The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-06-26
Farming in High Latitudes.

The building OF the Northern Pacific
and the Canada Pacific Railroads opens
up to settlement a sufficient extent of
territory to constitute two great en-
pires. The natural resources of the
countries through which these roads
pass are chiefly agricultural. 1t has
been demonstrated that the soil and
climate are well adapted to the produc-
ton of wheat The yield of the grain
Is quite large and the quality most ex-
cellent. Up to the present time the at
tention of the settlers has been directed
almost entirely to the production of
wheat. The recent decline in the price
of that staple has had a discouraging eff
feet. Farmers have been led to believe
that the price of wheat in the Chicago
markets would never be less than one
dollar per hushel. They have been
taught that wheat was ''the plant of
civilization" and the demand for it
would increase with the progress of the
people in all parts of the world They
have also been informed that the area
of territory adapted to the profitable
production of wheat was somewhat
limited. Recent experiments and in
vestigation show that wheat is adapted
to a greater range of latitude and
larger variety of soils than any standard
crop. 1t succeeds well in tropical as
in temperate climates. By means of
irrigation it produces beautifully. yield
ing two crops a year, in countries where
there is a deficient rainfall during the
growing season. Tunis. Algeria, South
Africa, Australia, New Zealand. India,
Asiatic Turkey, and several countries in
South America, all bid fair to compete
with Russia, Canada, and the United
States in supplying the countries in
Western Europe with wheat. Several
OF these countries possess great advan-
tages over us in the matter of cheap
labor. Some of them only want better
means of transportation to successfully
compete with us.
The present indications are that the
price of wheat will remain low This
OF itself furnishes good reason why
farmers who live where it is a leading
crop should give attention to other pro-
auctions There are besides grave OBJ
jections to giving entire attention to a
single crop, If it fails on account of a
bad season or the attack of insects the
farmers are left in n bad condition.
Observation shows that insects injurious
to any particular crop multiply very
last when this crop covers large pro-
portion of the ground, and remains in
cultivation during several successive
years. A single crop is likely to ex-
hanst the soil of the elements necessary
TO produce it. This is especially true
of wheat in most parts of this country
The decline in yield was very rapid in
some parts of New York and Virginia,
where it was sown year after year on
the same ground. The production of
wheat has been kept up in England dur
ing very long period, and the yield
is as large as ever, but excellent
management has been required TO
enable farmers to make it paying
crop. 1t takes its appropriate place
in a system of rotation, and the
soil receives special fertilizers the sea-
son it is sown. In some portions
| of Turkey it has been raised for many
centuries as an almost exclusive crop.
/ Tire land, however Ls.o boo1a allowed 4,
remain fallow alternate years, but it is
/
The soil is very rich in mineral sub
stances, and the climate singularly
adapted to the production of wheat.
In India and Egypt wheat has been
raised for centuries on the same ground,
but it is irrigated, and the water that is
let on the land contains all the requisite
clements of fertility. Examples OF
raising many successive crops of wheat
on the same land without resorting to
following or irrigation are not numer-
Gus in any part of the world.
A variety of crops is desirable for
many reasons. A single crop furnishes
employment only at certain seasons ot
the year. 1t is likely to require more
hands and teams than can be obtained
at the times when they are most wanted,
and to leave them without employment
during entire months. In a country
having very short growing season the
preparation of the ground for a crop,
the seeding, and the harvesting
are crowded into an exceedingly
short period The delay of even a few
days will cause failure or result in
the ruin of the crop that has been raised.
4 Farmers to be prosperous need remun-
erative employment most of the time.
The greater the number of crops raised
E the better is the prospect of having such
q employment. Some may be planted
early and some late Some will re-
quire no cultivation and some will need
it during most of the growing season
Some can be harvested in the summer,
some in the early part of the fall, and
still others on the approseh of winter
: The prosperity of the farmers IL
the New England States and il
Eastern Canada is chiefly due tC
the fact that they have remune
rative employment during nearly all the
year. They raise great variety OF
crops which give employment to mel
and teams from the time the frost leave:
the soil till the snow covers the ground
During the winter the farmers are EN-
ployed in taking care of stock or il
n numbering and fishing. In the portion:
o of the Northwest that have been recently
: opened up to settlement, there is LITTLE
promise of finding profitable occupations
outside farms. There are few or no OPP
portunities for numbering, mining o.
fishing. As yet there are few manufac
!. tories of any kind, and few raw ma
terials to work up. For these reasons
;. diversity of farm interests is desirable
1t should be the study of farmers t.
ascertain what new branches of in
dustry they can engage in with profit
Apartfrom the matter of shelter dur
. ing the winter there appears to be Of
y good reason why the raising of stocl
q should not be profitable in the ia
, Northwest. The growth of grass i
j. enormous, and its quality is excellent
Z, Turnips do as well as in England Al
d the other roots that are desirable TO