The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-07-31
THE NORTH DAKOTA EXAMPLE.

The Worlds Work in a recent issue
says:
Several years ago the Worlds Work
began to call national attention to the
farm demonstration work by which the
late DR.. Seaman A. Knapp was re-
generating agriculture in the south.
These articles about DR.. Knapp's in
spring work attracted the interest of
Mr.. A. r. Rogers, a large lumberman
of Minneapolis, who had extensive
connections in North Dakota. Mr..
Rogers realized that North Dakota,
like most of the southern states, was
a :'one-crop' state, and he felt that
DR.. Knapp's plan was the plan by
which it's economic salvation might
be gained. He interested other leaders
of the northwest and they called a
convention Of the bankers Of North
Dakota.
The bankers were so enthusiastic
over the plan that they and other bust
ness men subscribed $4,000 a year to
undertake a campaign for better farm
methods. Most of the counties of the
state soon followed with appropria-
lions and the Better Farming associa-
ton was formed. Tom Cooper, the
best that the state agricultural COL
lege could recommend, was put in
charge. Today he has more than TWEEN
ty field agents working with him, more
than five thousand farmers are CO.
operating to increase the productive
ness of their farms, and the work has
grown to such proportions that the
Better Farming association has prac-
tically been taken over bodily by the
United States department of agricul-
ture under the direction of the office
of farm management.
"A vivid picture of this change is
given in a few word by Mr.. F. A.
Irish, vice president of the First Ma
tional bank of Fargo, N. D., in the fol-
lowing quotation from The Wall Street
Journal:
Few people in the east under
stand what has been going on in
North Dakota. The state has turn
ed over from a one-crop to a di-
Versified farming state, and in
stead of doing it through the
slow, evolutionary process of years,
has made the change practically
Ill two seasons. Bankers have al
most been overwhelmed with re-
quests for loans to buy feeding
catti> and pedigreed bulls, some
times at $1,000 and $4,000 each.
=. Farmers have taken hold
of, the idea that diversification is
their salvation, and the banks
have helped them to it. But it has
all been brought about in a short
time.
But the ultimate effect Of these
articles about Dr.. Knapp did not stop
there. After the Better Farming as
ISOLATION had won It's first successes
The Worlds Work sent Mr.. Frank
Parker Stockbridge to North Dakota
to describe it's achievements. His ar
ticle, The North Dakota Man Crop
was published in The Worlds Work
for November, 1912. Now comes the
following letter about the effects OF
that article:
You may be interested in know
ing that the success of the North
Dakota Better Farming associa-
ton has stimulated people in the
province of Saskatchewan to a
point where they are preparing to
adopt the same. An address. a
copy of wbich has been sent to me
by Mr.. C. v. Brown, superintend-
ent of branches of the Canadian
Bank of Commerce, delivered by
him at Regina. gives credit to your
article in The Worlds Work for
what they are doing. or attempt
ing to do, in their province
truly,
aThus you see your good work is
constantly spreading. Yours very
"(Signed) "A. r.. Rogerc.
@Minneapolis. Mimi, june rs,
1914.