Devils Lake inter-ocean., 1900-02-23
Live Stock and Grain Production.
Their Fondest Expectations

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The following able address was
delivered by Prof, Shaw, of the
Minnesota Agricultural college, on
farmers Day at the Chautauqua
assembly, Devils Lake, last year.
By practising the precepts herein
laid down every farmer in North
western North Dakota will become
rapidly Independent.
LIVE STOCK AND GRAIN PRODUCTION.
Since the beginning of the world the
most successful farmers have been
those who combined stock raising and
grain growing where the conditions
are suitable for such combination.
There may be conditions that are not
suitable,a as on the open range, for in
stance, where the rainfall is sufficient
to grow grass to maintain live stock
through all the year, and it IS not sufss,
fcient to produce grain that will pay
for the labor expended in growing it.
And there may be time when settle
ment first begins in q country emin-.
entity adapted to grain growing, when
better returns will be realized from
growing grain than could be secured
by combining stock raising with grain
growing. But this holds true only for
q few years. Though the lands do!
voted to continuous grain production
should not become too low in fertility
to produce maximum crops, they soon
become too foul with weeds and so
reduced in humus, that such results
are attainable without q change in the
system Of farming. The Red River
Valley with its amazing fertility is no
exception. The farmers of that region
are being forced to consider the pro-
priety of some modification in the sys-
tenn of handling their lands. The
same also will be found true of the
lands in the region Of Devils Lake,
Notwithstanding the high measure of
the fertility that characterized them
in former years, and that so character
ICES in marked degree even at the
present time. The remedy for these
evils will be found in combining the
growing of live stock with the growing
VI kIdlus Do WILL AOW OO 6AO"us
BENEFITS FROM STOCK GROWING.
The benefits from growing stock as
we'll as grain are many. CHEZ among
them are the following: l. It pro-
vides way of turning many cheap
folders into money that would other
wise be wasted. 2. It provides labor
that is profitable during all the year.
3. It enables the farmer to grow as
much grain as formerly on a less
acreage. 4. It is attended with less
hazard. 5. It necessitated the intro
duction of q rotation that is greatly
beneficial to the soil.
TURNING CHEAP FODDERS INTO MONEY.
The greater portion of the straw
grown in North Dakota goes up in
smoke somtime between the reaping
of one crop and the sowing of the next.
The food value of such straw is very
considerable, as it is usually excellent
in quality, Dry harvests such as usu-
ally characterize this country produce
a quality of straw that cannot be
equalled in rainy climates. With q
sufficient supply of live stock much of
this straw would be consumed as food,
and what was not eaten would be used
as bedding. In addition to the wheat
straw considerable oat straw is burned
much of which is very valuable as food
and the same is true though not in the
same degree of barley straw. And if
live stock we're numerously kept much
of the grain that is now threshed
particularly oats, could be cut shade
green and fed so that tho stock would
consume the entire product. The
labor and cost of threshing would thus
be avoided and the crop would be
marketed in a much cheaper form
that is to say in the form of meat.
If cattle and sheep were generally
kept there would also be demand fol
another crop that will yet be exten
sively grown around Devils Lake.
refer to crop of corn. More will be
said later about the growing of corr
but it may be mentioned here there
would be no incentive to the product
ion of this crop which prepares tht
land so perfectly for growing when i
there is no live stock to feed it to whe1
grown.
PROVIDES PROFITABLE LABOR THROUGH
ALL THE YEAR.
The one crop system provides Labor
to the farmer for only half the year
SuCQ h Sy6Ccu CAOuSA ~ "0AC AA6AA.
remunerative is not healthy one fol
any community. 1t deranges tn
whole plan of organized labor on tn
farm. There is too much ploughint
and too much reaping while the sea
son of hard labor lasts, and there il
too little labor during six months o
the year. Men and horses are over
worked in the summer and under
worked in the winter. If good mel
are to be retained in the country the.
must be paid the wages of one year fo
six months labor. There is too mucl
work for the railroads through hal
the year and to little work through tn
other half. Such system puts thing
out of balance in the labor area, and i
is not favorable to morality. An.
system that provides labor for com
munity but half the year and allow
it to go idle the other half is aviciou
system and cannot but react mos