The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1907-02-22
Hhen even the .stwo-cent mile rate Will
aae obsolete ter:short journeys
WEEDS. POTATOES. ALCOHOL,

Time wxsiin this country Hhat one
could raise;a'fairly good crop Of pota-
toes by jastlplanting them in the spring
and digging them in the tall. ut was
not necessary to cultivate them, though
of courses cultivation would haue made
a bettercrop. But that time lis gone.
There are too many weeds now.
1t slthe weed question that confronts
u.s., It.is evident that the methods of
farming must be changed toget rid OF
the weeds. There is only ,ohe way known
to kill weeds. That is by cultivated or
hoed crops. This in turn means cattle
and hogs, because We must feed the
forage crops to something.
What shall we raise3 Corn, clover,
smd root crops. No, country can raise
better roots than this. But there ,are
objections to this kind of crop, in that
THE results cannot be closely figured be
|forehand, and a bountiful crop lis al
most as hard to deal with AS "a short
crop. For instance several years, ago, a
great many people attracted by the high
prices of potatoes began to plant them
in several acre patches and we heard of
one piece Of 40 acres. POTATOES were
good yield that year and the largest
part of the potato ground was never
dug up. Anyone could have potatoes
that year for the digging. There was
no market, and it did not pay to dig
them for stock as in most cases there
was no stock to feed to.
OF course, for root crops what is want
ed, is market. That is, there: should be
some stock to feed to, and "a market for
the SURPLUS Potatoes except in small
quantities for seed, (which iby the way,
has already become quite "a trade, .as
dealers buy North Dakota seed to sell in
the southern states,) are too bulky for
long shipments with profit, and "a very
little increase in acreage with good
year makes them 4 drug ON the local
market. They are also difficult and
bulky to store nm this cold climate. But
if we had some way of disposipg of the
surplusage at even fair returns we could
raise enormous quantities with ease,
especially as ON this stoneless prairie,
machinery could be used to advantage.
We hope and believe that the amend
ed "denatured" alcohol bill which will
probably be passed in this congress,
largely through the eferts of our repre-
sentative Thos. f. Marshall and senator
Hansbrough,J may prome "a great
benefit in this direction to North
Dakota farmers.
AS to whether it would be a paying
crop, we have these figures: In, Ger
many in 1905 in round numbers, 81 mil
lions of bushels of potatoes were raised
which made 7e millions of gallons of al |
cohol of 100 per cent proof OF these
gallons only 10000 gallons was madeby
the regular distilleries, the balance was
made by the farmers who own over 6.OO0 |
stills. The average price of the pota-
toes thus changed into alcohol was a !,
littleover ~ cents bushel. At that
price it would beat wheat raising here.
And these. figures are comparatively
true Of any kind Of root crop or corn.
Anything that has starch in it's compost
ton can be cheaply and easily made in
to alcohol, right on the farm.
The law passed last session was defec-
tive in this, that only the big distilleries
could make the product, but the amend
ments Of this session, introduced by
Messrs. Marshall and Hansbrough will
make it possible and convenient for the
local farmerto do his own cooking"
The \. Meurphies'' were the salvation Of;
Ireland. it:l
There are great possibilities herein
for North Dakota.