The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1914-02-20
One Crop Idea
Has Been Routed
Better Farming Association Has
Transformed Rotation Senti-
ment Into Action

lG8 Oil SOuAGAy
Minneapolis journal, has the
following:
North Dakota business men
with the backing Of a strong
force in Minnesota, hurled fly
ING wedge at the single-cropping
idea, and, in the language Of the
sporting page, the idea is being
backed off the field. Diversified
farming has already made touch
down after touchdown, and the
poor old singlecroppers are in
for a smothering defeat. The
astonishing thing is that they
have held on as long as they hav'
The foundation for the change
in sentiment in North Dakota, to
abandon the footballist s phrases,
has been long in being laid, or
long as time counted in
new country. Back in the
early nineties the North Dakota
Agricultural college was opened
at Fargo. That was the real be-
ginning. The institution was
soon sending out young men, un-
der whose hats was the idea
that you cannot continue to gath
er the same crops from the same
acres year after year, and pros
per. Then the college developed
an extension division. the aim
of which was to carry instruction
to the farmer at his postoffice or
market center. This arm began
to sow it's seed among the older
farmers. Declining wheat yields
came along to help emphasize
the teachings of both agencies.
But the college could not
reach enough young men, and it
was found that the extension
work, while. listened to with in
terest, was not followed by chang
es of practice. Demonstration
farms were of some assistance,
but only some. Something was
lacking. What was .it9- All OF
the work done had created a
readiness for something clinching
but what was that something to
beq
The answer was that flying
wedge, the North Dakota Better
Farming association, created by
the business men of North Dako-
ia and Minnesota as new IN
strument of attack-a fresh NORTH
Dakota team with a novel system
Of play, to: revert to football Eng
lish again. The aim of this asso-
citation was: Better farming
now! The emphasis on the
nov" was loud. In other word
the association wished to bring
the farmers of North Dakota to
the doing Of things. It was inn
patient to get results and to get
them quickly.
The first man to feel the urge
of this idea sufficiently strong
TO be moved to action was A. r.
Rogers of Minneapolis, largely
interested in business in North
Dakota. Mr.. Rogers had been
reading of the field agent Cruz
sade originated by Seaman a..
Knapp in order to get the farm
ers Of the south out Of the one
crop habit. The year 1910 had
been bad one in North Dakota
and 1911 seemed bent on follow
ing his lead. Mr.. Rogers. much
concerned, put the question to I.
u. Howe, Minneapolis grain
man: "What are we going to do
about itY'' Mr.. Howe suggested
q eet-to-gether meeting Of these
closely interested in the problem.
Mr.. Rogers had no objections to
the get-together plan, but, ne
said that some sort OF q plan
must be formed to take before
the meeting. Knapp g idea struck
him as the right one.
James j. Hill, Howard Elliott,
Edmund Penningtin, Joseph Chap
man and others were approached
They were easily interested. Of
course. They decided to put the
problem 40 to the business men
of North Dakota, with Q promise
OF support ID trying out the field
agent plan, i e. fectiye organ