The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-06-30
N. .. NEEDS LIVE STOCK.
The Wisconsin Farmer has the fol-
lowing pertinent editorial:

The Wisconsin Farmer has the fol-
lowing pertinent editorial:
Notwithstanding the hardships oc.
casioned by ii and the crop failures
which followed in its trail, the drouth
of 1910 was in reality a blessing in
disguise
The season of 1910, according to ].
II. Shepperd, dean of the North Da-
kota Agricultural college, before a
group Of North Dakota farmers who
were gathered for the purpose of en-
couraging the production of more ard
better live stock, has done more to inn
press the Importance of the corn
crop, of manuring land, of deep plow-
Ing OF preparing a good seed bed, of
keeping live stock and of marketing
several classes of products than any
single season or force during the past
two decades.
Professor Shepperd has been in the
Dakotas for quite term of years and.
of course. Is familiar with the prob
lens OF the North Dakota farmer as
are very few men. He has urged the
production of more live stock ever
since he left Iowa and went to Da-
kota to direct the work of the state
agricultural college The drouth of
the last summer has convinced the
great majority of the farmers of his
state that he is right In fact many
are willing to admit that the season
OF 1910 was one of the best school
masters that the northwest has ever
taken on.
He says that much more can be
learned in season with so many and
such severe handicaps than can be
CLEANED from an ordinary year. Any
one who drove through the country
last summer was impressed with the
sight of field here and a piece there
that was superior to the average of
these communities.
Special inquiry generally brought out
the information that the land had pro-
duced a crop of corn in 1909 and that
the corn had been titled, or that the
land had been In potatoes the year be-
fore and had been kept clean by fire.
Quent cultivation, or that the land had
been summer fallowed in 1909 and
that a good job had been done
In some cases the additional admis-
sion that the land had been MANFRED
before the corn was planted, or that
the field had been in clover two years
before, helped to explain the increase
in yield which was coming to the own
err from the crop of 1910, and In nearly
every instance the good yields were
harvested on land that had been plow-
ed to a good depth
Land of poor mechanical texture, or
which is commonly called "gumbo, .
showed very poor results for the sea-
son Of 1910. Gumbo is at one extreme
in mechanical condition and land which
has been MANFRED or has produced a
crop of clover and has been plowed to
q good depth Is at the other. Land
which produced a cultivated crop In
1910, or that had been summer fallow-
ed, had the largest quantity OF water
stored from the rainfall of 1909 with
which to supplement that which came
to 1t in 1910.
No system in recent years has given
a palmer lesson on the Importance OF
adopting a cropping system. which
will include a cultivated field OF corn
or potatoes. one of clover or field peas
along with the standard money pro-
ducing crops OF wheat, flax. oats and
barley.
The alfalfa crop pressed it's import
ance and value home TO the farmer last
season by reason Of its being able tc
withstand dry, hot conditions and give
fair yield Of hay when timothy mil
let and some OF the other plants com
monty relied upon were almost or Z
total failure.
Many mistakes were made in sacri-
ncing the live stock OF the farm II
addition to the slaughtering of them
which has gone on In the past few
years when the prices offered were
especially attractive and when tbs
grains which they would require were
bringing very high prices.
In the year Of short marketable
crop surplus cattle, horses, hogs and
sheep help to tide over and ward Of
the necessity Of going In debt and
paying interest The dairy COW was
hard to provide Tor the past sumnel