The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-12-27
MILLIONS OF ACRES
YET UNTITLED.
"WHY GO OVER THE soRDER,p
ASKS PROFESSOR sHAw-FLAx
POSSIBILITIES ARE GREAT
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE.
NORTHWEST.

i "The opinion is common at the pres
emit time that the United States has
already reached the limit OF produc-
ton in wheat and in some other GER
calls This view Is far from being
correct The amount or land in what
Is termed the dry land area, that Is
capable of producing wheat, aggre-
gates not less than 3000O0,000 acres,
which is equal to six times the entire
area of the state of Minnesota" says
Prof. Thomas Shaw, the we'll known
agricultural expert.
This does not include land that is
already under crop, where the rain
fall Is light. The average rainfall in
the area referred to as capable of
producing wheat is about fiftean
inches per annum. It lies west Of the
Tooth meridian and east OF meridian
100. 1t is bounded on the north by
Canada and on the south by Mexico.
The area referred to, that Is the 300,-
100000 acres, does not include land
that will be irrigated some time in
the not distant future in the dry area.
The land that is susceptible Of irriga-
ton embraces somewhere in the
neighborhood of 100,000,000 acres.
Twenty Bushels Per Acre Possible.
These lands embrace part Of four
teen states and include all of several
of the fourteen. Nor does this area
include rugged lands in the west, Of
which the area is larger than of the
lands that can be cultivated. The
300,000,000 acres referred to have
never yet been broken with the plow,
and yet almost every acre of the same
can be made to grow winter wheat
that would yield on the average not
less than twenty bushels per acre per
year. Take 5O,O00,00O acres Of that
land and devote 1t to the production
of winter wheat, at twenty bushels per
acre the result would be 100000, 900,
which is a much larger amount than
is now being grown in the entire Unit
ed States.
A Crop Every Other Year.
"The conclusion must not De
reached, however. that this land will
produce wheat every year. Much of it
would only produce a crop every al
ternate year, the summer fallow in
tervening between the wheat crops,
with a view to stow up moisture In
TIC AdHus DuL a AdASG hIcd VI the
same land two crops can be grown
in three years. On the superstition,
however, that only one crop could be
taken in two years, this would mean
that only one-third of the 300,000,000
acres would be required to grow the
1000, 100000 bushels of wheat.
1.-THE greater portion of this land is
well adapted to the growth of winter
wheat, and much of it has at least
fair adaptation for growing spring
wheat. The state of Montana alone
has not less than 3OO,00O,000 acres of
such land. There would seem to be
no reason why in, say fifteen years
from now Montana alone should not
grow 1O0,00O,000 bushels of wheat
every year.
Flax Supply Not in Danger.
1.-THE line of argument that has
been used with reference to wheat
may also be used with reference to
fax. Fears have been expressed that
| the flax product would in the near
| future run far below the demand.
There would seem to be no good rea-
son for such fear. The grower of
flax is increasing In the Dakotas,
where there is still large room for
the extension of the flax area. Take
1000, 900 acres of the bench lands of
Montana and devote them to the
growing of flax; the result would oe