Little Falls herald., 1913-01-24
INCRtAsfl Of FARMS
COMMISSIONER MAXFIEI.D GIVES
COMPARATIVE STATISTICS
COVERING IS YEARS

Some comparative hgureS cOmplIeu
by H. j. Maxfeld, commissioner OF
immigration Of farm statistics, cover
ing the period Of thirty years, from
1880 to 1910, are particularly interest
ing as they show remarkable strides
of agricultural development in Mime.
sofa during that period.
From 92,386~ farms in Minnesota in
1880 to l56,l37 in 1910 gives gain
Of 63,751 farms or an average annual
increase Of 2,l25 farms. Of the 92,386
farms in 1880 but 54.1 per cent Of the
land was improved. However, 1910
figures show-that Of the 1861 farms,
7l.0 per cent are improved, a gain or
about II per cent. In 1880 there was 4.
246, 6,693 acres Of these farm lands i'm
proved, while 1910 figures show tha,
there are 19,643,533 acres, a gain pf
1896, $40 acres or an average annual
increase of 4l3,228 acres. Perhaps the
most remarkable figures Of all are the
values in 1880. Minnesota farm lands
with improvements, including the
buildings, amounted to $193,724,26O
and in 1910 it has reached the sum Of
81 ,262, AL ,426, a gain Of $1,O6S, III ,166
and an annual increase Of $35, 5,657, ,236.
The value Of implements and ma
chinery on Minnesota. farms in 1880
was $13,0S9,7S3 and in 1910 it amount
ed to $52,329, ,165, or gain Of $39, ,239,-
382 an increase Of about 400 per cent.
Minnesota live stock values in 1880
was $31 ,904,821 against $161, ,641, LAG,
gain Of 129,736,325 and an average
annual increase Of $4,324,544. TO
total the whole, including farm lands,
improvements and property, we find
that in 1880 these figures were $685.
71S,864 against $1,476,411,737 in 1910,
gain of 1929, ,692,s73 or an average
annual increase Of al, ,256, ,429.
While the figures just quoted show .
steady and substantial increase Of
agricultural development in Mime
sofa, I predict that during the next
few years, we will witness remarkable
progress along this line; in fact, I be-
lieve, that we will accomplish as much
in the next ten years as we have in
the last thirty, and there are many
things that indicate that my prediction
will come true. Almost everyone, who
is at all observing will agree with
me, that there is q universal land
hunger and that this ttBack to the
/ Farm" movement has q firm grip up
| on us all. e..
The city man, the capitalist, the
professional and the laboring man,
have, in recent years been seized with
the desire to own a farm, 50 that today
thousands and tens of thousands of
J. landless men are either buying or plan.
ming to buy farm. It is true that the
, free homestead lands and the irrigated
fruit lands in the West, together with
the highly advertised Canadian gram
! lands, are keen competitors with Min
; nesota, but this does not in the least
discourage me in the sanguine belief
| that Minnesota will get her share-o1
more. The prudent purchaser will sure
, ly acquaint himself with the importan,
! fact that in Minnesota we do not have
: to "Dry Farm,'' that we do not have
to irrigate and we do not suffer from
early and disastrous frosts; that ou1
lands are, considering their fertility
the cheapest and the best, that they
! will produce and that we have never
had a crop failure. With these un
disputed facts and figures before me
I am firm in the opinion that when ]
say that Minnesota will accomplish
more in the way of agricultural de-
ve1opment in the next ten years thar
she has in he past thirty, I feel that
I have taken safe ground.