The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1911-01-06
PRES. MALONE'S LETTER
ON CROP PRODUCTION
Master OF State Grange to CONNER
cial Clubs and Business Men
or South Dakota.


method or building up almost every
city and town iii the state-a meth
| ID which could be worked in nearly
every farming section with great sue
| cess
1t is we'll known that farming in
he northwest so lar as securing
large crops per acre is concerned,
Is merely in its infancy, that England
and Germany, with no better nat
1Fal advantages are raising more
than twice the wheat per acre than
We are in the United States, and it
IS equally certain that by scientific
farming we could easily double and
often Quadruple our present produce
tlon per acre, especially in the dryer
portions of the state.
Now it seems to me that the men,
oers of every commercial club, and
IN fact every business man, in the
state, should at once arouse himself
10 the point of intense activity in
the work of educating farmers as to
the possibilities of crop production,
and inspiring them to increase the
present average of thirteen bushels
to at least thirty bushels per acre
and other crops in like ratio. This
would also result in every farmer
doubling the amount of plowed land
and would induce the owners of hun
dreds Of unimproved quarters. TO
convert them into improved farms as
rapidly as possible, thus increasing,
at least one hundred fold, the crops
which would be brought to your town
for sale and would, of course, in
crease the sales of every merchant
in like proportion. This would turn
every town into a veritable bee hive
of industry, and make every store
and bank fairly hum with business
activity.
Yet this result is within easy reach
of every town If it's business men
would but actively cooperate in the
work Of educating the farmers in the
principles of scientific farming.
AS Master of the State Grange |
would be glad to cooperate with
commercial clubs and business men
by visiting every town which invites
me, and by public address do all in
my power to arouse such degree of
interest that all | have above sug>
gested-and ever so much more,
could be accomplished as {, result of
the meeting
l would of course endeavor to
organize grange, as a school of
agricultural education and COM
mon ground upon which both the
farmers and business men could
unite in pushing this work into ru-
raj districts till every farmer for
miles in all directions will be pour
ing the products of his farm into
the elevators of your town in quantl-
ties which will surpass all expecta-
lions. Put a full-fledged Campbell
farmer on every quarter section with
IN ten miles of the smallest village,
and it would not be ten years till
the average county seat town would
become insignificant in size as COM
pared with such.
Yet there is not village town in
the state which could not be set wild
with reasonable hope of securing
county seat, while not one in a
hundred is yet aroused to the i'm
portance of much greater agricul-
tural blessing which is within easy
reach of all.
| know of no other organization
at all to be compared with the
Grange in the work of educating and
inspiring farmers along the lines of
larger crops, better stock, finer and
better furnished homes, excellent
schools and all of those things which
in turn create a demand for every
legitimate line of goods. 1t there
fore seems to me that what is most
needed now is the wisdom, exper-
fence and enthusiasm of the business
men of every town in building up
and popularizing the Grange.
Many business men look upon the
Grange as a cooperative buying in
stitution, or sub-station for cata-
log houses, but this is great mis-
take. On the contrary the Grange
is an organization in which business
men and farmers can unite, and by
showing a proper interest in, and ap-
probation of each other, be led in
10 closer business relationship.
trust the time will come when every
town will have Grange hall, which,
when not in use as such, may be
converted into a reading room or
rest place for farmers and their fam
lilies when they come to trade This
would make the town feel like
home to the farmer and would make