The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-12-08
|MPL0RES LAND
OWNERS TO STUDY
Lack of System Responsible
For Some Troubles,
He Says

Dickinson, n. D., Dec. S.-President
j. III. Worst of the North Dakota agri-
cultural college was the principal
North Dakota Dry Farming congress.
western North Dakota" was his sub
ject.
Last evening President +. L. Nc
Ney of the university delivered an
address, Capitalism and Co-Opera-
tion in Agriculture was his subject,
and the lecture was Very largely at
tended, both by farmers n residents
OF the city.
In his address this morning, Presi-
dent Worst said:
You have in western North Da-
kota a vast area of fertile soil, though
its fertility has its limitations. This
Is true of all agricultural regions. All
exhaustion. but each has its remedy.
Fungus diseases yield readily 10 crop
rotation and seed sanitation. while
liberal applications of barnyard MAN.
ure and good tillage will preserve its
fertility. No farmer is worthy the
name who does not aim to give back
to the soil an equivalent of what the
crop take from 1t. OIL who does not
give his fields thorough cultivation.
Moreover, the larger and surer
profits always realize from the for
maldehyde treatment of seed grain.
from the application Of n and
from deep blowing and thorough till
age should commend themselves to
every progressive farmer without per-
suasion or argument.
Lack OF System.
I'm a comparatively new country,
it requires time to perfect a general
and somewhat uniform system Of
farm management. This lack of sys-
tenn is distressingly apparent in ev-
cry section of the state. Many farm
crop fallacy; of growing wheat con-
tinuously on their farms. In the long
run-and not so vcry long at that
h soil becomes impoverished of hui
mus and other forms of plant food.
1t also becomes foul with weeds and
infested. with fungi. When these con-
ditions prevail. the crops are subjected
except under climatic conditions that
happen to be almost perfect, which
seldom occurs. Small grain should
be given the best possible chance for
development and not unnecessarily
subjected to hardship and disease.
With a good seed bed to start with,
with seed properly treated for the
purpose OF destroying disease spores
and that is otherwise clean, sound,
and of good termination strength, and
with sufficient moisture to nourish the
growing plants from seed time to har-
vest. no country can excel western
North Dakota for productiveness. But
all these conditions are seldom pres
ent; There's the rub. Then what
is the remedy?
Effect OF Drought.
Enthusiastically, the greatest foe to
profitable agriculture in western North
Dakota is lack of sufficient rainfall
between seed time and harvest This
is equally true of all parts of the state
and for that matter of states within
the humid belt. But whose fault is ito
Why should any farmer permit an ele-
1nent SO necessary and essential as
water to run to waste or needlessly
eVaporate when it is the determining
factor that regulates the harvest? If
sufhcient rain does not fall during
the growing period, then what falls
OF the growing period must be
to successful agriculture in every re-
zion of limited precipitation and
farmers who ignore it ignore it at
their peril.
Why This Fertility!
The very fact that your soil is
exceedingly fertile is owing to limited
rainfall. Excessively humid coun-
tries are not fertile-except the
swamps which receive their incessant
toll OF soluabie plant food, carried
tnither by the run-off from the up
lands. The sea also receives a large
snare OF soluable fertility. but never
RlVpE II lin 0Uotr TyN % A. rN-r-
tas. therefore, should be thankful for
u fertile prairies and for the fact
mat by conserving the natural pre-
clpltatlon. there will always be mois-
ture in abundance. This will reuuir
work. 1t will require a large amount
OF extra work. but the results will
more tina justify all the labor re-
The Effect of Weeds.
Weeds sap the earth Of moisture.
Ihey are a nuisance in every way.
AS well attempt to feed a pig and a
lamb out Of the same trough, with
Just enough milk for the pig, and ex-
pect a good crop of wool and mutton.
me weed is a pig after moisture and
Delng a wild, degenerate thing, mani
tests neither mercy nor courtesy to
other plants. Get rid Of them. 1t is
easier to rid the fields of weeds than
lLlOlSIuIC 10 nOuI.
1sh a crop Of weeds and have enough
moisture left to mature a decent crop
or grain: h farmer who goes into
partnership with weeds must expect
TO give them the cream of the mois-
lure and the fertility without either
thanks or profit from them.
Keep the Soil Fertile.
where the soil is kept highly fer.
lile u little more than half as much
water Is required to make a crop as
Where the soil is worn out and thin.
JUST as a half gallon Of good rich
MIX VIII go as far when fed to pigs
as a gallon OF milk that is half water.
Soo tiliage tends to liberate plant
1000. TO render it available for the
crop. Deep blowing enlarges
n sphere of bacterial activity and
increases, accordingly, the feeding
space within which the roots secmre
'n%ourishment. Deep plowing also
provides greater storage for water
which otherwise would run off and
carry with it valuable mineral elements
taken up in solution.
Barn yard manure not onlv adds
largely to the fertility of the soil and
furnishes humus that greatly tends
TO check evaporation, but its chemical
erect upon the soil elements ia most
salutary. 'i'
Good, deep, thorough tillage. ali.
sence of weeds. and abundance of fer
tilfty so combine to conserve mois.
ture and enable the crops to mature
with less moisture, for reasons AL
stated, that W. without spe-