The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-03-03
n D MARCH 8, 1919.
SAME OLD SUPERSTITION.

Representative Smith, OF Ward
county, entertains the familiar and
by no mcans out-worn superatitien
that the interest of the farmer 10 to
be served by the concealment OF the
facts about the crops. 1t IL remark
able how this idea persists7 A big
crop. of course, means q relatively low
price Ter hushel, other crops remain.
Ing normal. II the farmer can only
keep from the wheat buyer the knowl-
edge Of what the wheat crop 10 like,
the buyer will conclude that the crop
is poorer than it Is. and will pay a
higher price for 1t than lie would II
he knew more about it. That Ia about
tho way the thing is figured out, and
there are many people who figure 1t
that way. and who are incensed every
time they SEQ In a newspaper the state
nlent that John Smith, over OH section
~. has u very good looking crop this
year, They believe that every such
statement means the reduction of the
price Of wheat by q cent or so.
Mr.. Smith has this superstition in
gts worst form, and with him 1t crops
out in q way hitherto noticed. lie
10 against the improvement Of the
country roads Of the state because II
the roads are made ut for travel the
emissaries Of the diabolical interests
IN the great wheat buying centers will
send out their hirelings in automobiles
to ride owe those roads and spy upon
A. Ro.~a-- o,l {ha;p oNNNc Nh ~o-
eult will be that when there happens
to be a good crop a lot Of people OUT
eide the state will know about it. and
down will go the price. The roads
built ostensibly for the convenience Of
the farmers themselves will have been
used to the detriment Of the farmers.
and to the enrichment Of their enc
mics. the wheat buyers. Hence 1t Is
held that 1t Is better policy to let the
roads remain as they are. SO that this
convenient method Of securing infor-
q nation will not be available. The in
convenience Of hauling loads through
the mud will be negligible in compar-
ison with the benefit to be secured by
secrecy.
Possibly an improvement on NJ.
Smiths plan might be suggested. Why
not combine the benefit to the farmer
Of secrecy with reference to his oper-
ations with the advantage Of good
roads over which he can travel by
building good roads wherever they
are needed and then erecting on them
gates and stationing at each gate a
guard or guards with strict instruc-
tons to permit no unauthorized per-
Son to pass? Then the farmer could
farm away in the possession Of rea-
eonable assurance that no outside per-
Bon would know what he was doing.
and the world would-perhaps-be in
ignorance Of how a big crop he was
really raising.
Il would lbe useless to point out to
anyone afflicted with this ancient su-
perstition that the suppression Of
knowledge concerning the agricultural
conditions of the country is impossi-
bic. in the first place. and in the Sec
ond place that If It was possible it
would be highly undesirable. 1t is a
fact. however. which more and more
people are coming to understand. that
the farmer, as we'll as every other per-
son, Is benefited by the widest and
fullest distribution Of knowledge, and
the only people who need fear such
diffusion Of knowledge are those an
gagged In something Of which they are
ashamed.