The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-09-04
PRIDE OF FARMS
IN SEVEN COUNTIES
GREAT SHOWING OF PRODUCTS
OF MINNESOTA SOIL.
From the Northern Border and from
the Southern Tier, with Live Ones
In Between, the Gopher Counties
Send Fine Exhibits for Competition
at State Fair.

Seven counties are entered for the
PIG county competition in farm prod
in the, state, the number is not very
| high, but the farmers of the majority
OF the counties have learned from long
| experience that it is hard matter to
enter the field against the people who
arrange the exhibits of Olmsted, Hous-
ton and Goodhue counties, which are
| usually one, two, three, every year.
! LESS counties are entered this year
than ever before, and this accentuates
years ago, that it is not fair to com
pei the farmers of the newer northern
counties to enter their : products in
competition with the southern coun-
! ties. Farming is not nearly so diver
slhed In the north, the season is much
/ later. and the vegeta bles and fruit have
not yet reached maturity. Then, too,
the products must be shipped further
and do not arrive in the same perfect
condition. X, 1872 ;.
| Olmsted county, which has won first
prize two years in succession, is on
hand this year with a nicely arranged
booth under the care of R; G. Keel,
| =. q. Gray and Louis Anderson, all
from Rochester. The central piece is
big tobacco plant with luxuriant
foliage. The managers Of the booth
expect to win on the great variety Of
the staple farm products and have
given little attention to fancy and odd
things like cotton plants, peanuts and
Mr.. Keel says that there is on ex-
hibit IS distinct varieties of native
grasses, II of tame grasses, 70 varie-
ties of potatoes, IS varieties of melons
and no less than 40 varieties of ap-
Piles: This showing, he says, cannot
be duplicated by ANY of the other coun-
ties. In stock vegetables there is also
a good showing, and the county boasts
that. for an all-aronnd agricultural Sec
ton, it is not afraid to compete with
any Of them.
From Northern Minnesota.
Itasca county is located at the other
end Of the state from the two-time
prize-winner, and if due consideration
is given to conditions, the Itasca coun-
ty exhibit is very creditable. The
to the front. The exhibit was collected
by A. Mcclure Of Grand Rapids and
II. H. Burton, a former Minneapolis
boy, now located at Manitou, on the
Canadian border.
This PARKWAY country has forty kinds
of potatoes, big, fine, healthy looking
vegetables that appeal to the eye. Some
of the alfalfa is as fine as any that
was ever grown in the state. There
are twenty-four varieties of tame
| grasses, each desirable as fodder for
live stock. One variety Of field peas
threshed more than tn rty bushels to
the acre. The county is "the largest
in area and opportunities, says the
legend over the doorway.
Stearns county has an interesting
booth. in charge Of Ar thur Cooper of
st. Cloud. A battleship with turrets,
guns, masts and everything else in a
floating fort is reproduced in vegetables
and attracts general attention. There
are fine lines of vegetables and every
thing is in nice condition.
| A big huckleberry bush fairly loaded
down with fruit attracts general atten-
tion, for many people have never seen
huckleberries on the bush before. Not
one in ten of the people who pass the
booth know what the bush is. Several
are also shown.
Blue Earth county, products are dis
dan, who can talk on the products all
day and then kick because the day is
not longer. He points to bean vine
16 feet long, corn IL to 1917 feet high,
sun1owers more than II feet high. He
declares that his Hubbard squash is the
biggest on the ground Then he has
sixty-seven kinds of wild grasses, sew
enteen of tame grasses, forty-one kinds
Of apples, eleven of plums and twenty
eight of potatoes, each variety of the
latter being particularly fine. Just to
show what the soil can do in Blue
Earth he exhibits cotton plant with
cotton bolls almost fully developed.
Goodhue county usually near the fore
front, has a pretty display under the
direction Of Roy Crandall. of Red Wing.
All the garden and farm vegetables are
generously plentiful and Of fine ap-
pearance. There are sixty-four varieties
of potatoes suitable for the market on
exhibition, and other vegetables in pro-
portion. J..
Among the unusual products is the
Brazil sugar pumpkin, which is said to
be coming table favorite.s Pome-
granates are grown in Minnesota, and
If this statement is doubted, visit to
the Goodhue county booth will substan-
tiate it. The farmers are much at.
tracted by two Hubbard squashes
which are grown together like the ia
nous Siamese twins. r.. =..."