Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, March 31, 1900, Page 14

4 GRAND RAPIDS, ITASCA COUNTY, MINNESOTA. poorer or sparsely timbered lan may be cleared at a lower tigure.”’ WHAT THE SOIL PRODUCES. That portion of the report which relates to the crops raised on the farm is of special interest. During the three seasons of 1896, 1897 and 1898 the average yield of potatoes per acre per season was as follows: American Wonder, 260 bushels: Prize Taker, 253 bushels: No. 1 Carmen, 239 bushels: No. 3 Carmen, 250 bushels: Freeman, 228 bushels: Irish Daisy, 225 bushels: and other varieties from 200 bushels upward. The: American Won- der gave a yield of 347 bushels per acre in 1896. That was a good potato sea- son, and several other varieties yielded nearly as much per acre. In 1897 the Early Ohio was in the lead with 223 bushels per acre. In 1898 Carmen No. 3 led with 261 bushels per acre. The report says: _ “It is safe to say that nowhere in Minnesota can vegetables be grown superior in size and quality to those produced in the northern part of the state. Northeast farm has grown nearly every known kind of vegetable, and annually tests many different va- rieties in the garden. There is no dif- ficulty in growing any of the common vegetables, as peas, beans, sweet corn, beets, onions, etc. Strawberries are grown successfully on the Northeast Farm, and yields of 3,000 quarts per acre have been obtained. ”’ During the two seasons of 1897 and 1898 three varieties of wheat averaged 19.7 bushels, 17.7 bushels and 16.3 bush- els respectively. On the best pieces of land on the farm the yield was much higher for a few acres ina place. In 1898 a 33-acre patch of Wellman’s tife wheat produced 28.6 bushels per acre. During the four seasons ending with 1899 one variety of oats averaged THE CENTRAL SCHOOL BUILDING, GRAND RAPIDS. a yield of 51.9 bushels per acre. In 1898 an 114-acre field of oats produced 61 bushels per acre. One variety of barley averaged over 30 bushels per acre for four seasons, and one piece went 41 bushels to the acre in 1898. Clover on the poorest land on the farm has yielded 2.3 tons per acre at first cutting, and nearly a ton at the second cutting, making about 34 tons per acre for the season. On better land on the same farm clover yielded as high as A VIEW ON KINDRED AVENUE, GRAND RAPIDS. a little over 4 tons per acre in 1898, The early varieties of corn have uni- formly matured and yielded well. DO YOU SEE MONEY IN THIS? The foregoing review of the official report of the State Agricultural Ex- periment Station throws much light upon the subject of the reliable pro- ductive capacity or Itasca county soil. The next thing is the market. At this writing, March 1, 1900, wild hay that has,cost the producers noth- ing but the labor of harvesting and hauling to market brings $10 per ton. Potatoes grown on Itasca county land where 200 bushels to the acre is con- sidered a light crop bring 50 cents per bushel. Oats that are produced in most bounteous yields as shown by the report referred to bring 35 cents per bushel, and corn brings 60 cents. Tame hay brings a little more than wild hay, but it is seldom sold, for the reason that very little is raised. It isa remarkable fact that a great portion of the hay used is shipped here by railroad, some of it coming from points 300 miles distant. The same is true of butter and eggs. Settlers drive to town over some of the finest hay lands on earth and buy their butter, and some of them even buy their po- tatoes. The writer saw a settler whb had raised several hundred bushels of potatoes refuse 50 cents per bushel for —— { |