THE MOVEMENT OF WHEAT-GROWING 345 



The kind of farming in Olmsted County in 1870 has already 

 been indicated, also that used in this county in 1900. Figures 

 for Polk, Lac qui Parle, and Renville are selected, because these 

 were the leading wheat counties in the three main wheat sections 

 of Minnesota in 1900. 



We thus have before us three types of farming : first, wheat- 

 raising with the reaper, as seen in Olmsted County in 1870; 

 second, highly diversified farming for products such as butter, 

 cheese, and pork, as seen in Olmsted County in 1900 ; and 

 third, wheat-raising according to modern methods, as seen in the 

 counties Polk, Lac qui Parle, and Renville, in 1900. The con- 

 trast in the value of implements and machinery per acre in 1870 

 and the values for 1900 is due to the very high prices of farm 

 machinery in 1870. When the binders first came into use, the 

 value of implements and machinery per acre became still greater. 

 Thus the figures for this in Renville County in 1880 were $3.24 

 per acre. In the comparisons for 1900 the value of implements 

 and machinery per acre is seen to be greatest in Olmsted County. 

 It will be noticed, however, that the average size of farms is the 

 smallest in this county. In the other counties the same amount 

 of machinery is used on a larger number of acres, and the value 

 per acre is accordingly diminished. For purposes of wheat-farm- 

 ing one set of machinery (one binder, one seeder or drill, one 

 harrow) can do all the work on each of the averaged-sized farms 

 of the counties referred to above. Where the farms are largest, 

 therefore, and still use " one set," the implements and machinery 

 are used with greatest economy and the value of these per acre 

 becomes least. This explains why the figures for Olmsted 

 County in 1900 are greater than those for Polk County, and also 

 why those of the latter county are larger than those of Lac qui 

 Parle and Renville. The reason why the figures for Lac qui 

 Parle County are not smaller than those of Renville is due to 

 the fact that the farms in the former county are so large that in 

 a large number of cases one set of implements and machinery is 

 not sufficient for the work required in other words, more than 

 one of some of the implements have to be used for the average 

 farm. As far as the use of capital is concerned, therefore, the 



