ftlisccllaiteouB, 
FACTS AND FIGURES 
Regarding Minnesota, Dakota, Town and 
Country Along Red River. 
MESSRS. HOLMES AND SWEETLAND. 
[Special Correspondents of the Rural New-Yorker. J 
After a pleasant ride over the St. Paul, 
Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railway, which, 
by the way, they are relaying with steel rails 
to the Dominion, we arrived at Pembina, D. 
T., which lies on the west side of the Red 
River of the North, near the Manitoba line 
and Fort Pembina. It is a well-situated town 
of some 800 population, with an annual busi¬ 
ness estimated at $000,000, There are four re¬ 
ligious societies, a frame school building, to be 
replaced by a modern brick structure to cost 
$8,000. Among other improvements we note 
a handsome $15,000 court-house and jail 
nearly completed. Masons and Odd Fellows 
have organized lodges. A good weekly pajier, 
the Pembina Pioneer, ably represents this sec¬ 
tion. Pembina County has many rich wheat, 
lands still open for entry, and farm lands for 
sale at prices from $8 to $25 per acre, accord¬ 
ing to location. The county is well watered 
and timbered along the streams, 
In a conversation with n. R, Vaughan, an 
old resident and land agent, ho accounted for 
the large yield of wheat in this section by the 
increase in grams. The breasts are long and 
full, each spikelet containing three to live 
grains and sometimes even six, The varieties 
now grown are Scotch Fife, Red Fern, with 
the new Pringle’s Surprise, Golden Drop, 
White Russian and other importations, all 
seeming to do well. A. F, Appleton, a farmer 
on Park River, makes the following astonish¬ 
ing but true report, which shows what can be 
done: I had 80 acres of crop on hist year's 
breaking, without back-setting; 14 acres of 
wheat thrashed 496 bushels of No. 1 hard— 
about 35} j' bushels per acre. From 16 acres 1 
had 1,042 bushels of splendid oats—66 bushels 
to the aero. I have not heard of any one 
thrashing leas than 80 bushels of wheat to the 
acre in this section/’ The climate-the usual 
objection to this far Northwest—is, of course, 
cold and clear in the Winter, but people live 
and thrive. It is said that one degree west is 
regarded as equivalent to half a degree south 
in temperature, and the fact which we have 
learned—that 1,500 miles northwest of Winne- 
peg buffalo graze the year round—tends to 
prove the assertion. 
Our next stop was at St. Vincent, Minn., 
the present northern terminus of the St. Paul, 
Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway and the 
southern terminus of the Canada Pacific, This 
company courteously desired us to visit the 
Province of Manitoba, an invitation we may 
be able to accept the following season. The 
first building in St. Vincent was finished in 
the Spring of 1879, and the place lias now a 
population of 800 to 400. The St, Vincent 
Town Site Company, J. P. Shepard resident 
manager, are the proprietors It is the desire 
of the company to have actual residents, to 
whom lots will be sold reasonably low. The 
needs of the town are a hotel (expected to be 
supplied this season), a saw-mid, and hardware 
and saddlery stores. They have an Episcopal 
Church, a Presbyterian Society and a good 
school. John A. Vanstrum, post-master, will 
willingly reply to correspondence. The Red 
Wing Mill Company own here the largest ele¬ 
vator on the line. 
Going south, we stopped for dinner at Hal- 
lock, a yearling, but with a good hotel, built 
as a sportsmen’s resort, and four or five stores. 
We lodged at Argyle—if a dry-goods box aud 
blanket be termed lodging—and found when 
morning dawned a smart little town, mostly 
Scandinavian and Canadian, of some 175 pop¬ 
ulation. The railroad company are making 
arrangements to build a new depot to supple¬ 
ment their three stores, two grain ware-houses 
and dwellings. 
Warren, our next stopping place, was plat¬ 
ted in September, 1879, and now claims 800 
population. It has the elements of thrift, brisk, 
enterprising business men, and the added lux¬ 
ury of an excellent little paper, the Warren 
Sheaf. As in the case of other towns along 
the line, a good proportion of its people are 
foreign. Near this town, as well us near any 
of the others, are abundant opportunities to 
purchase farms of from 40 acres upwards at 
very reasonable figures. Wo attempted to 
thank McCrea Brothers for their courtesies, 
but they forestalled us by cordially commend¬ 
ing the enterprise of the Rural New-Yorker 
for informing its readers of the truth regard¬ 
ing this country. We ate a hearty supper at 
Euclid, and learned that the town was pros¬ 
pering. It contains over 100 people, has a 
Presbyterian Church and a new school-house, 
costing $2,500. The up train now stops for 
dinner here at the handsome hotel, and again 
for supper on its way back. These towns are 
all new, as the railroad has 'originated them, 
while a tide of immigration is pouring in 
which will speedily make them busy trade 
centers. 
We spent a day of interest under tho care 
of Clias. E. Hamilton, R. E. and R. R. Land 
Agent, at Crookstou, Minn., where the St. P. 
M. & M. branches out into Dakota. The city, 
which is within a bend of the Red Lake River’ 
is three years old and with nothing but this 
wondrous country to aid it, it lias now a pop¬ 
ulation of from 1800 to 2000, It has a Meth¬ 
odist church, and Congregational, Baptist, 
Catholic and Episcopal organizations. The 
last will build soon, There is also a good 
school system, graded and high, employing 
five thorough teachers. The buildings are 
valued at $10,000, There are two newspapers, 
the “Chronicle” and ‘'Journal,” alive and ac¬ 
tive to the interests of the country. Here, 
too, arc to be found civic and social organiza¬ 
tions of repute; improvements steady, sub¬ 
stantial and rapid: broad streets; numerous 
business houses; good sidewalks, etc., and an 
excellent agri-ultural country being rapidly 
settled by farmers from abroad and from the 
East; stimulated no doubt by the liberal re¬ 
bates for breaking and plowing, offered l>y 
the R. R. Co., upon their low prices for 
lands, Here is an item: M. R, Brown put 40 
acres to oats, paying every expense, with 
interest calculated; the total cost was $596.41; 
the storage until Spring was $110; the yield 
was 2,200 bushels; the price received 65c. per 
bushel—total $1210; actual profit, $508,49, 
Near almost any station equally good land 
can be purchased at from $5 to 810 per acre. 
The business of Crookston for the last year 
has been over $900,000. It is a terminal point 
for freight train service mid with a flume 
which would cost from $60,000 to $70,000, it 
could obtain a 1400 horse power, with a 12 
foot fall. Such rapid and permanent im¬ 
provement must bo a marvel to any one not 
conversant with this country. We noticed a. 
very fine court-house which is nearly com¬ 
pleted at a cost of $20,000; a handsome building 
is about finished by tho First National Bauk, 
while there are many pretentious residences. 
About midway between Crookston and 
Grand Forks was Fisher’s Landing, now called 
Fisher, a bright and growing town—it would 
be hard to find a dead town in this live 
country. It Is on the Red Lake River, at the 
head of navigation. Messrs* Demers and 
Thompson own the town site and the latter 
informs us that from his 1,000-aere farm he 
lias obtained 22,000 bushels of wheat, so it is 
plain good crops are not the exception, 
but the rule. Religion aud education are well 
I provided for. Business men are constantly 
busy. The exports of grain from this town 
will exceed 500,006 bushels this season, besides 
what is used by tho Red Lake Flouring Mills, 
of 100 barrels daily capacity, now running 
night and day. “ No. 1 Hard ” grinds up in¬ 
to just as good flour here as at Minneapolis. 
There are three elevators here with a capacity 
of 150,000 bushels. There are also substantial 
building improvements; good bricks, manufac¬ 
tured here, are bought for $8 per 1.000, 
Farm property is not high aud hence the in¬ 
crease in population is marked. 
Whirling westward sixteen miles we cross 
the Red River of the North, the boundary line 
between Minnesota and Dakota Territory, and 
halt in Grand Forks, beautifully situated up- 
ou the western bank. We remained here only 
a couple of days, feeling most of the time as 
if encompassed by a western cyclone; every¬ 
body moves as if run by steam power. The 
streets were whirlpools of business, aud the 
stores miniature boc-kives. The oldest, young 
city, and tho largest, small one of which we 
have written. It has a population of about 
2,800, churches, schools, press, (semi-weekly, 
aud weekly), civic societies, a fire department, 
a chamber of commerce, elevators overflow¬ 
ing with wheat, railroads to the North, South, 
East aud West, by the St. P., M. and M., 
though their Eastern line only runs into the 
tho main lino of this county, from St. Paul to 
Pembina, at Crookstou: transportation bv the 
Red River steamers, a banking Capitol of 
$150,000, a commercial business of about $1,- 
8. >0,000 annually, and several embryo manu¬ 
factures. 
The details of all these, and the inexhausti¬ 
ble resources of tho country tributary to this 
Point, both agricultural and commercial, as 
also the possibilities and advantages in manu¬ 
facturing, demand more time and space than 
we can appropriate here, and they will re¬ 
ceive a special review from our pen in the 
next number of The Rural New-Yorker. 
One of our party visited Ojata 12 miles to 
the westward, the present railroad terminus. 
Here within a year a little burgh has sprung 
up like magic, upon tho prairie. Stores like 
mushrooms in a cavern have appeared in a 
single night. They say they have 200 popula¬ 
tion, and whether it is over estimated or not, 
certainly it is a “ booming ” little place.’ 
Over 80,000 bushels of wheat have been 
marketed here within four weeks. Upon the 
train we met J. J. Cavenagh of Grand Forks, 
who is proprietor of the town-site. Lots are 
bringing $25 to $100 aud a need is felt for a 
harness-maker, shoe-maker, and wagon shop. 
They have timber within six miles on the Tur¬ 
tle River. Tho town is populated by Amer¬ 
icans and Canadians. 
The St, P. M. & M. are employing many 
men in the construction of their line to the 
Dominion west of the Red River. We were 
almost, hourly greeted by marvelous reports 
of this country, and observation verified most 
of them. 
We had tho pleasure of meeting Messrs. 
Comstock & W bite of Moorehead, who are 
largely interested in towns and lands along 
the line. We also met the Hon. Jno. 
La Moure, of Pembina, D. T., one of the pro¬ 
prietors of the town of Grafton, which is rap¬ 
idly settling up with energetic business men 
and bids fail’ to become a point of considerable 
importance. It is on the Park River—a re¬ 
gion bearing an enviable reputation for agri¬ 
culture. It is the county-seat of Walsh Co., and 
though it is only 60 days old, yet it na.s from 
80 to 40 buildings now up. The former gen¬ 
tlemen besides being the owners of Grafton, 
are also town proprietors of Bathgate in Pem¬ 
bina Co., on the Tongue River, 10 miles from 
the boundary line, and of Minto, a station on 
the Forest River (or Old Salt,! near which 
large salt deposits are found. The settle¬ 
ment of Canadians is quite large around 
here. Minto has an admirable location for 
sporting, hunting and fishing, as well as for 
agricultural products. Manvel, named after 
the general manager of the railroad, is on tho 
Turtle River, the first town north of Grand 
Forks. Dakota, although it has uo railroad 
lands in this vicinity, is quite thickly settled 
with small farms, especially alongthe streams. 
Along the west bank of the Red River are the 
villages of Bowesmont, Drayton, St. Andrews 
and Acton. 
It has been our object in giving this pen 
picture of this laud of the golden grain, to 
stick closely to “ facts aud figures n and to do 
so without any blatant “puff” or undeserved 
commendations. The information as far as 
we can learn can be relied upon. The special 
reports given are of course among the best. 
No country is devoid of drawbacks; but here 
to the worker the returns seem reasonably 
sure, and in many cases remarkable. 
Smitius, &c. 
SESSION OF THE AMERICAN POMO- 
LOGICAL SOCIETY. 
I Rural Special Report.] 
The Society was called to order on Friday, 
at nine o’clock a. m., by Vice-President Barry. 
The report of the Committee on the Award 
of the V ilder Medal, which has been hereto¬ 
fore noticed, was followed by that of the Com¬ 
mittee on Fruits Exhibited. This committee 
found on the tables 535 plates of pears, 188 of 
apples, 17 of peaches, 100 of grapes, 17 of 
plums and 71 of miscellaneous fruits, shown 
by the following 
EXHIBITORS. 
Michigan State Horticultural Society, 69 
plates of apples, 19 of pears, 23 of grapes, 
six of peaches; also,- as part of the same, 
an exhibit from the Grand Traverse region 
by Judge Ramsdell, to show the influence 
of Lake protection at latitude 44 deg, 40 
min. north, 26 varieties of apples, six of 
pears, seven of plums, one of nectarines and 
three of peaches. This collection also included 
well-preserved specimens of Roxbury and 
Golden Russets of the crop of 1880, which had 
becu kept, without special appliances, in an 
ordinary cellar. 
The Montreal Horticultural Society exhibit¬ 
ed 84 varieties of apples and one of pears; 
Warren Fenuo, of Massachusetts, 53 of pears; 
Benj. G. Smith, of Massachusetts, 50 of pears! 
F. M. Marble, of Massachusetts, 19 of pears; 
Hovey & Co., 190 of pears; Dexter Asylum, 12 
of peai s. Of seedling pears D. W. Lathrop 
exhibited one plate; Edward W. Lincoln one, 
while 90 seedlings of the late B, S. Fox, of San 
Jose, Cal., were again on exhibition, together 
with 30 varieties of grapes. W. A. Bradbrook, 
of Norfolk, Va., showed four plates of pears’; 
G. F. B. Leighton, one plate of Duehcsse, very 
large, $>. C. Hartow, Bangor, Me., 14 varieties 
of pears and 63 of apples; E. Williams, Mont¬ 
clair, N. J., one plate of apples; W. H. Hills, 
Phustow, Is. 11., one plate of apples; Robert 
H. Gardiner, Gardiner, Me., 10 plates apples; 
Z. S. Ragan, Missouri, five plates apples; 
Bush, Low & Meismer, Busliburg, Mo., four 
plates grapes; T. S. Hubbard, Fredonia, N. Y., 
oue variety grapes; H. 8. Anderson, Union 
Springs, N. Y., oue variety grapes; A. J. Cay- 
wood, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., two varieties 
grapes; G. A. Stone, Rochester, N. Y., one va¬ 
riety grapes; J. B. Moore &r Co., Concord, 
Mass., two varieties grapes; Niagura Grape j 
Co., one variety grapes; Dr. M. Sfcruetzeder, 
California, nine varieties grapes, one variety 
oranges, nine varieties miscellaneous fruits; J. 
M. Wolfkile, Los Angeles, Cal., 14 varietie 
oranges, four of Japanese persimmons; Mrs. 
Jeannio Carre, Los Angeles, Cal., four varie¬ 
ties oranges, one of China lemon; M. Rosen¬ 
baum, Pasadena, Cal,, two varieties oranges, 
one seedling lemon;-Robinson, San Gal 
briel,Cal. .three varieties oranges, one of Sicily 
lemons, one of pomegranates; P. J. Berck 
mans, Augusta, Ga., six varieties Japanese 
persimmons, two pomegranates; M. H. Bixby 
South Haven, Mich,, one basket peaches, illus¬ 
trating his mode of packing this fruit for 
transportation. Also, by a class of students 
of the Michigan Agricultural College, assisted 
by Professor Cook, eight cases of insects bene¬ 
ficial and injurious to fruit culture, carefully 
classified and arranged, A map showing the 
horticultural capacities and the present status 
of fruit culture in the low r er peninsula of 
Michigan, also accompanied the exhibit from 
that State. 
The report of the Committee on New Finite, 
which was also made in this connection, to¬ 
gether with a report of the remarks following 
it by Hon. P. J. Berckmans, Prof. W. J. Beal, 
Dr. John A. Warder and Didor Bush, con¬ 
densed as much as possible are as follows: 
new fruits. 
Grapes—By C. H. Woodruff, White, Ann 
Arbor, too acid; Woodruff's Red, berry large, 
red, pulpy ; McDonald’s Ann Arbor seedling, 
berry very large, blue, pulpy, said to oe earlier 
than Hartford Prolific. By J. H. Ricketts, 
Lady Dunlap, berry medium, amber, vinous, 
quality very good; Golden Gem, berry small, 
white, delicate, muscat flavor, sweet, best; 
Empire State, berry above medium, white 
bunch long, cylindrical, shouldered, berry 
good, a showy variety. By T. S. Marvin, Wa¬ 
tertown, N. Y., Continental, berry medium, 
bunch above medium, compact, sliglitly shoul¬ 
dered, color white, very good; Rutland, berry 
and bunch medium, compact, color blue-black, 
fleshy, spicy, vinous, skin thin, very good; 
Corporal, bunch and berry medium, loose, 
color black, slightly vinous, good; Sharon’ 
bunch small, cylindrical, compact, reddish 
amber, flesh dissolving, very good; Laura, 
bunch small, not very compact, very small, 
light amber, pulpy, hardly good; Watertown’ 
bunch medium, loose, berry medium, slightly 
oblong, w'hite, flesh breaking, sweet, very good. 
All these varieties show indications of foreign 
parentage. J. G. Burrows, Fishkill, N. Y., 
Reliance, bunch small, resembles Delaware 
in size and color, but not so compact or so 
sweet. 
Pears Lothrop’s seedling No. 1, medium, 
pyriform, yellowish with russety, flesh melt- 
Lig, medium fine grain, juicy, very good, 
promising. Seedling pears from B. S. Fox’ 
San Jose, Cal., No. 58, medium, oblong, pyri¬ 
form, gritty; No. 180, large, globular, coarse, 
rather astringent; No. 180, pyriform, large, 
partakes of the nature of the Beurre d’Anjou; 
No. 100, above medium, turbinate acute, sweet, 
very good. 
Hon. P. J. Berckmans, President of the 
Georgia Horticultural Society, spoke on new 
Southern fruits. Prof. W. J. Beal, of the 
Michigan Agricultural College, Lansing, spoke 
on the classification of pears and apples by 
their flowers, claiming that this would often 
prove very useful. He exhibited diagrams il¬ 
lustrating his subject. Dr. John A. Warder, 
President of the Ohio Horticultural Society, 
made some remarks on the methods of protect¬ 
ing orchards. Prof. Bush, of Bushbury, Mo., 
spoke ou a method of improving the catalogue 
of the Society. He urged that the localities to 
w hich a fruit is unsuitable should be indicated, 
as well as those to which it is peculiarly 
suited. 
The Committee on New Fruits, to whom the 
preamble aud resolutions respecting the nam¬ 
ing, exhibiting and judging of fruits had been 
referred, reported, recommending the appoint¬ 
ment of a committee to devise a set of rules, 
as proposed in such resolutions, to be reported 
at the next biennial meeting of the Society. 
The report of the committee was accepted, 
and Vice-President Barry named the follow- 
i n g pGi‘sonb as a comiuittGo for this purpose i _ 
T. T. Lyon, Chairman, Dr. John A. Warder, 
John J. Thomas, C. M. Hovey and P. J. Berck- 
mans. 
The Society then proceeded to the discussion 
of varieties of 
RASPBERRIES, 
as named in the catalogue. Little of special 
novelty or importance was developed during 
the consideration of the catalogue varieties! 
which were rapidly passed over; after which 
opportunity was afforded for the naming and 
characterizing of new and comparatively un¬ 
tested kinds. Among these the follow ing were 
named and generally favorably spoken of by 
those who had acquaintance with them, viz.:_ 
Hopkins, Hoosier Mammoth, Souhegan, Cuth- 
bert, Caroline, Parnell, Patrician, Iowa Seed¬ 
ling, Reliance. It is not the policy of the So¬ 
ciety to commend novelties under any circum¬ 
stances ; hence the names of these simply go 
upon the record accompanied by the remarks 
