The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1910-10-14
INTERESTING PAPER READ ny
Ne DEAN sHEPPERD ON This
SUBJECT BEFORE
DRY FARMING CONGRESS-
Noted Asrieulturist Tells Of the Proper
Crops to Rsiss and the safs Ro-
tation on Land Needing Dry
Cultivation.

1H0m lean SnepQer0S ADDRESS OeIOfe
the Dry Farming Congress at Spokane:
4 Many things are cited as reasons for
rotation Of crops or the Investigation
Of interests on the average farm.
Among them are the following:
l.. Mineral fertility Is maintained.
2. Ncxious insects are destroyed.
3. Weeds are killed as'
4. Humus is added to the soil.
s. Moisture Is conserved.
6. More than one crop to take
2. Diseases Of plants are held in
check.
8. Social conditions are improved.
8. A long tenure for help is pro-
vided and better men secured.
10. The farm income is regular and
more frequent.
+ All Of these are features of import
ance. but the stress to be placed upon
the different items is a point which
varies according to the location Of the
farm project. Successful dry farming
cropping requires frequent cultiva-
ton Of the land-the dust blanket
either as an incident to the cultiva-
ton OF corn, potatoes or crops or with
out a crop and the adding and con.
servation Of humus in the soil.
Plant diseases are held in check by
change Of crops and the farmer is
thus prevented from becoming ac-
quaintee with many serious foe to
farming progress. A wheat disease
does not thrive on corn nor a corn
trouble on potatoes, neither does the
disease Of flax attack the grass nor
those of grass, root crops.
The system Of planning a varied
cropping system for each individual
field Is right in principle and a safe
rule in practice.
Peculiarly enough 1t improves the
social conditions in community. That
mixed farmers remain longer in a
neighborhood than those who grow a
single crop is the universal experience
IN this country. The single crop man
gets woefully rich and extrayagant
from single crop or hopelessly in debt
from crop failure either of which is
likely to cause an early migration, Sim
gle cropping brings the banana farm
and scant settlements group of hired
help and distant neighbors. The small
farm which is farm home, brings
the productiveness and prosperity.
which every community wants and bet
ter still causes permanency in each,
Mixed farming gives a longer tenure
OF service for the hired help and thus
enables the farmer to secure a better
class OF hired men and women. It rids
the community Of the floating, careless
hobo help and brings in their stead q
class of men who think while thew
work and that alone will double their
efficiency in procuring results, in a
term Of years.
The milk cows with their monthly
creamery checks constitute an excell-
ent means of keeping the grocery bill
paid up, bunch of hogs which have
run In the alfalfa field and largely win
tered on the alfalfa leaves gathered up
where the hay thrown from the NOV
scattered them off, bring nice sum of
money on the market these DAYS. be-
sides providing the family table with
pork and lard. A flock Of sheep will
clean lot of living on a dry farm and
there Is something in the old proverb
which says "a sheep never dies in debt
to Its owner" and it is "the animal with
the golden hoof."