The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-01-23

second, and that the movement of
population from the agricultural dis
tricts to town will never bel stopped,
regardless of what may be done in
n country along the line of social
improvements, until there is a larger
income for the conduct of farming. A
greater income is to be derived from
better farming. That question, how
ever,~I shall not go into. We seem,
too, to be moving toward larger farms.
If this be true, the tendency ought
to be in the direction of the creation
or FARMING centers or organization Of
them as a business enterprise. If the
large farm, or a group Of large farms,
can develop the small town, the ele-
| vator, the bank, the store, hotel and
other industries that will keep labor
employed the rear around, one of the
difficulties which confront us in his
state, with, vast acreage under one
control, will be removed. But the fact
remains, that what We need in North
Dakota is smaller farms, and more
farms. A good deal has been said
from time to time in the press and by
speakers to the effect hat the
productive capicty Of the American
farm is distinctly too low. On the,
acreage basis this is true, but on the
per capita basis the American farmer
produces more than the farmer of any
other land. He is confronted by a,
difficult labor question, and this labor
question is intensified rather than les
sened by diversified farming. We have
really reached a place where the rota-
ton of crops must be supplemented
by the rotation of the hired man. A
business cannot long depend upon a.
mere floating labor population, and
the farmer must work out some plan
by which it will be possible for him
to keep his labor the year round. This
means not only diversified farming,
but poultry-keeping, Bookkeeping. the
creation of greenhouses, enlargement
Of dairying and cattle breeding.
But after all that may be said upon
this point, there are still other phases
OF the problem that must be given
consideration. The farmer in North
Dakota needs, without question, better
credit facilities. He Is paying high
rates Of interest. and finds it difficult
at times to secure the necessary capt.
tai to carry o. his operations. This
statement of fact can be made without
fear Of criticism from anybody, and
better conditions in this direction can
only be secured by the enlargement OF
credit facilities. The new currency bill
will help in some measure, although
not SO much in this state as in some
other communities, out the legislation
that is now proposed for the establish,
ment Of land banks under federal d.
rect1on ought to help materially in Civ
ing us credit on longer time and at
lower rates Of interest. Perhaps it is
unnecessary to state that a man who
has no property and no reputation for
honesty and persistency cannot secure
credit under any scheme that might
be devised by the government. We are
told that big things have resulted as
a consequence of credit organization
of. this character in Europe, and with.
out doubt some Of the things that
have been done there ear be done
here. Gut we need in North Dakota.
millions of dollars for the enlargement
of u agricultural facilities, and with
out this we may talk better farming.
better facilities and better agriculture,
without result. .,.. ....
1.-THE farmer, too. must have increas-
ing facilities for the sale Of his farm
products. Whether he himself should
provide the machinery of market dis
posaf of his products or wait upon pri-
vate initiative to larry it out for him,
is still a debatable question. Upon
the question of h desirability of the
government doing this for him, I think
the genius. of our institutions point
strongly. to the unwisdom of such a.
proposition. An industry stands, in
the final analysis, upon it's own feet:
y NShSlop lIo w lIlSlllOuS.- buL
without doubt farmers in this state
and the. neighboring states can go a
long way toward modifying the pres
n system through the development
OF cooperating organizations. If
these suggestions bring about larger
incomes, there will follow more salts
factory roads and more satisfactory
means of communication, though in
this instance there is unquestionably
need of change in the collection Of
money and in the handling Of the
road work. With the coming of bet
ter income, the farmer will turn a less
worried mind to many things put
side his calling. The school-house
will become a larger social center and
there will be developed the old fash
Toned interest of the earlier day when
it was a center of debate and oratory
and of social gatherings. The travel
ing library, now in it's infancy, is sure
to supply not only books, but pic
lures, Photographic films, and musical
records.
Il must, however. turn briefly to the
second group Of problems,-those of
the town and city. Everywhere is
to be seen the evidence of hasty
growth that accompanies the begin
ming of town development. Thirty
per cent of u population live in
towns, n 1t is essential that thought
be given to their planning and
their betterment. 1t is unnecessary !
we in this day, with all that has !
been done, should repeat the mis-
OF those who have gon before, |
and yet, unless we give thought to
this matter, that is exactly the thing
Is going to be done. In a state
where the country Is fiat, like North
Dakota, the sewage question and the
water question are difficult. problems;
sewage because the engineer finds
streams and little flow
70 the top of the land; the water ques-I
Ion because there is seemingly great
hardness and large mineral content in
The waters of u state. Both of
these problems ought to be attacked
n a big way; they ought to be dealt
with as statewide questions. Tt is
true that some efforts are now being
made to gather information upon the
of the waters Of the state.
But besides these there are manyt
associated with the growth
Of towns in the field of education. in
the matter of amusements, and in the
of morals. The main thing toI
be considered is thoughtful study Oh
the problems that are involved. Time
this phase of the matter. We have
been Handicapped in North Dakota by
the fact that it is necessary to import
the state nearly a million tons of
coal at a cost of not less than SIS a ton.
This large sum of eight million dollars
tends to check manufacture and to pre-
expenditure in other directions. 1t