Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1912-08-09
BETTER FARMING! ASSOCIATION,
81. CALLS ATTENTION TO CRISIS S
81 s 55S IN DEVELOPMENT Vi

(6eCter Farming f%SSoSlati0n special
s Service
: GRAND FORKS. Aug. 9:In It's this
weeks letter to the State Publicity
Bureau at Grand Forks, the North SDa-
kota Better Farming Association
touches upon some vital points In the
development Of the states agricultural
resources and urges atteht ion to diver
sifcation of crops and Introduction on
a more extensive scale Of live stock.
At the Grand Forks headquarters re-
Gently, Thomas Cooper, General Man
ager Of, the Association, put special
emphasis upon those important featur-
es. He said: fSI 81 m, 4 4.
The promising crop this year may
encourage many to trust to grain pro-
duction for the future, rather than to
change their methods OF farming so as
to make. use OF other crops and to
produce animal products. Changes In
methods Of production are brought
about slowly and often come only
when failure forces them generally in
to practice. This year Is a crisis in
our agricultural development. The
question will arise on very farm
whether it will pay to. continue the
methods now generally in use.
The Better Farming Association, IN
its campaign for better conditions, be-
lieves that the production Of live stock,
of forage crops and alfalfa, is the only
method by which conditions may gen.
orally be bettered. Now Is the time
when the farmers should make use OF
the profits from generally good crop
to finance the change In methods e
farmers Of this state are too progress
sive to neglect this opportunity. Dur.
ing the next year many changes for
the better may be expected on farms.
! Live Stock Profitable.
/ There is a wide spread interest in
live stock. Farmers. generally are
ready: to use the dairy cow, the hog,
sheep, beef cattle, and poultry on their
farms and to make part Of their farm
profits from live stock products. The
stock. shown at the recent fairs, espe-
cially in Grand Forks, have been studi.
ed by many tanners in the state. A
number Of pure bred bulls. and cows
will be purchased with the proceeds
of the grain crops this year.. Thinking
tanners everywhere recognize that
grain production cannot be maintained
without live stock on the farm. Farms
that feed the roughage produced and
the coarse grains to live stock are
more profitable than grain farms. The
average income from grain farms in
the United States. according to com
piled statistics, was s7.72 per acre
while the average income from farms
that received a large proportion Of
their receipts from live stock produc
tion was SLAP per acre. North Da
\ kota farmers can materially increase
their income and their profits from the
farm by the greater use Of live stock
Steers Make Good Gains.
i Il There is no question but what bee
can be produced to advantage on thu
arabic farms in North Dakota. Ou
land is not so high in price; as to make
1.-the cost Of production excessive. Il
liza recent investigation by the Bette
n Farming Association, we found a farm
Il Ter in the eastern part of the stat.
Whose steers made an average gain o
@l2.2 lbs. per day on grass during til,
pasture season. L In 1909 forty-eigh
n head were pastured, making q gail
.lof 1.20 lbs. per day. This was during
4 9 period of 1875 days. This is the low
est gain that was secured in any on,
y year. The use of tame grass pasture
8 to produce beef worth 5 to Z cents pc
lib. will prove our grasses more valu