Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1926-07-15
WHAT IS YEARS HAS DONE.

as administrator of the estate Of DR..
Otto Lugger of St. Paul, sold 160
acres of cut-over and burnt-oyer land
bordering on the east shore of Grind
stone lake to Dr. Arnold Schwyzer
of st. Paul. It was a desoiate looking
piece of land. Rude, black stumps
and burnt off trees appeared every
where. Added to this. there were
rocks and stones, and stones and
rocks. 1t was not an alluring pros
pect, to one possessing less vision
and wisdom than DR.. Schwyzer. But
to him there was beauty along the
shores of the lake, there was a
wealth Of satisfaction and comfort
ahead in the forests yet to be, and
there was virtue of great value hid
den beneath the crude rocks and the
ugly stumps and rough surface of
the earth
A few days ago visited the Doctor
at his summer place on the shores
of the lake. In twenty-five years the
scene has been completely changed,
not alone by the hand OF man, but by
the ever changing and fruitful growth
of nature. On the banks of the lake
where the blackened embers of topless
trees stood and desolation reigned.
| nature has worked out a new creation.
Now there is a full-fledged forest,
thickly studded with birch, poplar,
oak, maple, linden and pine. This
| shows the results of reforestation
when nature has full sway. Natural
laws will do good work when left
alone. The Transformation has made
a beautiful forest park. And else
where on the Land where mature has
been left to solve the problem, refore-
Station is complete. The demonstra-
| ton of this fact alone is worth the
cost in identifying the place, and
sufficiently important to bring to him
the lasting gratitude of those, who
dream of a return of some of our
| land to its virgin state.
"You sold me lots of trouble, said
the genial Doctor, but with twinkle
in his eye he added, "but have had
an awful lot of fun out of it. find
| pleasure here that is real health
full pleasure"
| When the Doctor came to Grind
stone lake there were thirty Indians,
four or five Scandinavians and one
| Scotch-Irishman. Today, there are
| farmers of different nationalities all
about. By the hand of man and ma
| ture it has become a new land. The
Doctor now has 900 acres, 240 under
| olox,y ;noJnd;n, filod mao douy w horo no
! has put in some three miles of thing
in the peat Land. On this he grows
| oats, rye, potatoes, grass, and clover
abundantly-a demonstration of i'm
mense value to agriculturists. Three
hundred acres are woods which have
| automatically reforested themselves.
With the stones picked up from the
surface and dug out of the ground,
he has made two and three-fourths
miles of fence four feet wide and
three feet high. ...-.
"Our mistake, says the Doctor,
twas in trying in the beginning to
open up too much land, leaving some
large rocks in the ground. These
used the machines too roughly. Now
our fields are slick and clean and the
tractor goes through without trouble
If you can drain the peat land, use it.
First, test it for acid. If you can get
it out, put the land into oats or rye"
There are two barns on the place,
one 36x144 with an addition 24x36;
the other is 34x6O There are 100
head of stock-some full-blooded Hol-
stems and grade Shorthorns. The
cream goes to the Farmers Coopera-
tive Creamery of Sandstone.
1.-THE main thing / have DONE" said
the Doctor laconically, lis to get after
the stones"
DR.. Schwyzer has spent great deal
of time Che works harder than a
hired man digging out stumps and
rocks and other labor) and money in
the development of his summer home,
but in doing so he has demonstrated
many valuable lessons for which the
county and state is indebted to him.
In the first place, it is real demon
stration farm uncovering and expos
ing to view some of the hidden values
of Pine county and guidance to the
way to realize them.
The Doctor lives on the place two
or three months each summer. The
balance of the time when he is away
the usual farm routine goes on. He
is helpful to his neighbors, supplying
them with work during slack times
and when they need to increase their
Income. He enjoys the respect and
confidence not only of those closely
about him but of the entire neigh
borhood and county. He is man
of intrinsic value to the state and
his summer home is in reality and
as an experiment in social science,
a community force throwing its help
full rays far and wide. 1t would be
fine thing II the Doctor would open
his place up to visitors at stated
times and then with his kindly grace
show them what can be done by what
has been done.