The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1918-09-13

WHEAT was actually worth over A.,
.aI more than that in the open mar
ket, the farmers of North ~ &c
complaining not and without send;n rs
any ueiegates to Washington to pro
'est' Loyalty and willingly accenta,
and received the price fixed for tbei,
pfoouct and quickly delivered it :,
, the nation. ~ ee
our government has
asked for financial response 70 ON,
nlDerty loans, North Dakota, even
though impoverished by severe cror
failures in the years 1916 and 1917
nevertheless has gone over the ton nm.
on every request with mapnifcent
oversubscriptions.
In active support Of the Red
cross, North Dakota continuously set
record of high loyal devotion and
worthy achievement. In support Of
the Red Cross magazine North Dako.
Ia leads the entire United States for
copies received monthly per canita
In the second Red Cross drive North
dakota led the states of the Union
with an oversubscription of 800 ner
cent Furthermore, throughout the
state, here and there and everv-
where, Red Cross acres may be found
donated by the farmers as to tbe
proceeds from their crop productions
when again the government re-
quested that every effort be made TO
increase our crop production, to all!
ard MAINTAIN our boys and our allies
at the front, North Dakota, upon its
own initiative, Immediately took &C.
ton to insure as greatly an increased
acreage as possible. Governor Fra
zler, the executive head of the Non
partisan administration, realizing
that the crop failure in 1916 and
1917 In various parts Of the state had
not only greatly impoverished the
farmers but in many counties had
left them without tn. necessary seed
for a Succeeding crop and without
credit to obtain seed. called into spe-
cIal session the legislature, proposing
the cnacfJng of 6. seed and feed act
for the benefit of TIE farmers and
the nation and to enable needy farm
ers to borrow money to secure suf-
flclent seed and feed 10, crop pro-
duction in 1913. his act was adopt
I'd by the legislatu and became u
law practically as proposed.
"The increase in the wheat acreage
was 10 per cent and in rye 100 per
cent. The increase IN total acreage
Of all crops in 1918 over 1917 is l.
1000 acres, Or in round numbers
10 per cent increase. The operation
Of the seed and feed act enabled the
farmers to seed more than 100000
acres. This is one of the factors. The
other is this:
"There are thousands of acres of
land in the state vacant, tillable, idle
and unproductive; many of these
acres are owned by nonresidents,
many by spectators who have been
holding them as an investment for
increase in land value as the sur
land is broken up by actual
farmers and made productive. In
North Dakota, the council of defense,
operating under a Nonpartisan ad
has taken noteworthy
steps to aid in crop production.
cit enacted a regulatory order pro-
'iding that any farmer of the state
lpon a showing being made that
here were idle, vacant and tillable
ands which he could utilize for crop
production could secure permit
rom the council to enter upon the
ands make them productive for the
cars 1913 for raising flax and for
he year 1919 for raising wheat. This
le was permitted to do providing ne !,
would carefully farm the same, hav-
ng the ability to do so, and provid- !
ng he agreed to pay the owner
ust rent for the use of the land.
''This measure has worked out :
and in every part OF the
tate are willing and loyal hands OF
he farmers went to work to add to
he acreage of North Dakota 100000 !
ores of idle lands. Some complaints
ave come from land owners and
peculators who desired rather to
old Stacker acres and virgin prairie !
han to make them productive.
"The result has been in accordance 8
nth estimates made that 100000
ores have been added to the produc- /
i've lands of North Dakota. FLAX this =
ear has been prescribed to pc seed
d for the reason that the order was 6
ssued too late for wheat seeding and .
ince the usual course of good farm :