The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1909-03-11

~ Prof. .. .. Churchill, N. D. A. (
t Lass night saw in the Forum a
article discussing The cost Of pr
ducing, and the marketing OF tarl
crops. The costs OF producing
bushei OF wheat was given as VII
per bushel. This includes the COZ
Of labor, the interest on the inyes'
nent and the depreciation In valu
Il due TO the wear OF machinery, ett
TIE purpose OF working out tn
cost was to establish a fair marke
price. Now, would like to ask
how many of you students ho'
anything about the cost entailed Il
producing tine different farm pro
ducts I Judge from your silence
that none of you know very mucl
about this-the most important lac
tor in production and markeInS
How are you going to market pro
ducts intelligently if you know moth
Ing Of the cost Of production.
I believe that tais period can vel
Re spent in considering some Of The
principles that should govern the
marketing Of your crops. The cos
Of produotion is an important mat
ter and will receive more consider
ation at some future period. There
are otaer factors as serious as the
cost.
Every pound of grain that you sell
reduces the fertility Of your soil and
hence It's productive capacity. In
the older ana more run down parts
of the country a Crop of grain is
seldom grown without first applying
some commercial fertilizer. This
state will reacn the same con-
dition If present methods of farming
are long continued It is just a mat
ter OF time.
When the Lord made these fertile
prairies He stocked .ha soil with an
abundance of fertility. Elements
which are removed from the soil in
the crops. You may call the soil
3 mine of natural resources and
consider the plants the miners. In
other places these clements are
FOUND stored up in nearly a pure
! H BE- q , !. ~
form. the Chile salt petre mines
and the potash mines may be cited.
You remove these elements from
he soil in the crops and give them
lway, unless you sell grain for more
han the actual cost. The CONNER.
sal fertilizer dealer secures the
Iame clements from a nine and sells
hem to you in order that you may
'eplenish the soil.
Now is not the farmer entitled toI
nv for these elements just as much
y. Is the miner? In either case
r0u are marketing natural resources
md in time the supply will be ex.
,austed. The same is true Of our
tatural forests. You can not buy
umber at the mere cost Of manufac-
IRE. the man who does not place
vahle on the fertility that a, sells
q his crops lis not conducting his
York on business principles
There are three element: which
re usually lacking or are arst de-,
'eted in the sol. Thes are nitro,
en-, potash and Dhosphoric acid, and
re tne ones which are usually ad.
ed in the form of commercial fer
[iizers. These compounds have a
enifte market value; nitrogen tic,
otash SC and phosphoric acid &c
or each pound Every bushel of !.
heat contains LAP pounds OF nitro
en-. 4 pounds of potash and So (:
ounds OF phosphoric acid. A
ushel Of wheat then is worth Csc i
commercial fertilizer, You should
ierefore add 23c to the cost of pro-
uctlon when you are considering !
le real value Of bushel of wheat.
Snyder of the Minnesota station {
tates that for every pound Of nitro.
On removed in the crop OF wheat
Widen the screenings have a.
pounds are lost by bleaching and {
j: other ways This means you are 6
using $1.1s worth OF nitrogen for n
rery bushel Of wheat that you pro-
zee. We're 1t not for some minute {
iganisms In the soil which we will I
u. nitrifying germs, soil would
ON become unproductive. These
srms are Of great value and must (
II be overlooked.
At this point I want to ask
,other question; is there any rea-
= for the criticism and complaint /
ct we hear SO often regariinE
p~aanA nnarknt nx,,a Aftfnn19 70 khA,nI