Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-12-26


Of North Dakota-Everybody Should
Read What This Farmer Has to
Say.
1t Is an old saw that mo man can
become rich on sand bar or in q one
crop country" While this saying NAV
not be literally true. still it contains
eumcent warning to warrant the aphor.
ism. Inc experiences in the past de-
veloQment OF the spring wheat districts
OF the West have shown that as a
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 introduce
tlon 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 tho
means Of the sole occupation of raising
wheat. We are passing through the
trials which every spring wheat coun-
try has experienced and we should
profit by their example. 1t is within
the memory of many readers of this
paper, when it was thought that wheat
could eb the only staple ploduct 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-to-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
tables, poultry and eggs, that are
ground, raised and Matched in Minneso-
to, or clothe themselves with wooden
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
and encourage their manufacture with
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, 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 its only financial
safety"
"The producers of raw material can
not compete with the manufacturer.
'Seek protection against those com.
munities having concentrated capital
and cheap labor, and reciprocity with
those who produce goods that we can
lot produce, and which has not con-
centrated capital and cheap labor"
Acting upon these precepts, 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 cult
vate corn, OATS barley, flax, rye, buck
wheat, beets, honey and beans. Inese
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
lematicaI. Instead Of sending their
raw products to the Eastern manu-
facturer, these older states "manufac,
ture" it themselves into poultry, beef,
nork. mutton, wool and horses. Flour
erist and wooden mills; starch factories
and slaughter houses have been erected
within their states; poultry markets
esta hlished: creameries and cheese rae
tories have been patronized; frelgnts
have been reduced, and the empty.
trains going West" argument
has been successfully met Their coun-
try is now supplying the demand OF tne
people, by the diversity OF occupation
and the balance of trade Is now IN tner
favor. They have in a great measure
succeeded in protecting thenlselses we
against the concentrated caplta1 anu
cheap labor of the Atlantic states, as
the banking reports during the las'
pan,inos the creditor instead of the debt
NJ vt The East, for if it had not been
FOR Western money in the New YORK
hanks Wall Street would have gone 10
the wall. .n1o no.,
Then the question remains, Hoy o., ca ~
these things be brought about?' 10
attain ultimate and universal yer al success ne ,7ni
the movement should in the end De UNI,
in year, but must come gradually d, Il:
How was this accomplished IN rne
older states? Like most a. valuable liable
corrections, they began +,, at n co,,1d
be raised on the farm. The writer e.
knows 1u by experience that charging NJ "a, at
cost for everything raised on the farm farm
also including labor atte 4 c t%at
~ Ms could not raise, like tea, coffee,
sugar, ETC., that the board Of men ana no
+he farmers family should not exceed
p cents per capita per day 1gns %t It
is customary to ,f sst'% e1eeeGs 50 10 Se1
many r. farmers cnefs o oer day. The writer
i.,,o.ua of n farm Of about loo acres