Minnesota

Over the greater part of the State the soil consists of surface drift of glacial origin—a dark brown or black sandy loam of great fertility, adapted to cereal crops. In the east-central part of the State the soil is sandy and is devoted largely to potatoes.

Fauna.

The lakes provide excellent fishing. The State game and fish commissioner has charge of a number of hatcheries and field stations which annually help to restock the lakes and streams; in 1926-27 they distributed 520,173,700 young fish. Game birds are abundant. In the lake regions ducks are especially plentiful and more than a million are killed by hunters each year. As a result of short open seasons and the establishment of game refuges, the number of quail, sharp-tailed grouse, upland plover and ring-necked pheasants is increasing. Bear, deer, moose, elk and caribou are the only large game animals.

There is a permanent closed season on all these animals except deer and bear, and only every other season is open for deer, which enjoy a wide range over the northern half of the State. Refuges have been established, and despite the fact that about 22,000 deer are killed in open seasons by sportsmen, their numbers are in creasing. The important fur animals are lynx, bobcats, mink, muskrat, skunk, raccoon, weasel, wolf, red fox and beaver.

Climate.

Minnesota has a comparatively low mean annual temperature, but there is great variation, the average annual range for Minneapolis and St.

Paul being 119°. The cold in creases not only from south to north, but to some degree from east to west. The amount of rain decreases from east to west, vary ing from nearly 31 in. to less than 25 in. at some points, but in all sections there is enough moisture for humid farming.

Population.

In 1920 Minnesota had a population of 2,387, 125 and ranked 17th among the States. In 1930 the population was 2,563,953, an increase of 176,828 or 17.4 percent. The state ranked 8th; the density per sq.m. was 31.7 against 29.5 in 1920. Of the 1930 total, 2,538,973 were whites, 9,445 negroes and 11,077 Indians. The negroes increased by 636 between 1920-3o and the Indians increased by 2,316. The Indians were mostly Chippewa in the northern part of the State. Foreign-born

white population numbered 388,294; of these 90,623 were from Sweden, 71,562 from Norway, 59,993 from Germany, 27,102 from Canada, 24,360 from Finland and 18,766 from the United King dom and Ireland. In recent years many south-eastern Europeans have settled in the northern iron-mining districts. The urban population represented 34.1% of the whole in 1900, and 49.o% in 1930. The following table gives the population and the per centage of increase of cities having more than 20,000 inhabitants in 1930:— Government is conducted under a Constitution adopted on Oct. 13, 1857, and frequently amended. A proposed amendment must be passed by a majority in both houses of the legislature and be approved by a majority of the votes cast at a general election. The legislature is composed of two houses—the senate and the house of representatives—members of the former being chosen for four years and of the latter for two years. There may be one senator for every 5,000 people, and one representative for every 2,000 people. There has been no reapportionment, however, since 1913. There were, in 1937, 67 senators and 131 representatives. The executive department is made up of a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of State, treasurer and attorney general, all elected for two years, and an auditor elected for four years. Since 1925 the governor, secretary of State, treasurer, auditor and attorney general together constitute an executive council which unifies the executive policy of the administration.

The governor has the power of veto ; but any bill which he fails to return within three days, if the legislature is still in session, becomes law without his signature. A two-thirds vote of each house is necessary to override the veto. The lieutenant governor presides over the senate and succeeds the governor in case of the latter's death. A Reorganization Act passed in 1925 combined some of the existing State boards and commissions and created the department of administration and finance. This is administered by a commission of three—comptroller, commis sioner of the budget, and commissioner of purchases—appointed by the governor and removable at his pleasure.