SOIL SURVEY OF ANOKA COUNTY, MINN, 13 



may be retained for tAvo years or more. The sod may be fall plowed 

 on the heavier soils, but on the light sandy soils spring plowing is 

 better. The land is disked and harrowed in preparation for late May 

 and early June planting of corn. Where potatoes follow com 

 part of the land under rotation is available for some other crop, 

 and it is usually put in a small grain. Where potatoes follow the 

 tame grasses the unused land is planted in corn. Some farmers are 

 very positive that potatoes do better following clover or clover and 

 timothy mixed than when made to follow a cultivated crop, such as 

 corn, but good results seem to follow with either practice, and in 

 any case at least four years usually intervenes before potatoes are 

 again planted in the same field. 



Commercial fertilizers are used to a very small extent in Anoka 

 County. In 1910 only 19 farms reported their use, with an average 

 expenditure of $12 each. At present the principal method of keep- 

 ing up the productiveness of the upland soils is the growing of 

 clover in crop rotation and the use of all the available barnyard 

 manure. 



Farm labor is rather difficult to obtain at certain times of the 

 year. Much of the work is done by the farmer and his family. The 

 expenditure for labor in 1909 amounted to $118,892. There were 

 G89 farms using hired labor, with an average expenditure of $215 

 each. Where engaged by the month, farm laborers are paid $25 

 to $35 or more, in addition to board. Day laborers receive about 

 $1.50 to $2.50 a day, with board. 



In 1910 there were 1,445 farms in the county, occupying 69.1 per 

 cent of its area. The average size of the farms was 140.6 acres, of 

 which 70.3 acres were improved. There are a few farms ranging 

 in size from 300 to 1,000 acres or more. 



The 1910 census reports 86.3 per cent of the farms operated by 

 owners, 12.7 per cent by tenants, and 1 per cent by managers. Most 

 of the tenanted farms are rented on a share basis, the landowner 

 receiving one-third of all the crops. A cash rental of about $2 to 

 $2,50 an acre is paid for tillable upland, while peat land for pasture 

 is rented for about $1 an acre. 



The 1910 census reports an average valuation per farm of $6,560, 

 of which 63.7 per cent is represented by the land, 21,2 per cent by 

 buildings, 11.1 per cent by domestic animals, and 4 per cent by im- 

 plements. Land values in Anoka County range from about $10 to 

 $100 an acre. Land with clayey subsoils, such as is included in the 

 Miami and Gloucester series, ranges in selling value from about 

 $60 to $100 an acre. Areas of deep sandy soils, included largely in 

 the Merrimac series, sell for $40 to $70 an acre, and the peat lands 

 bring about .$10 to $30 an acre. 



