Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1914-04-16
COUNTY AFTER
DAIRY HONORS
WILLIAMS COUNTY, NORTH DA-
KOTA SEEKS A PLACE ON
THE BUTTER MAP

The following article appeared in
the Minneapolis Journal of April ~
and being good boost for Wllllston
and Williams county we take pleasure
in printing it in full:
BY w. p. Kirkwood
Williams county, North Dakota;
you've heard of it, possibly. If you
have not, you are rather sure to before
long. Williams county is away out
on the western border of North Da-
kota, just where you jump or into
Montana, but it is going to loom
larger and larger on the horizon be-
cause it is organizing to do things in
an agricultural way-in a large agrl-
cultural way. So it will pay to watch
Williams county.
The Journals correspondent was
cornered by three of its energetic bus
mess men a short time ago IN the
rooms of the Commercial club at
Grand Forks. The trio had come all
the way across the state to attend the
Grand Forks agricultural achieve
ment" banquet. They had been
achieving out in Williams county, and
thought it was up to them to do bit
of celebrating with the rest Of the
state. All of this is but another way
of saying that Williams county has
already been doing things, and wishes
the world to know about it. The three
men told The Journal man about it,
and now what they told, is being pass
ed on in order to help other counties
to see that it pays to get together and
to pull together for the common good.
The First Step, Organization
What Williams county, North Da-
kota, is doing in an agricultural way
has been brought to an effective pass
through the organization of the Will
liams County Better Farming associa-
ton. This was created July l, 1918,
less than year ago by good margin.
Fl. A. Nelson of Ray is the president.
The directorate is made up of three
members from each of the five county
commissioner districts. and on the
board are the five county commission
ers. A splendid idea, this, of getting
the county commissioners right into
the game. Every farmer in the coun-
ty, who cooperates with the field
agent, by so doing becomes a member
of the association. Every business
man of the county and every non-resi-
dent who owns land therein may be-
come member by paying a fee of 81.
And most of the business men of the
county are members of the associa-
tion. The field agent is E. w. Hail.
Twenty-Five County Clubs
The first step taken was to organ
ize as many neighborhood or commune
ity clubs as possible. Cooperation
among farmers, and between farmers
and business men was desired. The
business men Of the various towns al
ready had their organizations. Cor
responding organizations must be had
among the farmers in order to secure
such effective cooperation as was
needed. The plan worked. The county
now has 25 community clubs, and
many of their members have also join
ed the commercial clubs of the neigh
boring towns. The community clubs
give much attention to the woman's
side Of farm life. Altogether, then,
the people of Williams county are
working unitedly.
To have accomplished so much
would have been credit, even had
nothing more been done in the nine
months since the movement was start
ed. But more has been done.
High Aims in Dairying
In the first place definite aim as
to the type of farming best suited to
Williams county has been set--to
make the county "the leading dairy
and diversified farming community in
the northwest" A high aim to be
sure, but it will not do to say that it
is impossible of achievement.
TO make start. to give the plan
real send-off, the Better Farming as
sociation planned and carried out
"Dairy Inspection Trip" of 1000
miles through Minnesota and Wis
! consin, in order that so farmers, men,
bers of the 25 community clubs, might
see dairying at it's best, and the effects
upon agriculture of livestock on the
farm. The farmers, in other words.
were "shown." They knew they could
grow corn and alfalfa. That had
been proved. Well then, with corn
and alfalfa thev could do the things
Minnesota and Wisconsin we're doing
in darving. Moreover, they could de-
velop the pork industry as an adjunct.
Twelve carloads Of hogs were shipped
from Tioga, Williams county alone
last year. The farmers went back
enthusiastic. Of those who made the
trip 28 on returning became members
Of the Commercial club Of Williston,
the thriving county seat.
Buying Blooded Stock
But there were special effects of an
other sort as well. The Cottonwood
Lake club bought 8 pure-bred short
horn sires and two cows Of the dual
purpose type. And the bankers of the
county announced that they stood
ready to assist in the business of
building up the dairy herds of the
county, by aiding like importations:
Another effect of tho organizations
work has been seen in a multiplica-
ton of silos on the farms. Tioga and
vicinity already have ten OF these
profitable feed storage plants, and not
less than TWENTY-FIVE are to be built
in the vicinity of Williston alone. The
silo is a SIGN of prosperity. Where
YOU see silo you may be sure there
u En-,