The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-02-20
a Great City
In a Great State

required was to break UP the virgin
prairie Of the valley, SOW the crop, n
the golden grain gave abundant ylelu'
it flowed in untold streams, transform
ing the "treeless tracks into the
worlds greatest bread basket, supply
ing the staff of life to millions Of non
producers in the great cities Of the
United States and continental
Europe.
The federal department of agricul-
| ture covering the 1913 crop year gives
! the value of the products Of the Am
| erican farm at $40, 900, 100000. and the
| cash incomes ISIS, O00, 900, 600, as the rec
| ord of the 100000 American farms,
| and credits North Dakota farms with
1 the largest average cash income per
4 capita in the north central, west diVl-
, sion, along with Minnesota, Iowa,
Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. This,
then, voices the real fertility of the
soil of North Dakota under the old
| systems, but now that the area OF
diversified farming has taken root by
a statewide campaign, inaugurated
by the Better Farming Association
| of North Dakota, the record for 1914
crop yields and animal industry will
show an increase in earning capacity
per acre Of two to one over that Of
wheat, barley, oats and flax, that have
given such a name and fame to North
Dakota.
Farming a Scientific Business.
North Dakota has outgrown the pio-
neer system of soil cultivation n has
Joined forces with the higher and more
progressive system. Not that the re-
come from the, farms was decreasing,
abundant yield, or that the annual in
come from the farms were decreasing,
| hlf rather IN mako fn rrjno q SrInn-
tific business and to get the best re-
suits from scientific soil cultivation.
To meet these conditions the Better
Farming association Of North Dakota
was organized, September, 1911. The
aims of the organization were soil de-
velopment along specific lines Of work,
seeking the cooperation Of every
township and county in the state for
the dissemination of information and
instruction in modern scientific meth
DDS applied to agriculture, the pro-
noting Of better and more profitable
cultivation of the soil, including rota-
ttion and diversification of crops, rails
ing Of livestock, poultry and like sub
jects pertaining to agriculture. The
very breadth of the field and the
vagaries which confront the agricul-
tural interests made it necessary to
develop this work along specific lines
%h pASDlSLiio III NC dLIdSAlCu
slngly or in groups to fit into the vary
ing conditions.
This Better Farming propaganda. to
our mind, exceeds in importance that
Of all other forward movements that
characterize this aggressive state of
North Dakota. It's importance dwarfs
into insignifcance every other move
ment as, it means The trebling Of the
farm products of every acre Of tillable
/ Gntl IN Nnrti. TNolr@+o u
agree with the empire builder, James
j. Hill, in speaking of the prosperity
OF the west in a visit to Wall street
In January, when he stated that there
was no boom, but progressive prosperi-
ty, especially in North Dakota, where
the Better Farming campaign and tax
en- deep root, which meant. trebling the
earning capacity of the soil of that
state. Mr.. Hill might have gone a step
further and also stated with equal GER
talnty that improved farms now priced
at $45 to SIS an acre would increase
in value to 800 and $125 an acre in
keeping with the Better Affirming cam
patgn, that will make North Dakota
farm lands the most valuable in the
centralwest, with larger earning ca
pactty per acre than that Of other farm
sections that are plodding along under
the old system Of bygone days. The
SS~S@SsS +hSeL4AS u 1SettSr Farming
spells alfalfa. corn, livestock and crop
rotation,
- Red River Valley Lands.
The propaganda of the Better Farm
ing association Of North Dakota means
that the wheat-growers have had their
day, not that wheat will not always be
the big crop, but that the wonderful
resources of the soil will be carried
along lines Of crop rotation-diversi-
fed farming, alfalfa, corn, hogs and
cattle. Making n acre produce in
cash receipts as much as three acres