Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-11-30
:MBERS OF ASSOCIATED PRESS.
THE BEST FARMER IN THE
COUNTRY.

AhC DLo1 In
COUNTRY.
There is a lesson in the story Of
Arnold Martin, a farmer of twenty
acres of Nebraska land, that North
eastern Minnesota can well take to
heart for study. It shows what in
dustry and intelligence can do with
a small and unpromising piece Of
land, and it proves, If properly ap-
piled, the riches awaiting similar ap-
plication in the richer soils of ST.
Louis, and adjoining counties.
Martin has been called "the best
farmer in the United States" and
so interesting are his operations that
the department of agriculture sent
an expert to investigate them, and
has Issued a bulletin based on his
report.
Martin went to Nebraska from
Switzerland ten years ago without a
dollar. All he knew was farming.
He went to work as farmland and
in three years saved $275. Then he
started out for himself 'Twenty
acres was all I wanted" he says.
That's enough land, if farmed right
~, for any man; 800 acres is mis-
fortune and $40 acres is a downright
calamity" The twenty acres that
Martin picked out cost him $3.50 an
acre. though surrounding land was
worth $50 to SIS. It was rocky and
not worth farming, according to
Martins neighbors, who laughed at
hiur-for while. He paid 500
down, and gave a mortgage; the rest
of his money he used to buy farm
implements and livestock.
Today, Martin is caring for his
family and saving 81 1000 year. He
has standing offer of $4,000 for his
farm, which is ten times what he
paid for It; he is out Of debt, has a
good house, fine barns, and monev in
the bank. ''He does not wish to farm
any more land, but wants to farm
what he has better than he does
now" according to the bulletin of
the department of agriculture.
Not a foot Of his twenty acres has
been allowed to remain idle, and
two and three crops are raised ON
every acre every year. While he
raises some fruit-he has 900 pear
trees, 200 cherry trees, 800 peach
trees and few apple trees; his prin-
cipal crops are the usual farm crops
of Nebraska. His neighbors who u.s.
ed to laugh at him now say that he
makes more from his twenty acres
than they make from their 160-acre
farms.
Says the government bulletin:
"The intensive methods pursued by
Mr.. Martin are of particular inter
est. The land is kept busy from
spring to fall. At the last cultiva-
ton Of potatoes, corn is planted be-
tween the rows. A full crop Of po-
tatoes and a fair crop Of corn are
produced from the same ground.
After the potatoes ripen the corn
keeps the weeds down. BY the time
the corn needs the ground the pota-
toes are ripe, and the corn is in the
shock before it is time to dig the po-
tatoes. Some portions Of the pota-
to patch are sowed with millet and
sorghum just before the last cult
yation.? This makes a good crop OF
feed, and does not hurt the potatoes.
gauashes are sometimes planted in
the same way. The onion patches
grow corn and melons, which are
, planted in rows between the onions.
Part OF the orch arc Is set with small
fruit and part is planted with pota-
toes and truck" ~
~ think / have found remedy for
poverty and hard times" says Mar
tin. "Any man can pick up ten or
twenty acres. On ten acres he can
make living. On twenty acres he
/ can get rich. cannot understand
way a man will stay around city
working for starvation wages when
he can walk out into the country q