The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on December 4, 1896:
STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR 1896
The Total Acreage of Various Farm Products, the Number of Horses, Cattle, Sheep and Hogs, and Other Facts of Interest—Some Comparisons With the Statistics for 1895
The agricultural statement of Rock county for the year 1896, prepared by the county auditor from the statistics gathered by the assessors in the several precincts, embodies some interesting facts. The summary shows that there are 451 farms in the county with a total of 114,211 acres under cultivation. The acreage of grain and other products was as follows:
Wheat ............ 43,213
Oats ................ 22,737
Corn ............... 22,250
Barley ............. 20,255
Rye ....................... 331
Buckwheat ............. 51
Potatoes ............... 627
Beans ....................... 6
Cultivated hay ... 1,844
Flax .................... 2,819
Other products ...... 78
In 1895 the total number of acres under cultivation was 102,840, and the acreage of the various products was as follows:
Wheat ............. 30,120
Oats ................ 21,313
Corn ............... 23,746
Barley ............. 21,698
Rye ......................... 86
Potatoes ............... 460
Beans ..................... 16
Cultivated hay ... 1,681
Flax .................. 3,688
Other products ...... 32
The yield from this acreage in 1895 was as follows: Wheat, 665,830 bu.; oats, 843,375 bu.; corn, 456,281 bu.; barley, 728,555 bu.; rye, 2,272 bu.; potatoes, 34,385 bu.; beans 57 bu.; cultivated hay, 2,112 tons; flax, 40,520 bushels.
The number of horses, cattle and hogs in the county for the year 1896 is given in the following:
Horses, under 3 years ... 742
Horses, over 3 years ... 2,743
Cattle, under 3 years .. 2,148
Cows ........................... 2,413
All other cattle ................ 33
Hogs ............................ 7,749
Mules and asses .............. 62
Sheep ............................. 719
In 1895 there were 1,086 sheep sheared in the fall and the amount of wool was 2,471 lbs. In 1896 there were 341 sheep sheared in the spring and the amount of wool was 2,888 lbs. There were 2,000 milch cows in the county in 1895 and the total butter product was 206,175 lbs. In 1895 there were 3,059 apple trees, 440 of which were bearing: this year there are 3,342 apple trees, of which 1,127 bore fruit. There were 225 acres of forest trees planted and growing in the county this year.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.