The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-10-21
SOME WAYS IN WHICH
NORTH DAKOTA CAN HELP
HERSELF AND HER RAILROADS

as much as wheat bran and which is
no longer an experiment in your soil
and climate, the great bone and mus
Gle builder balancing perfectly with
these crops in stock n dairy prod
ucts you will never fear the impov-
erishment Of your soils.
Butter Production.
Your butter production last year
was more than 2,500,0 600 pounds, and
you have just begun to make the but
ter for your bread. l was pleased to
find in the governments agricultural
year book which was recently issued,
a picture of the farm of John Chris
tensen of New Salem, which l have
often admired from u passing
trains, showing his excellent dairy
North Dakota as a corn and dairy
state in the minds Of the people of
the United States will mean much in
it's future development, and will at
tract many of the best farmers from
older regions who know and appre-
ciate what these elements mean
Adding the production of hay and
potatoes to that of coarse grain. and
cereals, North Dakota last year had a
production valued at $154,910,000.
Adding stock killed for market, and
home use. amounting to $S,8S7, 900, the
value of you butter production, Of
eggs and poultry and of other recog-
niZed products for which statistics are
not readily available, l feel confident
that the total was not far from SITS,
600, 900, and in a state which is only
"a years old. l shall await with great
interest the report Of your commits
sioner of agriculture for last year,
which will present the story Of North
Ia kNtn'c lrnprnuG in fnru1S thoS No
one can refute.
Railroads Interested.
No farmer can have a keener inter-
have the officers, directors and stock
holders of the railroads. The North
ern Pacific built it's line into this city
before there was any appreciable de-
velopment of farming in the western
half of North Dakota. 1t came with
the pioneers, and labored with them
in encouraging people to come into the
state. The beginnings of agriculture
were coincident with the struggle of
that line to find a profitable business
on these prairies. 1t was many years
afterward before it's lines were able
to reach westward into Montana and
there link with the. portion built east
ward from the Pacific. and years after
that the property as a whole became
successful and profitable to those who
risked their money in it. Cur inter-
est In agriculture is as keen now as
ever the railroad can handle no
business that the country does not af-
ford, and once It's rails are laid, it
has permanently tied it's prosperity to
the fortunes of the country, in good
years and bad. A crop failure means
no profit to the farmer and no bust
ness to the railroad, while q good year,
such as last, means prosperous farm
ers and a busy railroad. 1t is to the
interest Of the railroad therefore to
do all it can for the development of
farming in the territory adjacent to
its lines.
There is another side to the relation
between railroads and their farmer and
business men patrons. When u lines
reached Bismarck n waited there
for funds with which to push on west
of the river, there were no farmers
in the country. The railroad pioneer
ed the country, and opened it up. Farm
ing followed, and once given the means
Of getting products out to points where
sales could be effected, it grew and
prospered. 1t would be quite idle for
a railroad officer to say that a railroad
could get along without the farmer.
It is equally idle for the farmer to sup
railroad. and even more than that; he
should be supplied with the Best rail-
road facilities and with the best equip
ment skill and money can provide.
There is therefore a close inter-rela-
tion, and the success and profits of
each are bound UP in the success Of the
other
More Railroads Needed.
North Dakota must have still many