Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-03-24
BELIEVES in
. NORTH DAKOTA
Manager Of Great Farm Near
Armenia Tells Of Some of the
Advantages of State. /

The following letter from. Walter
Reed, manager Of the immense farms
containing 10000 acres near Armenia,
written to Commissioner Flint of the
agricultural department, is highly in.
teresting and contains good pointers
not only to North Dakotans, but to
those in eastern states, telling them of
the successes to be attained in this
state. In his letter Mr.. Reed says:
"You certainly ask some interesting
questions in your letter. l3niight write
an answer so long as to exhaust your
patience, without exhausting the sub.
ject.
81 am one of the men who, believe
in North Dakota. Ny grandfather did
before me He zane to the state in
1875, and his belief in the future a
the result Of his foresight; mine has
experience as a basis. But; his faith
in North Dakota never wavered after
lie had seen the sod broken and the
first crop grown. Still | know that to
the day df his death he never realized
one-half its possibilities. And I be-
lieve few Of us now have any adequate
conception of North Dakota's future.
"Yet,if my grandfather could see the
magnificent fields Of corn and clover,
alfalfa and potatoes, oats and barley,
which today have SO largely displaced
the wheat on his broad acres, he
would be astonished. And we, while
we cannot foresee just in what line de-
velolment will come, do recognize that
in our day. agriculture is making great
er progress than at any previous time.
So knowing North Dakota's wonderful
natural resources, her rich, black soil
and beautiful climate, we unhesitating'
ly and unQuestioningly predict that
she will be in the forefront of farming
progress and prosperity.
"You ask about corn and clover.
Corn is now accepted in most sections
of the state asa regular part OF the
crop rotation. But here we are COM
ing to look on it as our biggest crop,
so that some are beginning to put it
on their best land, instead of growing
it merely to rest the soil, and refit 1t
for grain. And the sound Of the
spreader is heard in the land-the ma
nura mountains of the bonanza days
are fast disappearing everywhere, as
the monument which marks the pass
ing of the old days of wheat raising,
and the mllepost which shows our pro.
gress toward the perennial prosper.
ity of diversified farming. Advanced
from a bi-product to a crop worthy OF
the greatest effort for its own sake,
corn is coming into it's own in North
Dakota.
Sand clover seems a close second in
the race for favor. North Dakota win.
terA have no terrors for red clover. l
rece ntly asked! a Massachusetts farm.
err II he grew clover and alfalfa there.
His answer was "No, our climate is
too severe." l advised him to move
to North Dakota. We have grown
clover for years and have never hadta
crop freeze out. The successive thaW.
ing and freezing, common in the east
and south, and so destructive to clov'
els and winter grains are very unus'
ual here, and l have never yet seen
oui. clover 'heave out If the land is
put in shape for seeding, 30 that the
young plant grows and thrives the
first summer, the winter will not pc
likely 10 lnJure IL. 10 me HOLHAn6 ~
nature is more beautiful than one OF
our fields of clover in bloOm-:the
great red blossoms standing so close
as to almost touch, making the whole
field q mass of color. Possibly the
promise Of big stacks Of clover hal
and bags Of clover seed add to Its
beauty. Anyway, I like the looks OF
such a field.
"Our alfalfa has been giving us
three cuttings per year, where cut for
hay, and one field has been establish
ed for about ten years, and seems as
productive as ever. Last summer the
road was widened along this old feld
and the grader unearthed some OF the
alfalfa roots. Such roots-they are