The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1920-09-09
BENEFIT OF CORN AND
POTATOES TO AN AGRI-
CULTURAL COMMUNITY
Applied Especially to the Mouse River
Loop District Of North
Dakota.

Dakota.
1t is now an established fact among
the resourceful and progressive farm
ers Of the Mouse River Loop that
corn and potatoes have "cOme to stay"
The reasons underlying this belief
make up the bulk Of the thought and
reasoning contained in this article.
The first and main reason is that
straight wheat" farming has proved
losing method in the long run. It
does not matter whether the land is
located in Maine, Kansas, North Da-
kota. South Dakota, Ohio or Califor-
MIA. (Did you know that Kansas is
now shifting to corn as the main
crop.) Hence some of the foregoing
states have passed through the pres
ent difficulties Of North Dakota. And
what have they done to better their
agricultural conditions? What plan
have they substituted or adopted?
Diversified farming is the answer.
/ Everyone knows that all farming
in the New England, middle and south
Atlantic states is diversified and that
a regular rotation of crops is adhered
to. Why? Because their land is
poor. And their land is poor because
| they have taken a crop off it every
season for $50 years. By crop rota-
ton, fertilizer, use of cultivated crops
in the rotation, growing of legumes
and green manures, careful methods
of preparing the soil and ever think
ing Of the future while doing hard
labor, these veteran farmers are now
in position to produce much more
grain and general farm products per
acre (Which is the only factor in pro.
fitI than the rich but poorly watered
soils of the famous wheat districts.
Thus the problem in less arid dis
tricts is one of keeping plant food
replenished while in regions like Ward
county the problem is one Of supply !,
ing moisture or conserving the supply |
in order to release enough plant food
for the seasons crop. If the farmer
Of Ward county knows what cultivated
crops mean he will realize none too
soon their value as soil conditiOners.
They do the same work as summer
following and conserve moisture for
the succeeding crop.
Since moisture (by liberating plant
food from the soil) is the key to all
progress in agriculture, is it not log
ical that cultivated crops will benefit
the agricultural endeavors of well
meaning and sincere farmers? And
they are beginning to show up here
and there over the region. Every
day you will hear of some man who
is now satisfied that corn and pota-
toes have increased the yield of num-
erous crops.
Now in North Dakota, where rain
fall is normally insufficient to release
plant food enough for a crop every
year, a change must be made from
the single crop system. Would it
not be worth while to substitute sys-
tenn which has been used successfully
for SO years in other sections? We
leave the answer to those men who
have tried the better way:
Briefly. CROP ROTATION AND
INTENSIVE FARMING b sthe plan
advocated by better farmers and men
who have experimental with both and
many other syst ms. The rotation
can be made as simple as desired e
crops). Intensiveness can and will,
perforce, follow.
The Investigation Of crops or farm
products can be made as large as the
individual desires. And just as long
as there is one cultivated crop in
three year rotation or two in four
year rotation the land will produce
better yields per acre. Corn or po-
tatoes are excellent cultivated crops |
for rotation. They both tend to
improve the soil and conserve mois-
ture as well as keep down weeds and
eliminate summer following. But
potatoes is better money crop than
corn. Both corn and potatoes in . 8
or 4 year rotation is ideal If the farm
er is feeding some cattle of either the
dairy or beef type.
The following is pocket edition Of
a good "dining room table" for the
farms in the Mouse River Loop dis
trict: