The Saint Paul globe., 1904-08-20
URGES REDUCTION
OF SIZE OF FARMS
Railroad Official Says Big Grain
Ranches Are Bad in Many
Ways

Reports from all over the spring
wheat belt indicate that something
very like a disaster to the crop has
taken place, and fields that gave
promise of yielding at least twenty
five bushels to the acre, and in some
cases forty bushels, will turn out eight
and ten bushels where they will pro-
duce anything at ALL
The reports are general and are so
widely spread as to locality that no
doubt is entertained by the grain
trade as to their authenticity.
The failure of the crop has led to
much discussion as to diversification
in farming, and those. who have in
vestigated the matter have formed
some pretty strong opinions in regard
to putting all the eggs in one bas-
ket," from the farmers viewpoint of
the situation.
An official of one of the great grain
carrying roads, who has studied the
question for many years, had the fol-
lowing to say on the subject:
This part of the country is pc
culiarly fitted for the raising of small
grains. Now it would be palpably
foolish for a man to try to raise
sugar cane and rice In North Dakota
and Minnesota, and corn has a north
ern limit as well as cane and rice, and
Clay county is about that limit. If
small grains grow best in this section
1t would be folly to try to make the
main crop of the section anything but
small grain.
However, the raising of grain on a
big farm to the exclusion of every
thing else is almost as bad as trying
to raise crops that cannot from their
very nature do we'll in the country in
which the attempt is made.
Would Reduce Size of Farms
81 believe the first thing to be
taught to the farmer is that it is i'm
possible for any one man to thorough
ly farm big tract of land by his un-
aided efforts, and one of the crying
shames of the whole country is the
fact that there is no such thing as
skilled and competent farm labor to
assist him.
'The class from which the alleged
harvest help is drawn is the worst.
They are ignorant and lazy where
they are not criminal, and their en-
ployment is of the briefest and most
temporary nature.
'If it was possible to profitably en-
ploy help on big grain ranch per-
manently aud in sufficient force to
handle the crops, then the big farm
plan might work. but where the farm
er has nothing whatever to do himself
for at least five months out of the
year it is inexpedient to hire perrna-
nent help to assist him in doing moth
ing.
"Now suppose a farmer in the
northern part of the wheat belt is
raising wheat. If he has a half sec
ton or whole section, he has to plow
hurriedly in the fall to avoid frosts
and must begin seeding before the
proper time in order to get his seed
all in within the short period when
the seeding can be done.
Farmers Buy Garden Truck
"Then he is SO busy for those short
periods that he has no time for garden
ing, and it is an actual fact that many
farmers with large grain ranches have
not a chicken or hog about their
places, and buy green vegetables from
the storekeepers and even eggs and
butter. If they do not buy these
things their families have to do with
out
"If the size of the farms was cut
to a quarter of the present extent, say
eighty acres, the farmer would be
forced to diversity his crops and the
result would be that the crops that
were raised would be better cultivated
and properly developed. The farmer
would have time to put in garden
patch and raise few. chickens and
hogs and little stock. and his life
and that of his wife and family would
be pleasanter all around.
1.-THE weeds would not be such a
terrible pest. Ten acres is enough to
support a family if the land is To-
Gated near a market, and the rest Of
the eighty would be clear profit for