The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-10-21

At the recent North Dakota Indus
trial exposition at Bismarck, one Of
the best features was the following
address by President Slade Of the
Northern Pacific railroad, which The
Forum publishes in full:
1t is reasonable for you to expect
that a railroad man will talk about
railroads, but to include in his re-
marks something Of agriculture, plac-
that he Is also a farmer. And in sup
port of that contention / advance the
fact that / am the owner and man.
ager Of a farm and the proud director
Of a county agricultural society.
Everyone, who has watched the
progress of North Dakota during re-
cent years, must feel as / do today be-
that he would like to heartily con-
graduate all who have had to do with
the wonderful advance this great ag-
ricultural commonwealth has made
during the past ten years. Your pop
ulation is still less than 900, 900, yet
the value of our farm property is to-
day not less than $1,000, 000, 900, al
though thirteen years ago it was but
..one-quarter Of that sum. What wealth
these farms will represent in the flu
ture it is difficult to calculate, but
that great increases nus come is
clear to anyone who will reflect that
with more than 10000 square miles of
land area, his state has yet an aver
g of only a little more than one
farm to the square mile, and that for
every acre of improved farm land,
which is now contributing to your
large annual production. there is more
than an acre which is not yet under
the pillow.
Two things in your agricultural
production strike me as very signih-
cant. oYur corn area, last year was
nearly ten times that Of 1900 and pro-
duced a. crop worth So, 1855 DOC or ST.
0 10000 more than the crop of 1903.
Commissioner Gilbreath's figures
show that last year you brought into
North Dakota livestock to the value
of $6.579,00. The two figures go prop
erly together and I think thai all
though some of the stock brought in
may have been killed here for food
purposes, and a great deal fattened
and sent to other markets, the figures
themselves are sufficient to show that
there has been a great influx of pure
bred stock for the permanent i'm
provement of the herds and fiocks of
this state. The remarkably large to-
tai of money involved in this move
ment of stock into the state indicates
that farmers have already begun to
make the best use of their corn by
feeding it to a large extent at home.
Corn does not become an important
crop except where farmers are apply
ing the best modern skill and knowl-
edge to their business and where they
are going into livestock and dairying.
The maximum economy in the use
Of the corn crop n be realized by
those methods which SO many Of your
farmers have hitherto followed, and
many years progress will be made in
one, If the example and experience Of
the states where corn Is king are not
disregarded. In the so called corn belt
the silo is now considered almost as
essential q part Of the farm equipment
as the we'll and Is playing its par. in
the farm economy by turning into a
most valuable roughage the 60 per
cent of the corn crop which before
the general use of the silo was prac-
tically thrown away.
One factor in the growing Of corn
is clean and frequent cultivation and
this is too often disregarded by those
largely in the growing of small grain.
The c%ultivator should work long hours
in the young corn If the crop is to be
a success. ,..'"- g.. f. +.
Another factor is manure Corn is
a heavy feeder and responds gener-
ously to liberal applications either In
the form of green crops turned under
or in the form of barnyard manure.
Perhaps not less important though
last mentioned is an acclimated seed.
Do not think that seed corn from the
more southern states will get results,
Buy seed from neighbors who have
grown corn successfully and then
gather seed corn from your own fields.
And with alfalfa worth ton for ton