The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1909-08-30
opportunity for success by the pro.
duction of things to eat.

L j.
For the purpose of bringing the
conditions as they now exist in the
State of Minnesota before the intend
ing settler, it light be we'll to con
slider the facts. There are approx.
mately 50,O00,0OO acres of land II
| the state, IS per cent of which is
capable of agricultural development
and not to exceed 100000 acres
of these have been actually titled
The above does not include land In
farms. as this would amount to ap.
proximately 27, 100000 acres.
! Public lands both federal and
state have practically disappeared
from the southern and western sec.
tions or prairie districts of Mime
sofa, all of which have long since
gone into the hands of private
owners, but their tillage has by no
means reached til e maximum.
These sections of Minnesota are
composed of a dark, black loan
ranging in depth from one to four
feet, resting almost universally on a
subsoil of clay, having good, natural
drainage, but in many instances re-
quiring assistance by artificial
means. This branch of improve
ment in Minnesota, while common
ced in isolated districts, might be
fairly stated to be in it's infancy.
This district up to this time has
yielded such bountiful crops of
wheat, corn, oats, barley, flax,
hay, potatoes, ETC., that not enough
attention has been paid to the
improvement of drainage which
has so increased the production
per acre in the more densely popu-
lated areas of the mississippi
valley. The selling values in
those sections are yet cheap when
compared with their producing
value. Taking the crop of 1907
l(U. S. Agricultural Department.
and combining corn, wheat, oats,
barley, flax, and hay, the average
production per acre in the state of
minnesota was $12:27: Illinois,
s14,6o; Iowa.. e11.8o; Neprasssa,
5000. North Dakota, $o.59H;
South Dakota, $685.. The aver
age values of land on which this
was. produced was: Illinois,
s152.58 Iowa, 5000; Minnesota,
1921.
Improved farms in Southern
Minnesota can be purchased on
easy terms from $35 to 500 per
acre, and in the famous Red River
Valley, from SIS to $50. These
districts are entirely supplied with
| good markets, rural telephone
lines, rural free delivery, schools,
churches, county and township
buildings, roads. etc., the cost of
which is legitimate charge to the
land in the district.
The consuming population OF
the United States is slowly but
surely moving westward until
today the three great cities OF
Minnesota, i. e. Minneapolis, St.
Paul and Duluth, furnish as good
market for farm products as any
place on the American continent
as can be seen by comparing her
products for exchange. The farm
products of the State of Mime
sofa now amount to approximately
$275, 900, 900 annually while the
manufactured products amount tc
$3.50, 900, 900. The employees per.
fecting the latter must be fed, and
the time is fast approaching when
1t will be unnecessary for any
bread stuffs to be sent to distribut
ing points other than those within
her own border lines. The grea,
iron ore deposits of this state are
being rapidly developed anc
/ employing hundreds of thousands
of men, thus making an additiona
home market for the products o.
/ the soil,
/ Every farm in the state is nov
| within easy access of these markets
/ If the value of the improvements be
/ deducted from the present sellinf
/ value of the land in the prairie
sections of Minnesota, it will b.
/ found that the value of the land i.
/ cheaper than in any section whe1.
the agriculturist has an assured
crop. But all of these lands ar.
L improved tn a mOra Or 1acc daoreI