The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1906-09-27
FEW THOUGHTS FOR
THE BUSY FARMER
"A Bunch of Ideas Jumbled To-
gether in One Conglomerated
Mass for the Perusal of Horn.
ey Handed Son of Toll.

ey Handed Son OF Toll.
The first manure spreader ever
brought to Minot and perhaps
the first one ever used by a Ward
county farmer, was bought from
the Scofeld Implement Co. by G.
e. Dresher, a progressive Surrey
farmer. The machine cost $135
but Mr.. Dresher considers that
he will pay for it in one season.
Mr.. Dresher lives a short dis
lance south OF Surrey and he al
lows the fertilizer from the vii
lage to be dumped on one corner
of the farm. This he will scatter
over the land this fall.
While North Dakota soil is
good enough to raise big crops
for a number OF years without
fertilizing it, yet there is no good
reason why the soil should lie
punished. The place for the ma
nure is back on the soil, not rot
ting in huge piles.
Farmers would be better fixed
financially today, ifhe had placed
a small mortgage on his farm.
On the other hand, many a
farmer who did places mortgage
on his farm would be dollars
ahead if he had not plastered his
farm. There is a limit. Some
times a mortgage is a good
thing; then there are times when
it is not. The majority OF the
farmers Of Northwestern North
Dakota found it necessary to
prove up, mortgage their farms
in order to buy farm machinery.
The very fact that it was posi-
BILE to mortgage their places,
made it possible for them to
branch out in the agricultural
business, making this section Of
the state, the grandest farming
section in the United States to-
day.
You will quite often find a man
who slaps a. mortgage on his
farm, because some real estate
man suggests the idea to him.
OF course he can spend the
money, for we can all do that.
Maybe he would like a trip home.
Perhaps he wants some luxury
that he can we'll do without. But
the man is tempted; the five or
six hundred or more dollars are
raised, and in some unaccounta-
ble manner, the money dlsap-
pears. The mortgage doesn't
tho, and the interest eats it's
hungry way night and day, no
stop, no hesitation, but a steady
grind. A big note comes due in
the fall. The crop has been fair
ly good, but the man didn't fig
ure on buying that extra binder;
the old pillow didn't work we'll
and he just had to get a new
one. One of the horses turned
up his heels and died. Time goes
on and in the fall the man finds
that while his crop was large,
his expenses were likewise large
and he does not have any more
than enough to pay his running
expenses and the interest. This
in a good year, mind you. Let
us imagine that the crops should
have been failure-and they
may some day. The interest
would come due just the same.
You would have to eat just the
same. Taxes come as sure as
death. Where will the money
come from? Your neighbor is
friendly but what little he has
laid by for a rainy day, he says
he needs. The bank has always
been very accommodating to you,
but upon your asking for an
other loan, you are told that it
is against the principles of the
bank to accept a second mort
gage. Here is what will happen.
There are any amount of men in
Ward county today, who are
waiting for this state OF affairs.
The price of farm lands would
slump-temporarily. You must
have the money, and if you can
not raise it, some moneyed man
will pick it up for a song.
Some day this state OF affairs
may come. Its we'll to be or
your guard. 1t may be all right
to make loan, but be conserva-
tive. Better keep your boats
close to the shore, for then sue
cess is assured, even tho it be a
little farther off. There are in