Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-05-26
M IN
AND SOUTH DAKOTA

, lege at Fargo has the backing OF a great
transcontinental railroad as well as OF the
The little agricultural college at Brook.
ings, S. d., on the other hand, has had to
tight its way up against adverse political
influences and a bitter division of interest
as to the most important ends of agricul-
ture 10 be served-the dry farming inter
ests from Pierre westward or the inter-
moist. regions east of Aberdeen. Redfeld.
Huron and Mitchell. Even east OF the
/ Missouri there has been no great. unani-
nifty. and the little college OF agriculture
has come In for a lot of buffeting that
has sorely hampered it's efficiency.
a few years ago there We're only sin
agricultural students at B~rookinss. To-
day the college-including both branches.
engineering and agriculture-has an en-,
rollment of so. most of the students tax
ing the course in agriculture. In addition
agriculture attached to the college. Ac,
comm odations are taxed to the limit, and
scores OF applications for enrolment will
nave to be turned down another year I'M
! less the legislature makes a more gener-
Gus allowance.
Handicapped BY Lack Of Data.
You will find no beaming statisticians
! waiting for you in South Dakota. Tho
state department of agriculture performs
annual state fair. Government statistics
are gathered. hut the state is woefully
shy of valuable concerning
ieI crops AHO neF FARMERS. Inc OlSkeSI
public service SO fur rendered has been
accomplished by the South Dakota Inn
proved Live Stock and Breeders associa-
ton. which brings together more than
LOO breeders at it's annual meetings.. This
organization plans to guild up q compre-
henslve crop reporting, bureau. working
IN cooperation with the state board of
of the experiment station at Brookings. is
secretary of the association.
The progress OF the live stock industry
has h0nn CnriOI1c1N. EorN VIVA rnI tn SDr,kt.
Dakota by several bad laws. among them
one allowing quack veterinarians to prac-
tice In the state. But the Better Farm
ing Association of North Dakota is setting
such g rattltng pace and making such a
noise with it's progress that the South
Dakota reactionaries are beginning to trek
to the tall timber
Both states are striving desperately in
the direction of prosperity on the hoof,
and. with what few statistics South Dako
ia is able to get together she can show
that she has swung into the column of
corn states and has escaped from the
pioneering period OF wheat orgies.
Need of Fertilizer.
Practically no commercial fertilizers are
being used, with the result that the wheat
yields have fallen In some sections to five
and six bushels to the acre and the corn
yields to less than nine bushels. OF
course, several successive dry seasons
ter farming missionaries. who are urging
the conservation of straw stacks for
hurnus and the utilization of more manure
and fertilizers. estimate that South Da-
k a. soil is being robbed annually Of @2.-
0oO,o0 pounds of nitrogen. Potato produce
ton Is greatly on the increase: the Spear
fish valley in the Black Hills has become
almost exclusively "a potato district.
The alfalfa enthusiasts are right behind
the potato growers as potatoes put the
ground in fine shape for small grains and
alfalfa. The farmers east of the Mis-
souri, are also making big paintings OF
cowpeas. Canada field peas and sweet
clover. Canada field peas resist drought
admirably.
West of the river the farmers are plant
ing a great deal of new dry-land crop,
koaliang. a Manchurian small grain that
seems to do much better than katir or
milo. One thousand farmers nave report
ed to the college the successful growing
of this crop.
Then there is the new hardy alfalfa that
Professor. Hansen has brought from 81
IBERIA. and with which he has been max
Ing remarkably successful experiments.
with a tobacco planter. In his opinion
this alfalfa will revolutionize farming
throughout an immense dry-land area that
is distinctly beyond what I nave attempt
ed to designate as the backbone Of
J America.