The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1909-01-14
CORN IN NORTH DAKOTA

Corn in North Dakota" taken from
The Midwest, most excellent
journal, WIS handed to us by A.. A..
Robinson, the Minot elevator man.
1t is a little out of the ordinary
for an elevator man to advocate the
sowing of less acres of wheat, yet
this IS just what Mr.. Robinson is
preaching" Regarding this he
says: Il went thru the mill down
in South Dakota fifteen years ago,
when the farmers had grown flax
and wheat on their land until it
had become practically worthless.
have seen unincumbered farms of
100 acres sell in South Dakota for
$500 which thru diversified farming
are not worth from six to eight
Thousand dollars quarter and even
kota farmers didn't think that corn
would grow successfully, yet those
farmers are now raising from forty
to sixty bushels of corn to the
acre, and they have fine punches of
cattle and hogs. A good many
farmers fit cen years ago who rails
ed wheat and flax, left. the country
declaring that it was never intend
ed for farming. Others had to re-
main-they were too poor to get
away-and the banks had" to go
good at the stores for their gro
ceries. Today many such farmers
have a section of land, free from
debt and have comfortable sums in
the banks. In fact the country is
becoming too wealthy. At least
this is what prominent South
Dakota banker told me when / was
there two weeks ago. The banks
are full of money, no one seems TO
want to borrow amy, and you cant
get an opportunity OF discounting
note for better than 2 per cent.
am doing what l can to get the
farmers to diversity. It will mean
mere money for all of us in time
to come. Raise some hogs, cattle,
sheep, etc. Grow corn,' clover, !
timothy, alfalfa, as well as wheat, |
and you will find that your soil
instead of becoming 'deteriorated
will actually become richer and in
stead of raising twelve or fourteen |
bushels of wheat to the acre as
you do now, you will raise only
half the number of acres, but get
25 bushels and better and make
more money. IF you do this, your |
land will grow poorer each year |
until you will in time get but four |
Or five bushels of wheat per acre"
II is generally conceded that the |
only salvation for North Dakota
agriculturally is to be found in |
diversified farming. The constant
of wheat is Simply robbery; |
only in this case the thieves are
robbng themselves and their poster
ity. OF course the time was when
it was said that the small grains /
were the only crops that could be
raised. Glover, for in
stance, was thought an impossible
crop, and as for corn, it was entirelyl
out Of the question. All this GER
,ainly makes enc smile nowadays
when one drives along country
-oad, the sides of which are beauti-
.u1 and fragrant with red clover,
and sees greet fields Of as fine corn
as the sun ever shone on. Sucn
sights are becoming increasingly
common; and yet we suspect that
'ew people realize how much corn
Vas actually raised in North Da-
lota last summer. The following
1gures are published by authority
If the secretary of agriculture:
"The report on the North Dakota
,orn crop showed that there was
IN average yield Of 23.s bushels an
acre as against 20 bushels year
ago. The ten year average is given
at 22.2 bu~hels an acre. The total
in the state for 1908, IS
given at 3.S56,O0O as against 100000
a year since. The quality this year
shows a grade of so per cent
against 70 per cent in 1907"
It will lie seen that the produc-
ton increased by % per cent, and
that there was likewise a good in |
crease in the number Of bushels per
acre, and in the cualityof the pro
duct. Part of this is due to the fact