The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-01-17
contInued From Page enc.


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ing, but our yield is decreasing. The
only remedy is scientific method OF
agriculture. The man who can produce
two heads of wheat or two blades of
grass where only one formerly grew,
is doing good work.
"All foreign countries have begun
just as we did, but they are improving
just as we expect to, India produces
| thirty-two bushels to the acre and you
can always estimate what it's crops
will be just as can be done in other
countries.
Il believe we should teach agricul-
ture in our common schools. We have
a grand institution in the A. c., but
all are not situated so they can send
their children there. The teaching in
the schools would help much. We wish
again to thank you for your hearty
welcome"
Advantages of Good Roads.
Prof A. NJ. Dolve Of the A. C. was
the next on the programme and his
subject was The Economic Advantages
of Good Roads.
mo far reaching results can be
the vast majority of the people take
an interest in and demand good roads
from their law makers.
THE cost Of living is 10 per cent
higher because of bad roads Good
roads will help the farmer and it will
help the cities.
Merchants Of small towns are jeal-
GUS Of the mail order houses, but let
them assist in building and keeping
up the roads and much Of the mail
order business would die The cities
should assist the farmers In paying
for good roads because they receive as
much IL not more benefit than the
farmers. The state and counties should
assist because it is justice to the
farmer; 1t helps the business; 1t helps
everybody to have good roads. Good
roads increase the value of the prop
erty of the farmer. They will assist
in lowering the price of farm products
because of the lessened trouble to get
1t to market. 1t costs as much to haul
ton over a country road as It costs
railroad to haul it fifty miles on it's
tracks.
"The resources of North Dakota are
almost entirely agricultural and good
roads would make money for the
farmer by enabling him to haul his
wheat and other grain to the railroads
or elevators at much less cost than
now"
The speaker then read a number of
figures which showed that the system
Of taking care and improving the roads
of the state was not the right one.
lie hot fu
21a cents per bushel in marketing the
crops" He said that the marketing
OF grain was often done, not on ac-
count of the market price, but on ac-
count of the conditions of the roads.
Il believe that If we had good roads,
the problem Of marketing the crops
would take care Of ITSELF"
He said that elevators owned by the
farmers would save them money, pro-
vided, Of course, the roads were
good.
THE country roads are the initial
branches which feed the great rail-
roads. All railroad magnates therefore
are interested in good roads. One
railroad president said his road would
spend 100000 to assist the people
along his line to get good roads, and
That this would help his line to run
its trains twelve instead of seven
months a year"
Vie then touched on the social side
Of the question and said that 1t would
be a blessing to the farmer, to his wife
and children. II was the aim Of many
farmers to make enough money to en-
able him to in after years live In com
fort in the city and the city man al
ways desires to make his money and
buy a farm. The nation is spending
millions on the Panama canal. How
much better it would be If this was
spent in good road building.
Farm Drainage.
Hon. T. r. Atkinson, state engineer.
was next introduced, and his subject
was Farm Drainage.
He said that experience was the
best teacher and that he had learned
from statistics and observations that
surface drainage was urgent He
showed that there had been a loss of
100000 and that 1t would have taken
less than 100000 to remedy this.
Some thought, to take the water away
from land, that was useless with ii
on, would bring forth bad results in
case of dry weather, but such was not