Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-12-08
(Continued from paQr ~

wanted the farmers TO take brains IN
to the field and to improve their meth.
DDS all round, keep more live stock,
and not be discouraged because of any
partial crop failure. The people Of
all the new countries have their lean
years, he declared, but following the
poor seasons come the good ones, and
with scientific methods, properly ap-
piled there need be no failure.
slope Land 10 Rich.
Our land lis rich, he said, and will
produce abundant crops any year If
properly handled. Mr.. Zimmerman
spoke of the good that had resulted
from the farmers meetings in Morton
county. He also called attention to
the Missouri Slope Development
League and the great work that or
ganization was doing for the western
part of the state.
At the Thursday afternoon session
the principal address was delivered
by Dairy Commissioner R. F. Flint,
who chose for his topic "Dairying on
the Slope"
Dairying On The Slope.
Mr.. Flint said: A year ago at the
Dickinson Dry Farming meeting I
gave up my time on the programme
to Professor Shaw. l did so be.
cause thought you should know his
methods of conducting so.called dry
farming, and that they would be of
greater value than anything I could
say on dairying.
While l still recognize his vastly
superior ability and fund of informa-
ton, l question now, more earnestly
than a year ago, the advisability Of
having 80 forceful a speaker talk on
dry farming instead Of live stock, and
l am pleased to know that this year
he will discuss one branch Of that
subject.
Live Stock 10 Essential.
After twelve years of observation
OF men, methods and conditions on
the Slope, through what we termed
good years and some termed bad
ones, I am thoroughly convinced that
when it comes to q condition of "a
feast or a famine" or supplying our
daily wants daily, we can not put too
much emphasis on Live stock as 4
productive factor and especially on
the dairy COW, and swine. You will
agree with me, believe, that 1t Is
better to encourage a conservative
citizen than gambler sure,
though possibly slower method than
one that promises large things for a
term Of years, but one that does not
always perform and in the end must
give way to the better method. To
my mind it is unfortunate that prac-
tically every influence, not only with
in the state, but those that have gone
out during the past ten years have
been favorable to grain raising al
most to the exclusion of the desira'
bility and practicability Of raising
live stock.
Impractical investments Deprecated.
The statement 80 often made, and
frequently verified, that zone crop
pays for the land" has led many to
make impractical Investments and to
follow exclusively risky methods.
The policy was wrong, wrong not
only for the Slope, but for the whole
state. While few may have pront'
ed financially through the plan, the
accounts must be settled and many
must lose, and the financial loss Will
not be the only one. Before we can
have a reliable agricultural state we
must have q greater number Of i've
stock; before we can have financially
reliable citizens they must keep q
relatively greater number Of live
stock; before we can claim a perm:
anently settled state our farmers
must have more live stock and these
atiues 11ave an important bearing
on the development of citizen as q
citizen.
The effect of the difference between
a continuous one crop system and one
of diversified farming could be
summed up on long range comparl'
son as the difference between an agrl'
cultural gypsy and an established res
ident. But many persons came TO
our state aaboring under entirely
a different opinion which they have
expressed and they were honest in
their belief.
Many Realize Conott'ons'
In some sections realization OF
mistaken conception in regard to
this comes more quickly than in 9TH
ers. 1 think many on the Slope rea-
lized it before they lived here ten
years. The Red River Valley people
have only come to a condition where
they are willing to admit it after
some thirty odd years. It is one OF
the advantages Of the Slope, to my
mind. that the realization comes be-
fore people became so fixed in their
habits. and in their environment to
make the change. We are recognized
as the live stock section, not only
under ranch conditions but those OF
diversified farming. Dairying has
taken a strong hold on our people and
bids fair to increase in rapid proper
ton. Over so per cent of the oper-
ating creameries Of the state are To-
Gated on the Slope.
More Cattle on Slope.
According to reports retired by
the assessors to the Department OF
Agriculture and Labor, the average
farm west of tho Missouri has 900
Der cent more cattle than has the