The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-04-22
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Grand Forks Times: The meeting Of
the commercial bodies Of the state at
Fargo April % for the purpose Of
raising funds to continue the farmers
institute work, is attracting serious at
tention. The farmers are asking Why
the governor vetoed the appropriation
for this work because there were no
funds, and yet found means of raising
money for other and far less COM
mendaBle purposes.
President Taft and Governor Burke
seem to have formed a gentleman's
state combination to ruin the farmers
of the state. The president proposes a
scheme which will cut out all farm
profits, and the governor has cut out
the appropriation for educational work
along diversified and intensified farm
ing principles. The president says his
scheme will be the salvation of the
farmer because it will force him to di-
versify or starve. The governor We
toes the appropriation for studying di-
versifcation and stops that work. 1t
looks as though the farmer is being
ground between the upper and neither
mill stones.
The farmers will be forced to pro-
vide for the continuation of institute
work by other means than the taxes
they pay. A study OF the things for
which appropriations were approved
by the governor will show many of
them far less important to the state
than farmers Institutes.
Tenyears ago diversified farming was
considered a fad in this state. A few
pioneers were breaking away from
the one crop idea, but the vast majority
still held to wheat and flax Then
came the fax wilt and the study Of this
subject by Professor Bolley with his
discovery that the wilt was disease
aggravated at least by continual crop
ping Of flax on the same land. He
recommended rotation. Farmers ac-
cepted the innovation on the presl-
But rotation Of fax led to the con-
sideration Of the plan for other crops.
Professor Hoverstad and a band of
earnest helpers persevered in their
evangeliZation like Methodist circuit
riders. They talked and preached and
explained and demonstrated. The dust
blanket, the water table, humus, nitro
gen, phosphoric acid and kindred
thing were as much mysteries to an
average farmers institute in those
days as the law Of Kepler. But the
farmers were there to learn. They
knew something was wrong with their
methods and they were willing ii learn.
Not all, of course, but like all inno-
vations there are always some who
lead and others follow. Some are will
ing to rely on faith; others require
works. So has come the stupendous
change in farming methods of the last
few years. Corn and clover and cat
tie and diversification and deep pIow-
ing and intense cultivation and along
with these has come cleaner farms
larger wheat and other crop Yields
bigger incomes and higher priced
lands. These are the direct results Of
the work done in the farmers
Institutes.
Can the farmers allow these great
educational institutions TO be destroy
ed? Hardly. 1t means double tax
ation-an excessive burden at a time
when the burden should be lightened
But the loss win be greater than even
the double cost A thousand dollars a
day would give the state the greatest
list of farmers Institutes 1t has ever
had.
It is important that commercial
bodies take favorable action on the
Fargo meeting and send representa-
tives, IL possible, to devise ways and
means to give the farmers their rights.
Cogswell Enterprise: North Dako-
ta's congressman are each assigned
two places on the house committees.
Mr., Hanna Is given a place on the
committee Of agriculture and interior
department expenditures, and Mr..
Helgesen is placed on the Indian at
fails COMMITTEES and the immigration
committee. Neither Is given ranking
position on either committee, but ali
the committees are important ones,
and on the whole the North Dakota
men appear to have Jared quite well.
A man who was put in the Tombs
prison for carrying concealed weap-
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