The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-04-01
nent stations in he United States have

of nine to a for a permanent or
gunization. Three members on the commit
tee are from each Minnesota, North I)a-
kota and South Dakota, and q tri-state
with q possibility Of Manitoba coming In
and including all the a wheat coun.
try. r. Andrews OF Mapleton was the
first speaker, and talked on
How to Make Farming Pay.
He was followed by Pref. Iladd. the
chemist at the North Dakota experiment
station, who gave a splendid technical
address on soil humus in it's relation to
wheat. He showed that the land was be-
ing rapidly robbed of its nitrogen by con-
tinuous cropping in wheat, and believed
that the deterioration of the grade was
due to this. He recommended the use of
lime, growth of grass seed and crop rota-
tiol, as the only cure.
G. 8. Barnes, one of the largest farm
ers In the valley, thought wheat raising
failed naturally every eighteen years of
continuous crops and recommended Il
change ito other crops for a few years.
Charles Braithwaft of Manitoba gave an
interesting lecture on how to destroy
weeds, with special attention being paid
to wild oats, the French weed and Cana
dian thistle. Director Hovestad, Of the
Minnesota sub-experiment station at
Crookston, was the last speaker of the
afternoon and "a the convention the
result Of his five years experience in the
valley. In the evening the committee to
decide the prize winner on the papers on
''How to Make Farming Pay" reported
unanimously in favor of Mr.. House of
IIidgerwood, N. D., an ex-member of the
North Dakota legislature.
Prof. Belley. of the North Dakota ex-
pertinent station, addressed the conven-
tion on the subject of treatment of wheat
for smut. He went into the subject at
great length and was aided nv EfprPOD-'
ticon views of the microscopic investiga-
tons. He was followed by Prof. Hays,
of the Minnesota experiment station on
breeding pure seed wheat. The latter Is
one of the best authorities on that SUBJ
ject in the North vest and I'VE one of the
most interesting and instructive addresses
of the meeting.
Thursday's Session.
The Interstate Grain Growers conven-
The three-day session has been a record
of increased Interest, increased attend
ance and information.
The result of the meeting has been the
organization of a ,tri-state grain grow
crs' association. This was made an open
organization by the appointment of an
executive committee of seven, two from
each state OF Minnesota; North and South
Dakota, with n at large The idea
is to have the conventions rotate among
the three states trieanially, but this
shall not interfere with mi meetings
in each state under the auspices of the
executive committee, and professors in
the agricultural colleges of the other
states will assist in the work in the APP
pointment Of the committee. Budd Reeve,
the originator and promoter of the pres
ent convention, was named the member
at large: The others are J: H. Worst
Fargo, N. D.; Charles McKissick, May
vile, N. D.; f. D. Childs, Crookston.
Mimi; o. c. Gregg, Marshall, Mimi;
President Hoston, Bookings, 8. D., and
Charles N. Harris, Aberdeen. s. D.
A great point of interest in to-day's
President j. j. Hill. of the Great North
ern railway.
He spoke of his first visits to the Red
river valley and gave his impression of
the wonderful country as he found 1t
twenty-nine years ago. Farming, as it
had advanced in the last quarter of a
century here. was interestingly discussed.
Some splendid advice as to methods was
given.
A discussion of drainage methods in the
valley followed and a full history of the
hard task of interesting the state in the
work was given with due credit to Ezra
Valentine of Breckenridge, for his great
share in the work The evil policy Of
shipping grain containing dirty and foul
seeds when the seed could be cleaned
here n the screenings fed proftably to
cattle and hogs. was condemned, and the
history of the efforts of his road to pro-
mote stock raising in this section re-
viewed. His remark that more cattle
were shipped by his road east of Minot
in this state by thirty thousand h
from all the rest of the line west of Mtnot
to the coast caused considerable surprise.
On the subject Of wheat inspection. Mr..
Hill thought it impossible for North Da-
111<o 20 hopn n nr0ro~ cx-cf0n1 without
markets within the state. He
commended the Minnesota system as
standard and discouraged it's being dis
carded until something better could be
substituted. Federal inspection seemed a
happy solution for Minnesota, and the
two Dakotas. as this would give the lat
ter representation.
One of the marked features of Mr..
Hills address was the round d%enuncia-
ton of representatives in the national
for their petty methods of at
tempting to preserve their political life
by securing appropriations for postoffices,
river improvements and such work. He
spoke of a million dollars being appro-
Driated in the last few years for work on
the Mississippi, from Fort Smelling to
Minneapolis, when the only benefit could
be to furnish a good boating course for
the students of the Minnesota university.
Thirty thousand dollars, he asserted, was
appropriated for improvement of
the Red river for navigation. The Great
Northern owned all the boats on the
river and would sell the entire fleet for
half the sum mentioned. He went into
his favorite subject of
The Asintic Market.
in detail. The Japanese line of steamship
was discussed. Hc held it could take
wheat across the ocean at $3.50 a ton If
properly conducted. Japan n China
could use more wheat than the United
States could export. There would be no
danger of getting too much. If that
market could be opened 1t would do more
to raise the price of wheat east Of the
Rockies than the alu IF the 40,O00,OO0
bushels shipped East. The difficulty Of
shipping wheat by the Eastern route
across the equator twice around the Horn
was discussed. He wanted the govern
ment to pay a subsidy of $3.50 per ton
for Oriental shipments. This would cost
q million and a half and would raise the
value of the wheat product of the North
west $50, OOO. 900. Newspapers took up his
measure and a bill was presented, but
its own mother would not recognize it.
The bill was principally for the benefit
of shipbuilders, and the representatives
in the national congress should be held
responsible. No help could lie secured.
He felt discouraged. If he was five years
younger, he stated, lie wou attempt to
provide a remedy himself by putting q
line Of ships to the Orient. Other coun-
tries had mercantile fleets and fostered
them. The United States did not. 1t
was not the fault Of the country, but Of
the people, f