The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1906-02-15
A Plea FOR DIVERSIFIED FARMING
North Dakota Offers Great Chances in Departments
of Farm ife-Twitchel' Strong Talk.

Fargo Forum: In the first years OF
the settlement of this state few
thought of doing much Of anything
else on the farm except to raise
wheat. But a change has come over
this dream, a change that nature has
forced upon the one-crop man, and
that the single crop robs the soil of its
fertility, Besides this, the one-crop
man puts all his eggs in one basket.
1t has been amply demonstrated that
many other crops will grow, and that
there are profitable adjuncts to field
crops in the form of live stock, dairy.
ing, poultry, etc. This subject has been
threshed overtime and again in the
newspapers, in farm Institutes and
public meetings, and yet not enough
has been said to carry the conviction
into every farm home. Senator Tread.
well Twichell calls diversified farming
common sense, farming" and his
speech at a former meeting of the
grain and stock growers convention
was SO good that we wish We had
space to reproduce it in full, but we
quote enough to show that he is an
ardent believer in diversity and has
IA very direct way in expressing his
fsentiments on a variety of topics con.
corning farm life:
Strive to spread your work over
the entire year. Try and have some
thing to do each day, that you hope
may result in profit. Doing this there
will be less hurry and worry in the
busy season. and more to do in the
now slack time. You can more large
ly select reliable help and give them
steady employment.
Sow some of all grains that are
adapted to our climate; lengthen Out
the seed time; plant such forage crops
as will furnish steady work until har
vest. Keep in mind something to har
vest early with cheap labor; and gel
the land plowed as soon as the crol
is taken off.
"Have a good pasture and seeG
down part of the farm; rotate and re
new; increase production instead q
depicting the soil. Some grains will
bring a good price-some poor-but
you will have an average. Grow plen
ty of feed and feed it ON the farm
Drive your feed crops away on foot.
This system will lessen number o.
horses and amount Of horse feed nee
essary to carry On the farm-reduce
your labor account and leave you will
more money, a better farm and les:
worry. 1t will force you to have some
cattle to eat up the coarse feeds
some hogs to follow cattle and eat w
any damaged, unmarketable grain
Not being. In such a hurry, you car
give your good mare a chance to have
a colt and will have feed to feed it.
"You should raise your own cattle
choosing such a sire as you desire
calves to be; there will be mill
enough to raise the calves and rails.
them we'll. You will make your owl
butter and have some to sell. Yo,
will have the butcher owing you in
stead of your owing him. Diversit,
In farming brings on of necessit,
those things that pay best in farming
and reduces to the minimum the haz
ard Of damage from natural causes Of
climatic conditions. Now let us SEE
If some of these things can be done
with profit.
"Can we not agree that one yea
with another our oats, barley and flax
when on proper ground, pay us fal
better than wheat, acre for acre
Will not less horses, less horse fee(
consumed. less machinery to buy anc
keep in repair, tend to put the balance
on the right side of the ledger? Car
any one raise hogs to sell more profit
ably than we can? Then why not sci
hogs and quit buying pork that some
one else has made a profit on? The
same applies to horses, cattle ant
sheep, poultry and eggs.
"Why should any farmer have tt
buy butter? Will any of you question
that a good pasture will pay more
profit than land sown to grain? Ye'
how many have little or no pasture
Or will you question that feed fed tt
young stock will show more prof,
than when fed to old work horses
that are getting older and, cheaper
each day; or that an acre of corn
speltz, oats or barley fed to goot
steers, sheep or hogs will show more
profit than we make on an acre O.
wheat, that on the average brings be
tween SO and SO?
Pasture your stock at home: kee,
up your land; put in a good big corr
field; plant 1t early; cultivate Otter
and both ways; put up a hog fence
around two hog pastures; put some
we'll bred pigs in them; buy only goot
boars; pick over your cows; and keer
only the good mixers.
Don't be afraid of going broke
feeding your s~alves; if you have a
poor bull, get rid of him; if you have
a fair bull, replace him, when you gel
a chance, with a better one. Make ur
your mind what breed Of stock YOU
want and stay with it.
RAISE good fowls and plenty OF
them, and provide a warm, clean