The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-01-23
THE ONLY HOPE
OF NORTHWEST
UNLESS MORE ATTENTION Is
PAID TO LEARNING SCIENTIFIC
FARMING, THIS COUNTRY WILL
IN TIME BECOME A REGION OF
ABANDONED FARMS.

ABANDONED FARMS.
'The short crop Of 1910 was due to
the farmers not saving the moisture
in the soil when they had IL to save"
said Prof. w. G. Palmer OF the A. g.
today. "A few did and they had good
crops. 1t some cases there was a
thirty bushel per acre crop OF wheat
alongside wheat that was not worth
cutting and the molly thing that the
difference can be attributed 10 IL the
different way in which the land was
worked. This has demonstrated that
crop failure is due to not taking ad-
vantage OF the conditions. Last sea-
son those farmers who had not saved
up moisture when they had IL could
do nothing for their crops when the
rain refused to fall, while those who
had the moisture in the soil saw their
crops grow even larger than the aver
age for the state. All must suffer for
the lack OF knowledge on the part OF
those farmers who not know how to
grow a good cop and how to grow q
crop even in an adverse season.
Increasing the number OF doctors,
or lawyers, or manufacturers, or mer-
chants would not have helped the mat
ter one iota. The only remedy is more
knowledge and skill on the part OK
those who produce the crops. The
others with all their knowledge and
skill can only stand by helpless till
the farmer brings the crop from the
soil, then they can turn in and help
consume 1t and distribute it. When
the crop does not come forth they
have TO wait for the next harvest. The
lawyer really has more business in a
poor year than in a good one as there
are more mortgages to foreclose and
more people who can not meet their
obligations.
What promise is there for the fu-
ture. Consulting the 1909 report OF
the u. s. bureau of education, the
following figures will be found as to
the number OF students who are talk
ing regular courses in the colleges,
universities, professional and techno-
logical schools of the country. Gem
eral courses 142, 1874 or SIN per cent OF
the total; in engineering 29,974 or IL
per cent; in medical courses, 22,159 or
per cent; in law courses. 1858 or
~ per cent; in dental courses. 6,17S
or 214 per cent; in agriculture 6,O62 or
little less than ~ per cent; in do
nestle science, 3,547 or little less
than ~ per cent. Go into any com
munity and especially an agricultural
one as we have in North Dakota and
ask which there is the most need Of;
more lawyers, more doctors, more
merchants, more bankers, more en-
UinaaFg
real estate men or more well trained
farmers and you know what the an
swer viii be. And you all know which
will do the community the most good.
When the facts are so plain, so self
evident why is not more effort put
forth to remedy the conditions.
AT recent meeting where some
$50 farmers had assembled, the fol-
lowing questions were asked: What
is the rainfall here. how much water
does 1t take to mature crop, what
elements OF plant food does a crop
need and how much OF each does II
take out OF an acre, how much OF the
different elements OF plant food is
there In an acre OF your soil? How
to make balanced ration for the diff
ferent farm animals? How much does
an animal take out OF the food? How
much plant is there in ton of manure.
and other questions of a similar ma
ture. Not one of them could answer
any OF the questions. III a similar
number OF manufacturers were gath
cred together and questions as peril
ment to their business as these are to
farming would they be able to answer
them? Most assuredly they would II
they could not they could not remain
in business.
How can the farmers get along
without knowing the fundamental facts
and principles of his business. They
have been able to make it go as long
as the land is new, as long as IT could
be robbed OF its fertility, and when Il
was gone they moved on to new land.
The abandoned farms of the New Eng
land states, OF New York, of PennsyI-
vania, OF Chic, OF Indiana, of Illinois.
or Wisconsin are a standing monu-
ment to the kind of farming that we
are doing. In the state of New York
alone the value of the farms decreased
In ten years nera1y $3.50, OOO.O 900, while
all other forms of property went nm
IN price. This can not be continued
indefinitely Is 1t enough 70 have only
"a per cent OF our students in our
colleges, universities, technical and
professional schools taking up agrf-
culture, and but liz per cent taking
up courses in domestic science?
Again ask the question what Is most
needed in our communities in the line
of trained men and women, why not
more effort in supplying the commune
ties with the kind OF trained people
that they are in need OF instead of rn-
loading on them more of those that
they already have too many OF? And
where are the travelling men?