The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-03-26
PRoF1TING BY EXPERIENCE

The stockman with small holdings
should profit by his experience during the
past severe winter. We are repeatedly re-
minded that our climate is changing thru
cultivation Of the soil, etc, but the winter
just closing should dispeH any delusion
We may have had on account Of a series Of
mild winters, that we were gradually being
transpanted into the banana belt. One
or two swallows doesn't make spring, nor
do series of open winters mean the per-
manent withdrawal of snow and cold
weather from the northwest country. They
Will be with us always to a greater or less
extent, and the stockman is wise who reg
ularly each year puts up plenty of hay
and puts It up well. He can't have too
much of it stacked carefully so as to pre-
serve it from year to year should he not be
Obliged to use IT.. The winter. is bound to
come when he will want it, and when he
can readily dispose of the surplus to his
less thrifty neighbors at almost any price,
as has been amply demonstrated this year.
Bankers and commission men have done
much to increase hay stacks on the range
by refusing loans to the shiftless stockman
who is In the habit Of going into the win
ter without sufficient feed to carry his stock
thru safely and in good condition in case
OF long, severe winter. This precaution
mas saved many a StOckgrOWer from total
ruin in the past six months. Stock-grow
ing on the range is hazardous under the
most favorable circumstances, and capital
shrlnks from investment where Incidence
and shiftlessness let meadow rot and stock
die from starvation. The experienced
Woodworking, stockman never fails to Sc
cure credit when he desires it; in fact his
business Is eagerly sought after by banker
ana commission man, while the "let 'em
go" chap curses his luck, his banker, his
commission man and possibly his wife, if
he has one.
Our semi-arid regions in the west are
fast filling up and what may be termed
FARMER stockmen,, who mix farming and
stock-raising: They are bound to fail if
they oVerdo one branch of the business to
the -detriment of the other. The high
! prices OF farm products and the low values
OF live stock have tempted the free use Of
4 the, ploW, and beautiful hay meadows
have not been spared in the craze for
4 crops OF golden grain. For several years
the rainfall has been abnormal during the
growing season. in this country and crops
have been fairly good in scattered locali-
ties. But the danger lies in the return to
normal rainfall conditions when much time
will be spent in the cultivation and ma
turing of crops with indifferent success
and the neglect of the live stock interests.
Long experience has demonstrated that
fodder crops can be successfully grown
7 almost any year in the semi arid regions
and that the proper and careful feeding
and Wlntering of stock assures success
where attempted grain raising has proved
failure in the large majority Of cases.
One or two wet seasons doesn't make an
agricultural section out of arid wastes
where cactus hides the ,sagehen and rat
tlesnake, but spring and fall rains make
summer grass and winter" feed that will
grow and finish cattle as no other grasses
on earth will do. The small rancher's day
is here, and if he will just adapt himself
to the country instead Of trying to make
the country adapt itself to him, his future
Is bound to be full Of hope, comfort an6
independence. AS showing what can be
done in the way of raising forage crops thu
success Of Mr. Pond, of Church's Ferry
, N. D., may be cited as an example. He go
a yield Of 220 tons of nillet hay from 81
D acres. It was magnificent hay. The lant
was plowed deep and plowed early tn,
, fall before. Several times before white
and as often the next spring before sow
ing, the ground was lightly disced or wei
dragged. It was handled in fact, much a
: a summer fallow or prospective corn Ian
? should be. All the moisture was thus re
tanned, much plant food liberated an
weeds well eliminated. About May 20 som
, 20 quarts Of seed per acre were sown.