The Bowbells tribune. [volume] (Bowbells, Ward Co., N.D.) 1899-1969, 1918-07-26
LAND BANK GIVES
! ADVICE TO FARMERS
tr,-

The following letter which is self
explanatory was received a few days
ago by Secretary-Treasu C. J. Ko-
priva Of the Bowbells Federal Farm
Loan Associations:
IL St. Paul, July 10, 1918.
To the Secretary-Treasurer
Due to repeated crop failures
caused by drought and otherwise,
the economic condition of the farm
ers in North Dakota at the present
time is very unfavorable. A great
many of the farmers have been
farming at loss for several years.
This condition is especially true in
the farm loan associations in the
west half of the state. It therefore
behooves us and the rarm Ioan asso-
Citations in these affected areas to be
very careful in our work.
We must pay the interest on the
bonds semi-annually, promptly on
the day the interest is due. In or
der to do this, the farmers must pay
their interest semi-annually, prompt
ly when it, is DUE To assure this,
farmer must be id such condition
that he can produce enough from his
farm to support his family and
make his amortization payments, in
terest and taxes, together with 9TH
er incidental expenses that he has.
The repeated crop failures in the
state of N. D. have demonstrated
the fact that the only way farmer
can assure himself an income sutti-
cient 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 per-
iods Of drought as we'll as in normal
years. Farmers must turn their
attention to the raising of live stock
and keeping milch cows on the farm,
and center their farming operations
around this system of farming.
This will give them dependable in
come. They can then also raise
some grain in their regular crop ro-
tation and assure themselves
grain crop practically every year.
Such crops as wheat and oats, fol-
lowing corn, will do very we'll even,
in a 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 mot
suitable to- wheat farming excspt
under very favorable. conditions.
= Much of the land should be .sowed
to hay and feed crops 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 en-
tertain applications from farmers
who have shown by their farming
operations in the past that they have
dependable income, and they must
! have livestock and dairy cows to
assure this for the future. We are
not only interested in securing abso-
lutely safe loans for the bank alone.
but we wish to protect the farm
loan associations so that every loan
in a given association will be good
and that none will become burden
upon the association, as such. In
this every member of the farm loan
association is interested with us and
they must not, hereafter, 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 In
dustry OF live stock growing. All