The Hope pioneer., 1895-12-20

Of North Oakota-Everybody Should
Read What This Farmer Has to
Say.
1t is an old saw that "No man can
become rich on a sand bar or in a one
crop country" While this saying may
not be literally true, still it contains
sufhcent warning to warrant the aphor-
Ism. The experiences in the past de-
velopment Of the spring wheat districts
Of the West have shown that as
whole not more than seventeen success
I've crops Of wheat can be successfully
raised without some change in the
method of cultivation or variation of
agricultural products. 1t has been
claimed that even the virgin soil ,brok-
en- and put into wheat after seventeen
years Of surrounding settlement, does
not on the average produce the yield
that the same soil would have done
seventeen years before. Why this is
SO has not been satisfactorily ex.
planned. Whether it be the effects Of
settlement, drainage, or the introduc-
tion Of new weeds and enemies Of the
plant, am unable to say; but the fact
still remains The wheat districts Of
North Dakota have now passed the
time allotted by experience, that farm
ers can hope to become rich by the
means Of the sole occupation of raising
wheat. We arc passing through the
trials which every spring wheat coun-
profit by their example. 1t is within
the memory Of many readers of this
paper, whom it was thought that wheat
could eb the only staple ploluct Of
Northern Iowa and Minnesota and the
persistence in raising wheat brought
distress and poverty to those who relied
solely upon that crop. Others who fore
saw the inevitable result turned their
attention to other methods and prod
ucts and eventually became well-lo-do.
The time has PASSED when the Dakota
farmer can afford to buy pork and beef
that is raised in Kansas and Nebraska
and dressed in Chicago, or butter that
is churncd in Iowa, or flour, veSe-
tables, poultry and eggs, that are
ground, raised and hatched in Minneso-
ia, or clothe themselves with woolen
goods that are sheered from sheep in
Ohio and are manufactured in New
England. He must if he would meet
the coming change Of conditions raise
these articles on his own farm and seek
In his own state.
Now comes. the often and anxiously
repeated question, "What can the farm
er do that he may better his condi-
tion?" The answer, I think, may be
found in the following economic ak
IONS:
"a country should supply the de-
mands of it's people"
"Diversity of occupation, Of the peo-
pie of country, is it's only financial
safety"
"The producers Of raw material can
not compete with the manufacturer"
"Seek protection against those COM
munitics having concentrated capital
and cheap labor, and reciprocity with
those who produce goods that we can
not produce, and which has not con-
centrated capital and cheap labor"
Acting upon these preccpts, the spring
wheat districts Of the older states have
given us examples, and may we not
profit by their experience. Instead OF
raising wheat as staple, they cultf-
vate corn, oats, barley, flax, rye, buck
wheat, beets, honey and beans. These
crops can be raised in Dakota and
with the possible exception Of buck
wheat and corn, will yield as sure a
crop Of as good quality as any state
in the country, and with the fact that
the corn belt is moving north at the
estimated rate of fifteen miles year,
that crop will soon cease to be prob
lelnatical Instead Of sending their
raw products to the Eastern manu-
facturer, these older states "manufac'
ture'' it themselves into poultry, beef,
pork, mutton, wool and horses. Flour,
grist and woolen mills; starch factories
and slaughter houses have been erected
within their states; poultry markets
established; creameries and cheese fac
tories have been patronized; freights
have been reduced, and the "empty-
cars on ira ms -goingWest" argument
has been successfully met. Their coun-
try is now supplying the demand of the
people, by the diversity of occupation
and the balance Of trade is now in their
favor. They have in a great measure
succeeded in protecting themselves
against the concentrated capital and
cheap labor Of the Atlantic states, as
the banking reports during the last
panic has shown. the. West is fast be-
coming the creditor instead of the debt
or of the East, for if it had not been
for Western money in the New YORK
banks. Wall Street would have gone to
the wall.
Ilen the QueSIlOn rel1litluS IloW CHu
these things be brought about?' TO
attain ultimate and universal success,
the movement should in the end be uni
versal. This cannot all be achieved
in a year. but must come gradually.
How was this accomplished in the
older states? Like most valuable
corrections, they began at home:
Nothing was bought that could
be raised on the farm. The writer
knows by experience that charging at
cost for everything raised on the farm,
also including labor attendance, cook
ing, fuel and articles for the table that
he could not raise, like tea. coffee,
sugar, ETC., that the board Of men and
the farmers family should not exceed
% cents per capita per day, whereas it
is customary to estimate (and with
many farmers often exceeds) 40 or
even SO cents per day. The writer
knows Of a farm of about 1900 acres
on which the balance Of the store bill
for the year was about S23.5O. The
table was bountifully supplied. They
raised all their meats, poultry and veg
etables selling the over plus to the
neighboring grocery store. leaving only
tho ohnya balance for them to Day.