The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1896-05-28
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THE II I WORK.
Farmer should BE Preparing fO'
spring.

Farmers should &c Preparing TO-
spring.
The lepgthepipg days and tho ap
preaching close Of winter brins 4
the forefront the necessity for prcrar
ing for spring work. On tho part #
many farmers plans IVA long since
been laid. and tie division Of crops
well outlined in MUD. The staples, IL
Guiding cereals and hay, arc accepted
as n matter of course, Yet right here
many of the business men on our
farms arc considering the ACCESSIBILITY
of devoting less ground and less at
tertion in this direction. and making
more of s%pecialties. Low prices for
coarse grains have been discouraging.
Many a farmer west of the Missouri
river does not like to contemplate an
other summers work with the pos
sibility of finally selling his corn for
1oa1Sc and his oats for 12a13c. Nor
is such a prospect of record breaking
low prices any more pleasing to the
Eastern farmer who gets more per
tushel bot added cost of production
Is. the way of greater valuation of
land, greater cost of fertilizers. etc.
Low prices the past year followed
enormous crops and the increased
tonnage made up in part for these.
although al a rule 1t is better to har-
vest and market a moderate crop at
a fair price than a big crop, with It's
attendant expense. at a low price.
Within a very few weeks spring
blowing will be everywhere prescott.
ed in earnest and the ground prepared
for corn. While a big yield in 'SS was
followed by another bumper crop In
80, it is by 10 means certain that a
like experience will follow in the pres
ent case. In considering the availa-
bility of corn, for example, it must
not be forgotten that a chief source
Of profit in this crop is in converting
it into beef, pork and mutton. And
while live stock prices have been low
for some time. there are CLEANS in the
sky Of possible substantial improve
ment here. Spring wheat acreage in
the Northwest will be shaped to some
extent by the condition attending the
winter crop now in the ground. The
plant has not been uniformly vigorous,
and with uneven distribution of snow
covering throughout the winter, the
possibility of ultimate crop damage
has been and is a factor. Early Feb
ruary brought more snowfall, howev-
er, beneficial not alone to winter
wheat but to rye as well.
The low prices of potatoes which
have prevailed eve since last fall will
unquestioDably induce many of those
who make a speciality of this crop to
reduce their acreage or plant none.
Per contra, a realization of this knOwi-
edge will induce others to increase
their acreage in order to gain an ad-
vantage. and thus one may offset the
other. The anne is true of onions,
which have ruled low from first to
last. Yet so unequal was the distri-
button of the latest crop that Febru.
airy finds some sections which ordi-
narily make quite a speciality of on
ions bare of stocks, and actually i'm.
porting from adjoining counties OF
states to make up home requirements
This fact suggests the necessity of an
even close study of the market s;tua.
ton in its broadcast sense. A farmer
with a surplus of any commodity and
M satisfactory home market, can per
haps ship adyantagcously to other sec
lions poorly supplied, securing Il prof
despite the additional cost of handling
in the way of freight and Other
charges.-Farm and Home.