The Dickinson press., 1904-03-05
INSTITUTE MEETING


For farmer Stockmen Proved Both Inter-
estiaS cad Profitable.
by request of Mayor Manning and
chairman Fisher, the Institute speakers
were introduced Monday afternoon by
J. F.. Phelan. Before introducing Con-
luct" Greeley, however, Mr.. Phelan
dwelt briefly upon the craving need Of
folder crops, and he also called atten-
ton to the importance of having a SUBJ
experimental station established at
Dickinson. Conditions are so different
in the western part Of the state from those
east of the Missouri river that a station
would be Of incalculable benefit to our
people and Mr.. Phelan said that he be-
lieved that the next session of the legis-
laturc would again pass the necessary
bill and that it would o again receive
the veto.
M. F. Greeley of Aberdeen, S. D.,
took the floor as conductor. Mr.. Gree
ley has heen'a practical farmer in his
state for - years and has done a great
deal Of Institute work. He has not been
a stranger to North Dakota and in this
part of the country he travelled extensive
ly wears and years ago when the
big cattlemen told him that crops could
not be grown and that they did not want
to see any settlers.
FODDER CROPS.
Mr.. Greeley paid a high compliment,
to the work of the N. D. agricultural
college which he said took rank as the
first in the country for its valuable work,
some Of which had attracted worldwide
attention. He agreed with Mr.. Phelan
in the matter of sub station and said
there were certain mills,s, certain bronze
grasses and certain sorghums, which,
with certain crop rotations. would make
this a wonderful fodder crop producing
section. 1t would be within the province
Of the station to demonstrate which Of
these varieties were best adopted to this
locality.
E. G. Schollander, a successful farmer
of southern Stutsman county who has
done much work in connection with the
state agricultural college, then showed
by charts the great difference in crop
yields as the direct result of cultivation.
Deep blowing in a dry year had been
known to increase wheat yield from 1 TO
bushels and good preparation of the
soil to further increase the yield to -
bushels and where the land had been
cropped the previous year with corn, the
yield had been "a bushels, making a
range from 4 to ~ bushels yield on the
same kind OF land, strips side by side,
in the same year. Potatoes and other
crops would also show the same increase.
He considered corn the most valuable
Of fodder crops and advocated strongly
the planting of flint and dent varieties
those grown by Will g. Co. at Bismarck
or some near seed house in this latitude,
He said it was a great mistake to &C
south for seed corn. For best results he
said to pillow in the fall. prepare the land
we'll in the spring, plant when the ground
was warm enough to germinate quickly
not later than about May 10, in drills
kernels 8 to 10 inches distant, wv "a
inches apart, and give plenty Of surface
cultivation. Later in the season deer
cultivation would be beneficial. When
we'll matured cut with wheat binder, o,
better still with cOrn hinder
MIR. Greeley, taking the floor, empha
sized the fact that corn was the mos
profitable fodder crop that could be
grown. 1t was a forest crop which con
served the moisture and made the lane
better for the following cropping. The
dent corn, he said, would yield the mos
fodder and the flint the most corn
Either variety was far superior to south
ern corns, containing much more nutri
ment and were always relished by cattle
He believed that people out here shoult
cultivate first for fodder and secondl,
for corn.
MI. Greeley spoke of his visit last yea
to the Indian Head station in Canada,
ldryer country than ours, where 40 bush
els to the acre of wheat we're being raiset
and other crops in proportion, due en-
tirely to thorough cultivation of the soil
A few years ago they did not think crop
could be grown up there. So much TO
knowing how, and Mr.. Greeley said W
were just getting TO that stage where W
wanted to improve our methods and rails
fodder crops, and that within a few year
there would be no excuse for not raising
the forest kind of winter forage crops.
Mr.. Greeley believes in raising onl
fodder crops Tor cattle, sheep and horse:
He never has a threshing machine O.
his farm. His corn, millet, oats, barley
etc, are all fed to the stock in tn
bundle.
Some one raised the question of leav
ing stubble ground to catch the winte
snow, but Mr.. Greeley said that if thi
land was plowed deepin the fall it woul
actually contain more moisture for tn
coming crop than though it we're lei
over and plowed in the spring. In so
likely to blow he advised fall packin
with a corrugated roller.
THE HORSE.
E. S. De Lancey of Valley City oper
ed the morning session on Tuesday wit
a talk about raising horses. Mr.. De
Lancey is a practical breeder and
thoroughly acquainted with the bushes
in North Dakota. He believes the prec
J judice in the eastern market against tn
horse having a brand is much less tina
1t was a few years ago. Our climati
conditions are such, he said, that we ca