The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1905-01-25
.IRRIGATORS
AT BISMARCK
THE SECOND DAYS ~
SESSION IS INTERESTING
Some Instructive Addresses at the
Last Days Meeting of the North
Dakota Irrigation Congress at the
Capital City of the State. -. e.

HioiIlillS lilc papers Ol TIOleSSOT LII
field of Montana, and w. B. Harlan OF
the same state, were presented. Pro-
fessor Elliott of the drainage depart
ment, gave an excellent paper on the
drainage project in the Red River Val
ley, Hon. |. O'Donnell of Montana will
give talk on alfalfa this evening and
Professor Elwood will give an illustrat-
ed lecture.
w. B. Harlan, president OF the Mon
| tana Horticultural Society, read the
following on the Influence of Fruit
Growing upon the Contentment of the
People: | have no doubt that in Da-
kota as in Montana there are hundreds
perhaps thousands of farms and stock
ranches upon which there are no
| homes in the truest sense of the word.
A few rude buildings, houses, barns,
| sheds and corrals, together with the
almost invisible wire fences, consti-
tute the improvements upon the land.
| Nothing attractive, nothing cheerful.
! Nothing to arouse interest or pleasure
upon the part of the occupants. There
is no orchard, no berries, often no
vegetable garden. About the house
there are no flowers, seldom any trees
or grass. No fresh fruit or berries
are seen on the table; the only fruit is
that which has been dried or canned
and brought from some distant state.
What irony to call this holnel
| What desolate place to ask orcofrl-
pei wife to share and live for any
length OF time. What place wherein
to raise and train family OF chill
dren. No wonder there are SO many
farmers wives found in our insane asy-
lums. No wonder so many boys leave
the farm as soon as they can trudge to
the nearest town or city. How de-
pressing must be its influence upon
the farmer himself, upon his ambitions,
his energies.
Can such farmer and his family be
contented and happy amid such dreary
surroundings? Can he be at his best
as all individual, or as member of So
cigty ora citizen of the state? This
is hardly possible: His heart cannon
be in his work, nor can he take any
pride in such home. He considers
it only temporary abiding place. He
intends to live here only until he can
make the money necessary to take
him and his family to some better land
where he fancies he will make him a
true home and settle down for life
The objection that the American
lpeople have to the Chinese as emil
grants or members Of a community
is that they do not come to stay or
cast their lot with u.s. but their whole
lives while here are dominated by the
desire to earn money where it is COM
lparatively easy of accumulation, and
then go elsewhere to spend it.
1t is not well that we should initiate
1.-THE Chinaman-we farmers OF the great
northwest, for upon us as home build
Iers depends to SO large ain extent the
future prosperity OF our country.
4 AS the family is the basis Of the So
Icial structure, SO are the homes of the
|people the safe foundation of great
Estate. And unless happiness and con-
ltentment are found within those
Ihomes, neither the individual, the COM
immunity or the state can reach their
highest or best development
The man who does not intend to
make his farm his permanent home,
Twill do little or nothing to make ii
lcomfortable or attractive. He will ma
Iturafly take but little interest in public
laffairs. He cares little about the dis
ltrict school, for he hopes to send his
Ichildren elsewhere for their education
He will not care to contribute toward
lbuildin0 church in the neighborhood
or nearby town, for he expects to 60
back east as soon as he makes his pile
q and for the same reason he cares little
labout who are elected to the county or
Estate Offices and less about public ques-
ltions that come before the electors for
lsettlement.
n And SO he plods on year after year in
a weary, sullcn discomfort, watching
q and praying for the day when he cali
sell out and go back to what he is
wont TO call Gods Country, per-
chance to his old home where he re-
lmembers there were flowers AMI
II grassy lawns, and where trees beauti-
lfied the landscape and sheltered and
shaded the attractive homes; where In
81 the gardens were vegetables and bcr-;
rics Of all kinds, and in the orchards
grew such fruit as his fond memory
assures him could not be grown amy
where else in all the world.
Il Now let us look upon another pic
\ ture. What a change would come over
this man ard his family, and his farms.
L and his influence for good in his neigh
i borfood and his value as citizen of
/ the state if by some chance he became
i convinced that he could make and at-l
ltaiil right here his ideal Of home.
a That he would accept this as his per-
Imaiient residence and that life even
there is worth living.
He would surround his house with
4 1grass and flowers and shrubs and trees
!. THAT he and his wife and children as