The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1905-10-06
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 he produces some
facts Of startling significance which are
worth considering and rejecting upon. lie
spoke at a fair at Wlllmar, kandlyom
county. few days ago and as usual ms
remarks were pregnant with food TOT
thought. A large portion of his address
was devoted to showing the farmers OF
Minnesota and the Northwest how much
more profitable they. could make tnelr
labor and investment. He drew largely
upon the late United States census report
to show how much larger per acre earn
ings are in other states than In Mime,
sofa asserting that 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
the result that she was according to
against Minnesota's $4.67 Thirty years
ago the great reliance Of Iowa farmers
was raising a grade OF wheat known as
Amber Iowa and now only the older peo-
pie remember that there ever was such
thing as Amber Iowa.
If the farmers of Minnesota realized the
same per acre in dollars and cents as the
farmers of Iowa, it would make a diff
ference every year Of over $7o,O00,OOO; and
that is too much money to pass idly ny
and too large an amount not to be conS1d-
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
y
for acre, they are, with inconsequent1al
exceptions. producing less. less in volume
less in value.
Agricultural states like Illinois, Indi-
ana, Iowa. Michigan. New York. ohio,
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, are produc.
ing from $3.50 to $500 on each acre, of
their farm lands under cultivation. Min
nesota is producing only $4.S1.
Yet in walking from the hall whore we
had our lunch. Mr.. Eddy, whom many of
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 it from his
cattle. ! know when he told 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
are producing yearly from $656 to $l045
each. Now, I speak of the agricultural
workers. whether it is the man who owns
the farm or the man who pays wages
The agricultural workers of Minnesota
are producing only S623.
Illinois harvests a crop of grain and
hay worth $155, 900 900, with an eXpendi-
ture of 50, 100000 for labor and the use Of
S21,00O. 600 worth of machinery. The 9TH
er states in the agricultural column do
approX tely as Well: some better. Min
nesota expends 1920 600 for hired labor.
and uses machinery worth $22,6o0.00p to
harvest hay and grain crop worth only
$119. 100000.
Labor in the United States averages
~ per cent of the value of the crop.
In Minnesota it is 1913 per cent or almost
90 per cent more
Minnesota Cattle.
The average value per ol head of cattle lie
for the United States is SPLIT, and the
average for the important agricultural
states ranges from S27 to S24Oo. Bulls
in Minnesota have an average value of
only $2S.25. In the United States the av-
erage value of bulls is $34 40, and in the
leading agricultural states the value runs
from $47.32 in Iowa to $3S25 in Illinois.
For each agricultu; al worker within
her borders Iowa is marketing live stock
as against an average of only $s1 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 n land I'd j; IS $3.50 in Minnesota In
runs down to So in the other important
agricultural states.
With most exceptional advantages for
sheep raising, Minnesota has only 594 900
sheep as against Michigan's 200 600
In producing values the average in Min
nesota is S22oo per acre In the other
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 gal
the United States it is 424 gallons; this
general average including the product of
all the low w-grade and non-dairying states
The dairy farms of Minnesota produced
only s5.25 per acre In the United States
was $3.50, or 5 per cent greater. In n the the
important agricultural states the produc-
tion per acre. ran as high as $10.34. And
your own neighbor, Mr.. Eddy, makes $40
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 $4.62 per acre on
3,157 $50 acres OF her farm area devoted
to these stafas Crops IS - The average in the
great as Minnesota. The total value
of her hay and forage crop is $14, ,5S5, ,2S1
Illinois. on practically the same area,
Ohio. also on practically the same area,
raises a crop worth $2O.OOOOOO. Michigan
harvests crop worth $21,OOO,OOO. or
81 coo, 600 greater than Minnesota. on an
acreage less by threc-quarters Of a mil
lion. The 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 own Minnesota stock
cattle to the Chicago fat stock show and
won hatfpl of gold medals. One steer
from his farm competed with 70 head Of
cattle at Chicago and took seven prizes
including the sweepstakes.
Illinois, he said, took first rank as a
wheat state in 1880. In 1900 She had
third place in 1880, 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 her
| crops that she ranks well up In cyerv
! class. AS a result she produces IS 80 r.
| the acre, as against $4.N7 for Minnrsot:,
The net value of products per acre wa g
$3.50 in Wisconsin for 19OO or about 90
| ner cent above Minnesota. ~
| Wisconsin farmers reduced their whoa =
| average from 100000 in 1880 to $40 00o
| acres in 1900 while Minnesota increaseT
| hers from 100000 to 6,5OO,OOO. Wiscon-
| sin fell from ninth place in the whea :
row. with 5.4 per cent Of the whole crn,,
| to twenty-eighth place, with only / 4 ner
| cent. BY intelligent diversification She
| now manages to extract $1O.41 from
| every acre of improved land she farms
as against orly $695 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
this area is $l66 per farm: in Minnesota