Williston graphic., 1918-08-22
MUST GET away FROM
THE ONE CROP SYSTEM
LOANS NOT MADE TO FARMERS
BY LAND BANK UNLESS HAVE
MICH COWS AND STOCK

A letter was received this week
from E. G. Quamme President of the
Federal Land Bank at St. Paul by
Ernest Francis Sec. and Treasurer OF
the Williston National Farm Loan
Association relative to the require
ments that must be met in order to
procure a loan from this bank. Pres.
Quamme has just returned from
Washington, D. c., where he was in
conference with officials there and
helped in procuring the sum of $5,-
600 1000 for the farmers in the drought
stricken districts Of the country. Mr..
Quamme writes the local association
as follows:
Due to repeated crop failures caus-
ed by drought and otherwise, the
economic condition of the farmers in
North Dakota at the present time is
very unfavorable. A great many of
the farmers have been farming at a
loss for several years. This condi-
ton is especially true in the west half
of the state. It therefore behooves
US and the farm loan associations in
these affected areas to be very care
full in our work.
We must pay the interest on the
bonds semi-annually, promptly on the
day the interest is due. In order to
do this, the farmers must pay their
interest semi-annually, promptly when
it is due. To assure this, a farmer
must be in such condition that he can
produce enough from his farm to sup
port his family and his amortization
payments, interests and taxes, to-
gether with other incidental expen-
ses that he has. The repeated crop
failures in the state of North Dakota
have demonstrated the fact that the
only way farmer can assure him
self an income insufficien to meet
these requirements is to practice crop
rotation and the growing of live stock.
There are many grasses and feed
crops of various kinds that will grow
in the state of North Dakota which
can be depended upon in periods Of
drought as we'll as in normal years.
Farmers must turn their attention to
the raising of live-tock and keeping
milch cows on the farm, and center
their farming operations around this
system of farming. This will give
them dependable income. They can
then also raise some grain in their
regular crop rotation and assure them
selves q grain crop practically every
year. Such crops as wheat and oats,
following corn, will do very we'll even
in dry year.
What the farmers must get away
from is the one crop system of farm
ing, namely the raising of wheat.
Western North Dakota, especially, is
in a semi-arid district and is not suit
able to wheat farming except Under
very favorable conditions. Much Of
the land should be sowed to hay and
feed and various grasses for pasture,
thus reducing the number of horses
kept on the farm.
Hereafter you will pay strict at
tention to this, as we will only enter
tain applications from farmers who
have shown by their farming opera
tions in the past that they have de-
pendable income, and they must have
livestock and dairy cows to assure
this for the future. We are not only
interested in securing absolutely safe
loans for the bank alone, but we wish
to protect the farm loan associations
so that every loan in a given associa-
tion will be good and that none viii!
become a burden upon the associa-
ton as such. In this every member,
of the farm loan association is inter-
ested with US and they must not, here
after, approve loan and recommend
it to US unless the man has cattle,
especially mich cows on the farm
and centers his farming operations
around the industry of livestock
growing. All loans that do not COM
ply with these requirements will be
rejected by US because we do not con-
slider them safe loans.
We would kindly ask you to i'm
mediately notify every member of
your farm loan association of the
contents of this letter so that they
may Oe lN1OFNucU u Vic 0ItlSOuC Which,
this bank will take with respect to
loans in their association hereafter.
This information should also be made
general by the members of the farm
loan associations so that prospective
applicants may understand our posi-
ton and your position in this mat
ter and they will therefore be able to
comply with these requirements be-
fore making application for loan
from this institution.
You will understand that this rul
ing is not only to protect us and the
farm loan association, but it is for
the best interests of the farmers them
selves, for in this manner they will
make their farming operations a safe
and dependable enterprise, thus pro-
viding the necessities and comforts
for their families and assuring them
selves of the steady progress of de-
velopment towards financial indepen-