Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-03-10

| IlmcS 1uIA VI VdAudUlc SuSSeStlOuS 1OC
better farming methods.
Willard Urges Diversified Farming.
The first speaker on the program
Thursday morning was Prof. D. E.
Willard, formerly of the North Da.
kota Agricultural college, but now de.
veloping agent of the Northern Pacific
railway. His topic was ''The Rail.
roads and the Farmers" Prof. Will
lard said that the railroads were vi
tally interested in the success of the
farmers. When the farmers were
prosperous the roads were prosperous
and when the farmers suffered loss
the railroads suffered corresponding
loss. Therefore the roads were deep.
ly concerned In anything that looked
to the welfare and success of the
farming communities of North Dako.
ia and the other western states, and
they were trying to do their share to
bring about better conditions in farm
life and in farm methods. Continu-
ing, Prof. Willard said:
! Corn, Glover and Alfalfa.
with the growing of grains in this
country there should also 60 the rails.
ing of corn, clover and alfalfa. In or
der to handle these three crops to ad-
vantage it Is also necessary to have
stock raising. This means dairying,
hogs, and more than that, it means
money in the farmers pockets. I do
not advocate the disseminating of the
grain growing industry in North Da:
kota. But in the line of crop rotation
you farmers should also grow clover,
corn and alfalfa. To use up these
crops you must have live stock on
the farm. And you will learn that
there is twice as much money in this
class of farming, in this using of d.
| versiffed methods, than there cOuIu
ever be in the old method of growing
nothing but grain, and thus wearing
out the productivenes of the SOIL"
Waidron on Alfalfa.
Prof. L. r. Waldron, superintendent
of the Dickinson experiment station,
was the next speaker. and chose for
his topic, alfalfa" He said in brief:
"You must have ideal conditions in
the field before you put alfalfa in.
The soil must be properly inoculated
or the alfalfa will not grow. The alf.
alta plant will not thrive on dead
soil. There are several methods of
incubation. One is to secure
earth from an inoculated field and
scatter it over the tract on which it
is proposed to SOW alfalfa. There are
also several cultures which may be
secured from the department of agri-
culture at Washington which may be
used to advantage. Moisture is also
an essential This may be secured in
a practical manner by first planting
the tract to corn and then in the
order of rotation follow it up the next
season with alfalfa.
Sow Five Pounds Per Acre.
"The keynote of success in alfalfa
growing is the root system. The alf-
alta plant that has not a good root
will not produce good hay crop.
The Dickinson experiment station has
conducted what probably are the most
extensive Investigations of alfalfa rails
ing that have ever been undertaken.
It has been learned through actual
tests that the farmers must do thin
sowing if they wish to secure the
greatest results from their field. The
ordinary rule has been to SOW from
fifteen to twenty pounds of seed to
the acre. This is entirely wrong for
unirrigated upland tracts in western
North Dakota. 1t has been demon.
strated that a smaller amount of seed
sown per acre will be productive of
vastly greater results, and I should
say that five pounds of seed to the
acre would be fully sufficient for the
average upland conditions.
Choose Hardy Varieties.
Another important point to be con. |
sidered is the selection of a hardy |
variety of seed. have had letters |
from over one hundred alfalfa grow.
ers in North Dakota asking me what
was the better variety for seed. At
the experiment station at Dickinson
we planted twenty-five varieties of
plants received from the government.
OF all these the Grimm alfalfa, origin
ated by a German living in Minnesota.
Is probably the hardest alfalfa known
at the present day that is obtainable.
At the present time the cost of the
alfalfa seed of this variety is rather
but the day is not far ad-
vanced when North Dakota farmers
will be growing their own seed sue
There is splendid oppor-
unity for the development of the alf-
alfa seed growing industry in this
state" L.
During the course of his remarks
Prof. Waldron was frequently inter
'upted by various questions, all of
which showed that the men who were
listening to his address were thorough
y interested on the subject of alfalfa :
And there is no doubt but ,
hat within the very near future there :
will scarcely be farm in the western =
lection of the state that does not raise
Italia successfully. Immediately af y
er dinner the Germans who were
resent we're given the opportunity to
meet with Prof. Waldron and question
i'm on the topic, and to have his t
nswers interpreted to them. d
County Associations Perfected. s
During the Thursday morning ses- b
ion there were two county dry farm n
lg associations perfected. The Oliver Il