Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1913-03-21
INTERESTS OF SURROUNDING
COUNTRY ARE OF PRIME
IMPORTANCE TO ALL.
PERIODICAL MARKET DAY SUGGESTED
Farmers Institutes Doing Much to
Bring About Better Farming Meth
ods-Diversified Farming to
Become Popular.

especially IN the agricultural sections,
the interests of the surrounding coun-
try are of prime importance. 1t should
not be forgotten that the town is
necessary to the country and the
country is necessary to the town. The
merchants and business men of the
town should consider themselves part
ners with the farmers in the business
of advancing the interests Of the en-
tire community. The local merchants
can do much to hold the trade that
rightfully belongs to the home town
if they will convince the country peo-
pie, by actions rather than words,
that they are just as anxious to put
their shoulder to the wheel" and help
along all things of benefit to the farm
ers and the country districts as they
are to boost the town or their own
are indirectly accomplishing the other
two things.
AS a means of getting the towns
people and the country people togeth-
er, the periodical market day has
proved very effective in many com
munities. This might be held about
once a month, except perhaps during
the harvest season and the coolest
part of the winter 1t should be I'M
der the direction of the chamber of
commerce or commercial club if there
is one in your town; otherwise the
merchants and business men can get
together and put it through. On this
monthly market day the farmers and
others are invited to bring in any
thing and everything they may desire
to sell machinery, stock, produce,
etc. and the same is sold at public
auction without any charge to them.
merchants provide the auctioneer and
to make these occasions all the more
pleasurable and successful it is the
usual custom to provide a free dinner
for all the country visitors. At this
dinner there should be good talks on
topics of mutual interest to country
people and townspeople, proposed i'm
proyements, good roads, better farm
ing methods, benefits of home trading,
etc. By announcing some special bar
gains for these market days mer-
chants can also make them red letter
days for business.
The farmers Institutes are doing
much to bring about better farming
methods. Encourage the holding of
farmers institutes in your town and
you townspeople should attend them
and take an interest in the proceed
ings. Let the people of the town Co
operate with the people of the coun-
try in solving problems connected
with the tilling of the soil, better mar
keting of farm produce, securing of
canneries, encouraging diversified
farming and your community will
grow and prosper.
Diversified Farming.
The time is rapidly approaching
when the future prosperity of the In.
land Empire must depend largely upon
more diversified farming. Soil does
not wear OUTS not exhausted-if il
is titled right. Some of the best ag-
ricultural lands in the world have
been farmed almost continuously for
hundreds of years and are today as
rich as ever. Nature supplies in the
elements, in inexhaustible quantities
all the essentials of farming, but man
must use them right, and it is known
that tilling the soil and stoclraising
must eventually go hand in hand; the
permanence and success of each
branch of farming depends upon the
other.
The farmers and business men OF
Pullman instituted a movement last
fall which should be generally fol
lowed. They held a hog day." at
which the possibilities of the porkeI
as profitable investment and a mort
gage-raiser were discussed and dem,
onstrated. They propose to make this
an annual event.
With the cowboy and his lariat rap
idly disappearing from the western
plains and the top of the steer market
at Chicago lowering around the 50 and
$40 mark, isn't it time that the farm
ers of this community should recog
nize the fact that there is much
money to be made in raising livestock
for market?
Even Texas, the once great home Of
the long horned steer and the cowboy
is undergoing such a transformation
that the old time "cowpuncher" would
not recognize it. The small farm is
doing away with the roundup in
the Lone Star state and what is true
in Texas is also true in several OF the
northwestern states.
Every livestock expert will say thai
the interpretation of cattle is t
blame for the high standard Of living
costs. Agricultural college experts
recognize that the packers are pre-