Minnesota

Agriculture and Live

is an agricultural State. In gross income from all crops it ranked thirteenth among the States in 1935. It held first place, however, in the production of barley and flaxseed, second place in the production of oats, rye, and potatoes, fourth place in the produc tion of corn (maize), and fourteenth place in the production of wheat.' These rankings indicate the extent to which crop diversifi cation is now practised. The total acreage devoted to all crops was 19,636,000, of which however, only 17,161,000 acres were suc cessfully harvested. Gross farm income in 1935 was $305,800,000, against $230,700,000 in 1934; the income from crops alone in was $83,000,000. The following table shows the acreage and value of the principal crops of the State for the year 1935: corn (maize), 4,514,000ac., $68,523,000; oats, 4,897,000ac., tame hay, 2,468,000ac., barley, 2,226,000aC., 000 ; wheat, 1,874,000ac., $19,329,000; potatoes, 350,o0oac., $12, 348,000. Apples are the only fruit crop raised commercially to any extent. The value of all live stock on farms in 1935 was $146,448,000, $301,263,000 in 1930, $229.977,000 in 1925, and in 1920. The number of horses has steadily de creased from 835,000 in 1925 to 724,000 in 1936. Minnesota ranked fourth in the number of all cattle on its farms in 1936, having 3,274,000 head on January 1 of that year. The number of sheep has increased remarkably from 379,000 in 1925 to 960,000 in 1936 ; and wool production has risen correspondingly from 3,392,000 pounds in 1926 to 7,099,00o pounds in 1935. The num ber of swine has fluctuated from 2,715,000 in 1925 to 3,316,000 in 1930; 1,615,000 in 1935 ; and 2,299,00o in 1936. The aggregate gross value of live stock on farms amounted to $146,448.000 in 1935. Butter production has increased from less than 150,000,000 pounds in 1920 to over 320,000,000 in 1933. In the production of butter Minnesota stands above all other states of the union; and in milk she ranks third.

The number of farms in 1935 was 203,302, or about 15,000 more than in 1925, while the total area in farms was 32,818,000 or nearly 2,800,00o more than in 1925. Farm population totalled 895,349 or 34.9% of the entire population in 1930. The average farm size then was 166.9 acres, and 59.7% of the land area was farm land. By 1935 this percentage had risen to 63.4. The value of all farm property dropped from $3,787,420,000 in 1920 to $2,608,124,000 in 1930, and the average value per farm from $21,220 to $14,078. In 1935 these figures again declined to $1, 382,900 and $6,852 respectively. Of the farms 57,638 were run by tenants in 1930 and 68,412 in 1935 or 31.1% and 33.7% respec tively. The farm population in 1935 was 928,487. Minnesota led the nation in the number of farm associations, having 1,416 in with a membership of 332,100 and a business of $122,450,000.

Mining and

1919 to 1924 inclusive Min nesota supplied approximately 6o% of the entire iron ore produc tion of the nation. In 1935 19,359,00o of the 30,484,000 tons which formed the national output were mined in the State. The

value of ore shipped amounted to $50,454,000 in 1935. The ore comes from three distinct districts known as the Vermilion, Me sabi and Cuyuna ranges, named in the order of their discovery and development. All these ranges lie in the northern part of the State, the Vermilion farthest to the east and the Cuyuna farthest to the west (see IRON and MINING).

Iron represents about 98% of Minnesota's total mineral out put and is the only metal produced. The remainder is made up largely of quarry products. In early years the quarrying of lime stone was very important, especially along the bluffs of the Mis sissippi and its tributaries. As population pushed northward into the granite country and as prosperity began to demand a more permanent building stone, granite assumed greater importance. The value of the stone output in 1933 was $1,361,121.

Minnesota was formerly one of the leading lumber States. In 1899 it held third rank with an output of 2,342,000,000ft., but careless exploitation has reduced the timber resources. The pro duction of 1919 was but 700,000,000f t. and by 1934 it had dropped to 95,000,00o feet. In the latter year the State fell to 27th place in lumber production. Wood pulp production is also important having increased from 37,295 tons in 1909 to 189,664 tons in 1929, after which it dropped off sharply and amounted to only 137,096 tons in 1934. There were in 1936 two national forests in the State with a combined area of 1,298,9o8ac. and 31 State for ests with a combined area of 1,320,031 acres.

1933 manufactures were valued at $529, of which $201,540,000 was added by factory processes. There were 69,633 men employed in manufacturing at wages total ling $64,024,000. First in the order of importance was the meat slaughtering and packing industry (concentrated largely in the city of St. Paul), which in 1933 produced goods valued at $94,092,740. Grain and feed mills came next in order with an output worth $81, Minneapolis has long been the principal centre of the flour-milling industry for the United States. The third largest in dustry was that of manufactured dairy products, which turned out worth of goods during the year, and fourth was print ing and publishing with a production for the year amounting to $35,168,033. Other manufactures in the order of descending values were: bakery products, $15,326,175; pulp and paper, 796,159 ; railroad repair shop products and services, $13,425,790; malt liquors, $13,175,195; foundry and machine shop products, $8,571,995; canned and dried fruits, vegetables, preserves, etc., $7,272,153; knit goods, $7,234,667; linseed oil, coke, and meal, $6,395,356; patent or proprietary medicines and compounds, $5,199,662; clothing not otherwise classified, $5,145,625; cereal preparations, $5,099,289; electrical machinery, apparatus, and supplies, $5,045,143; bags, other than paper, $4,611,266; paper boxes, $3,789,13o.