Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-01-12
Editor Bismarck Tribune:

Editor Bismarck Tribune:
noticed short editorial in late
issue of your daily paper, written in
support of the Dry Farming congress
to be held at Dickinson January 81
and February /, 1911. Though the
paragraph was a short one, 1t seems
to tacitly imply two or three points
upon which all parties may not be
agreed.
1t would seem to read that the con-
ditions for farming in North Dakota
are so good that in an ordinary sea-
son the soil does not require more
than an ordinary show, or ordinary
care for favorable returns. 1t states
further on that semi.arid conditions
do not often prevail out this way,
but we should be prepared for them
when they come.
think that the statistics for crop
production for North Dakota reveal
the fact that even in an ordinary
season the yields secured imply either
poor farming, If the conditions are
humid, or on the other hand, imply
semi arid conditions with a conse-
quent lack o. knowledge of farming
to meet these conditions.
The statistics on the yield of wheat
show that for North Dakota the aver
age yield per acre for the ten year
period, ending 1895, was 14.5 bushels;
for the ten year period, ending 1905
it was 1872 bushels and for the four
year period ending in 1909, the yield
was 12.1 bushels per acre. Here We
have a steady decrease in yields of
wheat for this state. The yields in
the country as a whole, on the other
hand, have been gradually increasing,
so that for the ten year period ending
in 1895, the yield for the United
States was 1877, for the ten year per-
iod ending 1905, it was 1876 bushels
per acre. and lor the four year period
ending 1909 the average yield for the
entire country was l4.9 bushels per
acre. Now while we should all have
pride in our state, and in her fertile
soils and excsllen resources, we
should not blind ourselves to the
true state of affairs. These are:
The wheat yields Of North Dakota
are steadily decreasing for the same
period that the wheat yields for the
country in general are increasing.
These changes cannot be laid to
change in climate. for in the entire
ten year periods the climate remains
very stable. This decrease in yield
must be laid, believe, in great part,
to our methods Of farming.
Whether the western half or two
thirds of North Dakota should be
called semi-arid or humid is largely
aquestion of relatively of terms.
note that according to the rules of
the International Dry Farming con-
gress. the western twO-thirds of the |
state would come within their mean !
ing of a semi-arid district.
Fortunately this ukase could not !!
make our soil semi-arid If it were |
not, but as matter of fact, the |
western two-thirds of the state prac- |
tically never receives so much rain |
but what an additional amount would |
increase the crop yield. In other :
words, North Dakota practically nev-
er harvested maximum crop for the :,
reason that our rainfall is not heavy ,
enough. This, aside from any poor
methods of farming that may exist.
AS the Mandan News has pointed
out, the dry land propaganda. for
North Dakota at least. merely means
improved methods of farming, and
with this idea in view l think it
would be we'll for all of our farmers.
and for all of US who are interested
in farming, to preach and practice