The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1911-07-27
rhe wheat farmer is dying hard, but dying he


surely is. large number of farmers were on the
anxious seat after last years experience with
wheat growing but they were not quite ready to be
saved They thought they would try wheat Just
once more and what have they done? While corn
is looking its very best, while garden vegetables
have pulled through in fine shape while potato
fields look nice and green, while fax and oats and
barley, winter wheat and winter rye, have all done
very nicely with few exceptions the spring wheat
has been dismal failure on the average from an
over abundance OF weeds, from diseased condition
~ the soil which affects the wheat, and from an
insufficient amoant Of moisture at the time when
most needed Farmers. you must diversity. You
must not depend too much on wheat It ISM SAFE 10
SOW too much wheat next year You don't know
that there will he enough moisture at Just the rient
time to give you good crop OF II, ana II there s'
YOU don't know but what the weeds VIII nave just
as good chance as the wheat has. You must
milk the "despicable cow" You must raise some
Of those mortgage hfters and raise some corn 10
feed the hogs When you manage TO draw cnech
for s10o a month for your milk, you VIII pc Wiling
r. On ont into the pasture and throw your arms
around the homlest old bossy have on the place
and bless her for your salvation
1.own at Bismarck, it would not be a hard mat
fer to form an association OF executors OF the STATE
There's W. C. Gilbreath, the able COMMISSIONS
If agriculture who edited the Maudan Ploheer onoe
IN a time Then there's Walt Taylor, smihng ola
Walt whom the newspaper boys all love lne ti!e
commissioner OF insurance, and distributes the ~
surance statements}, who was editor OF me Ia
Noure Chronicle prior to his election; Tom hail'
the dean of the bunch, secretary 10 the rairoao
commissioners; Carl Nelson of the Cando Dehocra''
in the land department under Alex Macdohald' gam
Clark late Of the MinGt Reporter, VINO IS aosefts
ing Gilbreaths big land show; W. .. Anoeison'
former editor of the Rugby Tribune, now cnle1 oep
uty for Secretary of State Norton; Burt Inurs.on'
editor Of the Emmons County RepuDMcan, VINO -
denutv under Macdonald; Editor Brandt, OF tne
Stats Anzeiger German paper VINO IS secreeAis
Of the new board of control OF the state penal Gnu
charitable institutions; and then comes Jonn An
drews. the fre-eating editor OF the LldserWooo
Broadax who is connected with one OF 'ne sta'0
Offices Nine newspaper men earning tnelr- orsau
under the same roof. Oh, why can't we Join the
association?
Too many Of US are specializing TOO mucn Wall
farming We are too prone to gamble Wild Mo'ne
Nature We scratch around IN tne spring, oiaN0
and scrape enough money together 70 Doy seeu ~
less we are fortunate enough to get II on tne aAu
+hen MANY Of MS have to hire the work done on the
land Too often the land is Just scrascnee nlAo
~ tho surface, and the seed which is not always
the BEST nor the cleanest, is sown Wnene'sI "e
ether fellow" has the time to do It,. Maybe the land
10 foul but we gamble with the OLD elrl Oh enie
noir+ honng that wheat will be trumps instead
Of weeds The chances are against us, We nave
been playing with a packed deck and we grow
W. Vh n
cronned nnd it hard to grow corn properly. We ma
= a,trame,v hard to ret the work done in the right
time and nine times out Of ten. we don't know
: .no,.h about farming to realize what we ought 70
have done, and when. We know what we are
+.,tin& abont. because we've been there. Now the
farmer who tils his own soil. need not take sucn
chances He can grow a field of corn and 1t WILL
nay him because he can use the feed In doing tnal
be can rid his Land Of foul weeds after few
years. unless some Of us SPECTATORS raase n'ce
cron of weds which are sure to be strewn over ms
field by the gentle .zephyrs Of North Dakota He
can afford to start an alfalfa clover patch he
can summer till his land and conserve the moisture.
Ha can raise some stock, and some potatoes ana
other Garden truck and if he is careful can manage
tn live through few bad years. Not so with us
crop spectators. We are playing stiff game al
the time and the odds are against US. North Da-
koa as a farming state is all right for the man VINO
farms the land himself. There is no better
TROUBLE AHEAD FOR THE ASSESSORS.
There are breakers ahead for the North Dakota
assessors in 1912 when the first effect OF the Law re-
curing the listing OF the voters according to their
party Affiliations will be seen. This law which mas
lust gone into effect but which does not become
operative until next March when the local assessors
take up their work promises to sive the listers OF
property-and peophe-an kinds OF trouble, as It is
hardly supposed that the alloters will submit tame
" to prediction declaration Of their party afhlia-
ton which must be made about three months be-