Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-05-24
CONSUMPTION
0FDLELANDS
FOR CROP
Several Thousand Acres AL.
ready Added to State
Flax Acreage. ~

Bismarck. N. D., May 24.-The
North Dakota council of defense's
campaign to place every tillable acre
On the firing line is. working. Already
the order issued by" the council Tues
day. conscrip.tng North Dakota's idle
acres. has added several thousand ia
the acreage which will be devoted
this summer to producing the
bumper flax crop which Uncle Sam
expects from North Dakota.
Poetic Justice.
What would, appear to be poetic
justice was meted out yesterday when
II. G.. CARRIER, operative in charge OF
the southwestern section of North
Dakota for the department of Justice
was given authority by the council to
take over 800 acres Of raw. land south
of Beach and pant it to fax on the
ten per cent crop payment plan
adopted by the council.
Mr.. CARRIER and NJ. X. Bowen OF
Carlyle, Mont, had made arrange.
ments with C. II. Blanchard OF
Orange, CAL. the owner. of the land
$4,000 to be paid on December L
1918, and 1000 a yea later.
CARRIER and Bowen accepted these
terms. regarded the contract closed
and invested 500 in seed and put in q
oi5 StCdLll lIdCIOI OuLlIl UTCd w
the land. Then. after the seed was
partly in, came a peremptory wire
from Blanchard. stated Mr.. CARRIER
insisting that he have a payment OF
$1,000 Immediately. Bowen and
CARRIER had their money tied up in
seed and tractor outfit. and they were
desperate until they learned through
the press of the North Dakota coun.
Gil of defense's ruling as to the status
of nonresident lands in this state
Mr.. CARRIER put the matter before the
board and as a result he and his as.
sociate will have the use Of this 32C
acres for the growing Of fax, and
their only obligation to the owner will
be the payment Of ten per cent Of the
net proceeds Of the crop. Whether
they go Though with the origina'
contract Is now a matter entirels
aside from the present all-important
question. of getting in a crop and be-
ing protected in its possession.
Would Put in Quarter.
Another evidence that the council
of defense's CONSUMPTION Of Stacker
acres meets with the approval of pa
triotic farmers came in a wire from
NJ. B. Butler of Grand Forks, stating
thbt he had a Nelson county quarter
section, owned by a nonresident. I'M
der lease to be sown to wheat mex
season., and asking permission tt
plant that tract to fax this year.
The council of defense considered
the question Of whether Nelson count,
is good fax territory, and alst
whether cropping the land to fax thi'
year nigh: not do more damage tt
the wheat crop next year. than thu
benefit derived from the fax crop. I
finally was decided that Mr.. Rutler
inasmuch as he must stand the los
il the land is spoiled for wheat mex
year, should use his own judgment
and he was given permission to plan
the land to flax, on the ten per cen
crop payment plan.. providing seeding
is finished lot later than June Is.
The council adopted a resolution
formally fixing June Is as the las
date upon which flax ma be seeded
on nonresident lands conscripted o,
the ten. per cent payment plan. I
was the opinion of the board tina
little results could be expected fron
flax seeded after that date