesota's s4.67. Thirty years
ago the great reliance of Iowa farmers
was raising grade Of wheat known know a as
pie remember that there ever was such a
thing as Amber Iowa.
If the farmers of Minnesota realized the
same per acre in dollars and cents as the
farmers of Iowa. 1t would make a diff
ference every year of over $7o,OOO,OOO; and
that is too much money to pass idly by
and too large an amount not to be consid-
cred and to make an effort to redeem IT.:
Acre for acre. Minnesota farm lands
are capable Of producing as much or
more wealth than the farm lands in any
other division of the country; yet acre
for acre, they are, with i~nconsequential
exceptions, producing less, less in volume.
Agricultural states like Illinois. Indi-
ana, Iowa. Michigan. New York. hi".
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, are produc-
their farm lands under cultivation. Min
nesota is producing only $4.S7.
Yet in walking from the hall where We
you know, told me that on a farm out
here of about 500 acres he got an average
of $40 an acre, and he got II from his
cattle. / know when he old me he got
cause in no other way under the sun
could he get $40 per acre profit.
Minnesota Shy.
The agricultural workers of states like
Kansas. Nebraska. New York. Illinois,
North Dakota Iowa. South Dakota. Mon
tana, Wyoming, Washington and Oregon,
are producing yearly from 1855 to Sl.Gi3
each. Now, | speak of the agricultural
the farm or the man who pays wages.
The agricultural workers of Minnesota
are producing only SG2J =
Illinois haryest so a crop Of grain and
ture of 80. 10000 for labor and the use of
s21, 600. 900 worth of machinery. The 9TH
er states in he agricultural column do
approximately as well; some better. Min
nesota expends Sl3. 10000 for hired labor.
and uses machinery worth 500 ,6Go.000 TO
harvest 2 hay and grain crop worth only
Labor in the United States averages
~ per cent of the value of the crop.
In Minnesota it is 1913 per cent. or almost
30 per cent more.
Minnesota Cattle.
The average. value per head of cattle
for the United States is SILT. and the
average for the important agricultural
states ranges from SCI to s24o3: Bulls
only $2S.25. In the United States the av-
erage value of bulls is S34.49 and in the
leading agricultural states the value runs
from $47.32 in Iowa to $3S.25 in Illinois.
For each agricultural worker within
her borders Iowa is marketing live stock
and meat products to the value of SIPS.
as against an average of only Ssl in Min
nesota. In the other states the figures
run from two and one-half times to four
times as high as Minnesota's. acre for
The value of live stock for each acre
Of farm land is 1856 in Minnesota. In
Iowa 1t is ss.O6. and from this figure it
runs down to s4;Sl in the other important
With most exceptional advantages for
sheep raising, Minnesota has only $4,000
sheep as against M~ichigan's 2,TO0,0 900.
In producing values the average in Min
nesota is S2205 per acre. In the other
important agricultural states 1t averages
about $50. In the dairy states, like New
York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
with which Minnesota has come to pit
herself, the value of production averages
In Minnesota the average yearly pro-
duction of milk for each cow is 463 gall
Ions; in Michigan 1t is $40 gallons: in
the United States it is 424 gallons; this
all the low-grade and non-dairying states.
The dairy farms of Minnesota produced
only 500 per acre. In the United States
the average production on dairy farms
was $3.50. or % per cent greater. In the
important agricultural states the produc-
ton per acre ran as high as $lO.34. And
| NnYtr nu-n nniOhhnr Mr. Eddy mall oC S1n
an acre here. and every man who will do
the same as he does can make the same
revenue.
Hay and Forage.
In hay and forage Minnesota is pro-
ducing at the rate of s4.62 per acre on
3,l57, $50 acres of her farm area devoted
to these crops. The average in the
United States is $7.S5, or almost twice AS
81 sFe hsr as hay M ana forase c roe is sG Sass ya Isl.
| Illinois, on practically the same area,
| raises a crop worth over 81, OOO. 900, and
Ohio: also : 30 on I pra9tis cal Yo5 the he same area,
harvests a crop worth 81, 200, 1000. or
81, OOO,0 600 greater than Minnesota, on an
| acreage less by threc-quarters of a mill
lion. h strength Of these figures lies
in the fact that, with equal cultivation,
| Minnesota has demonstrated her capacity
| to produce more value per acre in hay
and. forage than almost any other state
He told of his W Minnesota stock
| farm and how year after year he sent
cattle to the Chicago fat stock show and
won a hatful of gold medals. One steer
| from his farm competed with 20 head of
cattle at Chicago and took seven prizes,
| Including the sweepstakes.
Illinois, he said, took first rank as q
wheat state in 1880. In 1900 she had
| dropped to fourteenth place. Ohio held
| third place in 1850, producing 10 per cent
| Of the wheat of the country, while now
she produces only 7.6 per cent of wheat.
She has so thoroughly diversified ner
crops that she ranks well up ia every
class. AS a result she produces $50 to
the acre, as against $4.S7 for Minnesota.
The net value of products per acre was
s5.S3 in Wisconsin for 1900, or about 90
| ner cent above Minnesota.
wisconsin farmers reduced their wheat
average from 100000 in 1880 to $50, 900
| acres in 1900. while Minnesota increased
hers from 100000 to 6,5OO.O 600. Wiscon-
sin fell from ninth place in the wheat
| row, with ga per cent of the whole crop,
to twenty-eighth place, with only Ia per
cent. BY intelligent Investigation she
now manages to extract slO.41 from
| every acre of improved land she farms,
as against Only $685. Of improved land in
| Minnesota.
of the farms in Minnesota 1873 per cent
range in area from 200 to 500 acres.
| Throughout the United States the aver
| age expended for hired labor on farms of
40 q, etlsG forv,. In Nfinnacota