Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1903-01-01
NoRTH,.DAkoTA SOIL.

President Worst Told Stutsman Coun.
ty Farmers Of It's Great Fertility.
The jamestown Alert has the fol-
lowing about the address of the farm.
ers' institute there by President Worst,
of the North Dakota Agricultural col
legs;
"The audience that filled the court
room Friday night to hear the address
by President Worst, of the Agricultural
college, and Hon. M. F. Greedy of Gary,
an experienced worker in farm insti-
tute work, were we'll paid for their at
tendance. The house was large one
for so short notice. The speakers
were introduced by Mr.. Hoverstad,
and the addresses placed in a new light
the education of the farmers children.
President Worst's remarks were heart.
lily applauded, and the people of the
town who we're pdesent were able to
the necessity of improving the meth.
DDS of conducting the farm, as we'll az
the farmers present. President Worst
said that, while this state has no for
ests, no beds of iron ore and no stone
for certain industries, that we had the
most wonderful soil in the world. That
while we cannot produce many things,
we can raise the food. that sustains life.
Take a small strip Of the surface soil
from the earth and the great bulk Of
the population will perish in a short
time. Even our zsubsoil is rich in
plant food. Our soil can be made to
retain it's fertility for an indefinite
time by proper methods Of cultivation.
He called attention to the Netherlands,
where the ground had been cultivated
tor hundreds of years and still feeds
millions Of people. It is all cultivated,
and raises two or three crops q year
of some sort Of foods, and supports, as
In Belgium, population of $4,000 to
the square mile. A family lives CON-
fortably on two or three acres, and the
family consists of parents and often
ten or twelve children. The farming is
done intelligently, and the soil is not
robbed of it's wealth, as it has been in
other parts Of the earth where there
was once a f1ourlshing civilization.
Man has taken things from the soil, i'm.
proved on nature, made it possible for
the earth to sustain it's teeming popu-
lation. :. The wild, bitter potato, orig
inally no bigger than hazel nut, was
unknown in Europe, was found along
the South American coast. 1t has be-
come educated to become a food that,
without which large part of the peo-
pie OF the world would be almost forced
to starvation. The same is true of our
domestic animals. The horse has been
developed from a wild animal to an
1,800-pounder that can pull it's own
weight and into the speedy goer, de-
velOped into different varieties and the
wild buffalo has been changed to the
thoroughbred dairy COW, adapted for
milk, or into the fat steer for meat.
The wild wheat plant, with two kerr
nels, Siberian product; found fighting
its insect and other enemies for sur
vival, has been changed to bear long
head, with many more kernels than it
needs for survival. Its fighting quail
ity Is gone, but 1t has given man food
that is the staff of life. The secret of
why the types can be changed is that
In all the different species, which ap.
pear to each alike in their general
characteristics, there is still slight
variation. In the millions of human
faces, no two are exactly alike. This
slight variation can be seized upon,
and by intelligent care in breeding a
totally different type produced for the
benefit of mankind.
"Our soil is capable of sustaining
great civilization But the man upon
whom rests the responsibility is the
farmer. The clerk, the lawyer, the
newspaper man, the preacher and the
teacher produce nothing. The man
who plows and sows one bushel of
grain, getting back thirty, is the man
who creates the wealth. He is the CO
creator with the Great Creator, and is
the most important individual n the
society where all depends on labor for
4 living. The world is richer by the
farmers labor, and nothing prospers
without that labor prospers. The soil
is the mother Of us all, and the farmer
is her closest agent and best servant.
There is boundlees wealth in Mort b
Dakota soil. Our climate will force
fine, sturdy civilization, capable and
enduring. The weak ones will be elm
mated, and it is for each young person,
starting in the race of life, to make up
his mind what he is best adapted to,
and do it with all his force"
Mr. Greeley followed President
Worst on the subject of the Landed
Home in an interesting address,"