The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1915-04-22
North DAKOTA
FARMERS CHEERFUL
WITH DIVERSIFIED METHODS,
FARMERS ARE BECOMING
MORE PROSPEROUS AND CON-
TENTED.

That success or failure, contentment
or dissatisfaction among farmers is 8
question Of livestock, seems to be the
idea of John Donnelly & Sons, of Graf.
tomas expressed in a letter to Com.
missioner of Agriculture Flint. He
says;
the world. It is also one of the most
respectable and dignified. The farmer
who puts mentality and enthusiasm
into his business receives the plaudits
respect and admiration of all classes
of people and a good return on his
investment.
"After tihrty-four years of study
ing the agricultural and livestock con-
ditions in North Dakota, hold that
it should be the ambition as we'll as
the duty of every farmer to make the
best of his opportunities.
"These consist of naturally fertile
soil, good market and other favorable
conditions. My observations lead me
to suggest that the farmers through
out the state can bring about these
improvements in their business and
materially increase their profits by
giving more thought and attention to
few but simple principles, namely:
rotation Of crops, economy Of produce
ton, unnecessary waste, and market
ing of finished products instead of raw
materials.
The silo is strong determining fac
tor in the bringing about of the above
suggestions.
It is a lamentable fact that under
present prevailing conditions the pro-
ducing value of many farms has been
falling off and the fertility Of the soil
in many cases seriously reduced, but
this fertility can be replaced. There
are two ways of doing this, and both
should be put into practice at once.
They are rotation of crops and the
keeping of more live stock on the
farm. These two things will not only
increase your profits and maintain the
fertility of your soil, but will also in
crease the value of your land.
"Many of our fields need rest from
continued grain cropping. Manure and
growing legumes will put back into
the soil those elements which contin-
ual cropping of grain has robbed from
, it.
"In each and every farming COM
munity throughout the state you will
find some who complain of their condi-
tons, and others who are satisfied.
They can be put into two classes, the
disconnected or failures and the cheer
full or successful ones. The discomfort
ed ones are those who have never fol-
lowed any rotation and keep no class
of livestock.
81 have often noticed when livestock
is selling at high price and feed is
cheap they will go into livestock, and
when the market slumps and feed goes
up they will sell their livestock, the
result is they lose and get discouraged
and say there is no money in livestock.
Of course, we have to look for a fail
ure in livestock and grain once in a
while, but the one who sticks is the one
who wins in the end. You will find
the ones who have failed are those
who have been raising grain on the
same land for a number of years and
never haul a load of manure onto their
land. but pile it in some back corner to
get it out of the way. The best way
to get it out Of the way, and the most
profitable way is to spread it on your
land.
eve had people in our community
who became Disconnected; made fail
ures here; went to the Canadian
Northwest, started the same thing
over again and became discontinued
and had failure inside of five years.
eve have in North Dakota the best
soil and the climatic conditions are
very good, so there are no reasons
why there shouldn't be more cheerful
ones than there are. There is only one
way to farm in North Dakota and
that is to diversity, follow rotation
of crops and raise more livestock.
Choose whatever class Of livestock you
like best and always use the best sire
YOU can obtain for breeding your
stock. Do not cross one breed on an
other with a view of improvement, just
follow up one breed and stick to them.
"One of the most important things
on the farm today is to keep the chill
dren on the farm and get them inter-
ested This can be done very easily.
Give the boys horses and machinery
to work with, and allow them to have
an interest in the livestock. This will
encourage them. Improve the farm
home by installing all the modern
conveniences you can. If you get all
the family interested you surely will
be cheerful one and if the discon-
tented ones would apply the above
suggestions they surely will become
cheerful"
April showers wash and clean old