Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-10-31
DIKBRsIFYING CROPS.

DIKRRsIFY1NG CROPS.
The Moorheh News says the re.
suit to &armers, during the past year,
of diversifying their, crops in ac-
cordance with the sage advice of
city farmers, railroad presidents and
and editors of metropolitan news
papers, has been sdeplorable. The
price of all products is so low that
wheat, after @l constitutes the
most profitable crop. 1t gives the
following exhibit of the result of
crop diversifcation on 900 acre
farm.
Nine huudred,,cres of land was
cultivated to crops and more than
$4,000 bushels of farm products
were safely harvested and garnered
as follows:
Oats, 10000 bushels; barley $500
bushels; potatoes, 1900 bushel;
wheat, $500 bushels; flax, 5000
bushels.
These products have been sold or
can be sold as follows:
II 900 bushels oats at nc. So, O4U
$500 bushels barley at lS,:.. $50
$500 bushels potatoes at lOc... $50
$500 bushels wheat at 44c. .... i $50
5000 bushels flax at 75c. 1880
Total. ............. ........ 5000
The News goes on to say that
three-fourths of the $4,000 bushels
of the products of this farm will not
sell for the cost of production. If the
land had all been put into wheat, at
IS cent bushel and 20 bushels
per acre, the cash receipts would
have been So, 100; and on a yield of
IS bushels per acre, the actual pro.
duct of the land seeded to wheat this
year, the cash receipts would have
been $lO,l25, while the cost of rails.
ing wheat would have been at least
81, 900 less. On this figuring, the
farmer would have been from s., 900
to $1,000 better off if he had not
diversified. The News says it has
always contended that the .soil and
climate of the Northwest are better
adopted to small grains than any
thing else, and that these crops
with normal financial conditions,
would give ample rewards to the
industrious farmers. At the same
time it advocates the growing of
everything possible to supply the
local market and the home demand
of the farmers themselves.
There is considerable force in the
News contention. The showing
for the present year is unquestion-
able in favor of wheat farming.
But as one swallow does not make a
summer, so one years experiment
in diversified farming cannot es-
tablish universal rule. If the
farmer in the above example had div
ersified last year he would have re-
ceived much better prices for his
oats, barley and potatoes. If be
had raised any corn, he would have
been able to sell it, at some periods,
for higher price per bushel than
wheat. His side crops would have
brought him In remunerative prices.
And if he had raised any cattle and
hogs, he would have made money
out Of them, too. This year the
yield of everything is SO phenomen-
al that nearly all prices are forced
below the cost of production to the
farmer.
There is no doubt that North Da-
kota and Northen Minnesota are
better adapted to wheat raising than
else, and that with fair
prices for wheat it will prove the
best cash crop that can be raised. But
to guard against risking everything
on single crop. it would seem as
if some Investigation should be
practiced every year. Though diver
sification has proven failure this
year, there will undoubtly come
years in which it will prove win
ner.