Devils Lake inter-ocean., 1900-02-23

IQe1r E'O0Q6SJ
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when we'll directed is highly prof.
table. The live stock will CLEAN much
that would otherwise be lost in the
autumn in the fields. In the winter
they would grow into money as the
wheat fields grow into money in the
summer. Work would be provided
to some extent at least for horses. 1t
would not be necessary to board so
many of them throughout the year rs
there would be q less acreage to plow
and reap, and the influence upon the
farms as we'll as the farmers would be
simply benef1cent.
WOULD NOT LESSEN THE GRAIN PRO-
DUCTI0NS.
That growing live stock somewhat
extensively would not lessen the grain
production in q community may ap-
pear strange to those who have not
studied the question, but it is just
what might be looked for. That has
been the outcome wherever live stock
have been introduced numerously.
Not long since the writer was In Free
born county, the banner dairy county
in Minnesota, If not indeed west of the
Mississippi river. ] was told by those
who knew that moro grain was now
grown In Freeborn county than was
grown there many years ago, but it wss
produced on a far less acreage, The
reasons are apparent. Much Of the
land must be kept in pasture. When
broken up again and cropped it is
comparatively clean. For limited
term of years, therefore, it grows much
better crops than II it has not been
pastured. 1t does SO partly because of
its greater cleanness, partly because of
the humus put into tho soil to make it
more moist, and partly because it has
been enriched by more or less of top
dressing with manure.
the large acreage that chiefly brings
profit, but the large yield. Whatever
is conducive, therefore, to large yields
pf grain is likely to have an important
bearing on profits. A certain yield per
for the labor involved. The excess oi
shortage in production is loss. Hence
1
acreage and short crop may be al
most ruined in one year, whereas an
other man IN the small acreage and 8
large yield may have a nice little sum
to put into the bank. Thus it is that
live stock reacts so favorably on profits
in growing grain since it so much
tends to raise the average return in
grain. And when an enormous crop oi
coarse grain is grown in q favorable
year so that the price goes away down
the man with live stock has good
market for 1t tight in his own sheds.
ATTENDED WITH LESS HAZARD.
The man who grows but one crop il
playing at q hazardous game. Let the
crop produce bountifully for one yea1
and the price be high, he makes {
handsome profit. If two or three crops
follow he is accounted rich, and SO
probably he would be if he should stol
there. But who that has succeeded
thus did stop there? He goes on. The
years of crop failure and of low price.
come, and it may be he is left worse of
than when he started. 1t would be
interesting to know just how many o1
the bonanza wheat growers in Dakots
have been made rich and how many
have failed. I cannon help but thinl
such narrative would be profitable.
But it is asked: Have not the farmer:
Of North Dakota paid for their farm:
through growing this one crop. wheat
Are not many of them we'll to-do iI
consequence? In a sense it is true anc
in another it is not. Did not a ma
jority of the farmers get their farm!
for nothing or for a nominal sum
They made money, first, because they
settled upon virgin soil rich and free
from pestiferous Weeds The long cen
turies preceding had been manuring i
for them. They did so, second, be
cause many of them had families grow
ing up who helped them to do the worl
without heavy labor bill And the!
did SO, third, because years ago grai1
was much dearer than during recen
years. Could they do the same thinI
, again ask, with the land in it's pres
ent condition? ,Assuredly not, withou
the aid of live stock?
| Stock growing leads to the produc
tion of a variety of foods; hence
though one kind of crop should fail
another kind will probably succeed
The greater the variety of the crop
!. that can be grown, the less is tn
hazard from growing the same.
II MAKE WIDER ROTATION POSSIBLE.
, Ordinarily the grain grower mus
, follow narrow and imperfect rota
tion. Not so the keeper Of live stock
; The farmer can only change from on
kind of grain to another, whereas tn
latter can change from grain to grass
and from grass to corn, since he ca
l feed the grass and corn to his liv
, stock. He can, therefore, market thes
through the stock. This the othe
cannot do. The nature of this rotatjo
{ will now be considered.
ROTATION FOR WESTERN NORTH DAKoTl
The rotation best adapted to Mort
!, Dakota is not complex. 1t would COZ
sist virtually of three crops, that is t
say, corn, grain and grass. In whea
> growing areas the grain crop would
! essentially wheat, but it would be som
y other Kind of Orain no oofc or bor1o,,