The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-15
Reliable Minnesota.

Uniformity and reliability in crop
production is one of the most important
characteristics Of an agricultural region.
Rare fertility of soil, the capacity to
produce crops in great variety are of
- climatic conditions are uncertain and
season of great productiveness is fol-
/ lowed by one or more of practical fail
! ure.
3 Without making any invidious COM
parsons with specific localities, it is
we'll known that there are sections of
our country having records of great
J productiveness followed by periods of
+ barrenness and distress-regions where
I the fertility of the soil is unexcelled, but
: where the climatic conditions are so un-
: certain that agriculture is pure lot
terry. Of no section of the country,
! however, may it be said with so much
! truth and propriety as Of Minnesota
/ that the better conditions of uniformity
7 and reliability in crop production pre-
!. vail.
1t is not so very many years since 1t
z was the custom to speak with slight re-
: spect for the agricultural resources and
/ possibilities Of Minnesota. This state
was supposed to lie north of the line Of
\ successful and profitable farming. Grad
ually it became a wheat state, begin
ming in the southern portion. Ultimately
r the entire range of latitude came to be
covered by wheatfelds; but even then
it was not believed that corn would
ever be a profitable crop in this state.
! This cereal has now made It's way
northward in much the same manner as
the wheat did.
Dairying and animal husbandry were
at one time regarded as not adapted
to this state, but in place of that I'M
preston we have substituted the fact
that Minnesota is peculiarly adapted
to the raising Of livestock and to sue
cessful dairying. In substantiation OF
this. we hold annually in Minnesota
the greatest livestock fair in the coun-
& try, while at the St. Louis exposition
/ we won the highest prizes and the most
/ Of them for the production Of butter.
Minnesota may not lie within the
banana belt, and the range OF prod
ucts of the field and garden may be linn
/ tied, but for quality we have no apollo
: pies to make, while for certainty of
production, for freedom from crop fail
1 ure, we claim for Minnesota a higher
average than for any other section of
the union.
It is to such a state, yet sparsely
populated and with millions of acres
of fertile land waiting for the hand OF
the husbandman, that immigration is
invited and to which it is now turning
in large volume. There are indications
Of an unusually heavy immigration
movement into this state during the
present year. Land values have adj
vanced not only in Minnesota, but
turnout the west during the past few
years, but the available land area for
the new settler is becoming less and
less each year, with the result that
prices must be expected to advance
rather than to decline. So long as we
Z had large areas Of arabic land unten-
anted, we were subject in this country
to fluctuations in land prices. A sud
den inflow Of immigration or specu,
j lative fever might advance prices be-
4 yond legitimate figure; but now, when
the available agricultural area remain
ing in the hands of the government has
been practically exhausted, there is nc
reason to expect at any time material
decline in land prices, but rather an
& advance.