Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-02-15
PLANT BREEDING
IS DISCUSSED
Until Only Recently has
Work Been Pursued With
Any General System
Is An Essential Proposition
That Should Look q Lone
Way Into The Future

! Plant Breeding has chen discussed
considerably but only quite recently
has the work been pursued with n
! system, except by few individuals.
Within the last II years there has
been perhaps more definite and plan
ned work done in Plant Breeding than
in the proceeding so or wen 100
years. AS a result Of this rapid de-
velopment the average person, attend
ing to other things, does not appre-
ciate as he should; % the real pos
sibilities that lie in the work; (2) OF
the time necessary to coAduct success
requires some money to pay the nee.
essarv operating expenses, such as
! The salaries of trained men, labor and
other running expenses. I
! Perhaps the fact that North Dakota
is almost a purely agricultural state
has been sufficiently emphasized for
most of us. 1t is only the truth to say
that in the first flush of the develop
ment OF the esource of this state
we have been possibly over.sanguine
of it's possibilities. We do not hear
50 much as we did once of the loca-
ton of this state'in the banana belt"
| but this tendency has always been
present more or less. AS a matter
| of fact North Dakota has somewhat
| severer conditions as is true Of any
country subject to a continental eli
mate. A North Dakota winter is more
severe tnan that OF any other state
in the Union, as far as cold is con
cerned. The summers are compare
lively short. many times hot, and the
fear of dry weather is generally pres
ent. Notwithstanding these facts the
state has many advantages. These
are recognized by most of our inhab-
itants, / think, and I need not enter
into details.
l have tried to paint the picture
honestly and with SUCH a picture one
must realize that we should do what
we can to develop plants more suited
to the state. We mus: recognize that
under our conditions for farming we
have a comparatively limited number
Of adapted crops. Looking towards
the improvement of the plants for
this state we must have in mind two
general propositions. These are, 1)
the modification of III present crops
in such a manner as to secure from
them greater values for the work done
by the farmer, and (2) work should
be undertaken looking towards the
utilization CT new plants which can be
substituted for those we have or
which a be added to our present
range of crops.
We must recognize thai the average
farmer in North Dakota is not making
money hand over fist. If the farmer
merely makes a living, it must be rec
ognized that often such a living Is
produced with a great deal of arduous
toll and in many cases, in order to
make that living his children are com
PEELED to work when they should be
securing an education. 1t is not neces
sary to go into the statistics-all
thinking persons will agree with me
when l say the income per acre from
the North Dakota farms ought to be
more than it is at the present time.
The value per acre for the North Da'
kota crop amounted to- y1G.25 as an
average for 1911 and 1912. This must
include the cost Of all farm opera.
tons and from this also must be de-
Eucted the interest on the waste land
not farmed. This income Is not a
high amount and should be more. 1t
could be made more by more i%ntensif-
ed methods of farming which also
I uyn,i111 demand mn increased cOSt This
phase, the, improvement of farming,
is being given considerable attention
and this is quite the proper thing. If
the crop improved by breeding be
grown in, place OF the crop grown at
the present time, an increased income
per acre, would be secured with a
comparatively slight cost-very little