The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1918-12-12
WALLIN REVIEWS "a CROPS
IN WARD COUNTY
Old Time Farmer Gives Recollection
Of Crop Conditions for More than
Third of q Century.

Old Time Farmer Gives Recollection
| of Crop Conditions for More than
Third of Century.
! Senator John Wallin who has farm
cd in Ward county for the past thirty
| four years--more than a third of a
century,-has kept close track of con-
ditlons year by year and he furnished
the readers of the Independent with
some valuable figures which ought to
be preserved. The report follows:
my recollection of crop conditions
during my stay in Ward county:
| 1S84--good crop.
| lSS5-bumper crop.
1S86-dry but medium crop.
! 1SS7-fair crop.
1SS8-frosted grain but heavy
straw.
! 1889-almost total failure.
| lS9O-almost total failure.
! 1881 bumper crop.
1892-bumper crop.
1904 poor crop but not total fail
ure.
1894-fair crop.
| 1895-good crop.
1896-bumper crop.
1S97-light crop.
1S9S-good crop.
1899-bumper crop.
19O0-poor crop.
1901-bumper crop.
19O2-poor crop.
1903-medium crop.
1904-good crop
19O5-bumper crop.
1906-medium crop.
1907-good crop.
1908-light crop.
1909-good crop.
1910-failure.
1911-failure.
1912-bumper crop.
1913-light CROP
| 1914-crop suffered damage from
rust-otherwise a good stand.
1916-wheat almost destroyed by
rust. Other grains good.
1917-almost failure.
1918-one-t third of a crop. Flax a
little better.
BY studying the above figures, it
try need not be exactly failure. l
saw in one of the local papers that
there is a movement on foot to build
a potato warehouse. If that could be
realized, l think it would be bless
ing to this country. When the soil
gets old, it needs to be enriched. Po-
tatoes enrich the land. / never saw
a crop failure on land planted to pota-
toes the year previous, and l seldom
have seen failure Of potato crop,
if planted on we'll prepared land.
Besides there is Always net profit
to be made on a potato crop, if there
was a ready market. The reason farm
ers have not gone into it any more
than they have is the uncertainty of
the market. But with potato ware
house here in Minot, that problem
would be solved.
/ do not suppose any individual
would invest his money in a venture
like this, altho it would be a paying
proposition. Right here is place
where public ownership would work
well. Surprising the city or even the
county was allowed to build otato
warehouse, operated by the city or
county. In few years the business
would pay for itself and it would en-
rich the country all around, because
it would induce farmers to change
their mode of farming. But l reckon
the objection to this would be that it
is socialistic and interferes with pri-
ate business. Thus private business
always has to be taken care of at the
expense of the public. If this country
is ever to be built up and come to its
rights, it will have to be done either
by cooperation of the people or by
public ownership. The farmers at the
present time are not able to finance a
project like this. But something diff
ferent from the usual way has to be
adopted in this part of the country.
Raising potatoes on large scale will
solve the problem to a large extent
we can get ready market for the
product.
Yours truly,
JOHN WALLIN.