The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-03-31

No country has ever succeeded b.
slack, blind farming methods. 1
takes lots of hard work, both menta
and physical, to make a farm pay
| do not know of any business tina
ever succeeded without someone put
ting in his hard work or its equiva
lent.
Stockman Favors Corn
A friend of mine in Billings asked
an old time stockman what he
thought about the future of Montana
from an agricultural standpoint. The
stockman replied that immigration
would naturally shorten the range
that any time that enough rain came
so that the grass would grow, the so
called dry farmers, by proper meth
DDS of cultivation, could raise corn
fodder for which he, the stock man,
would be willing to pay SO per acre.
I can remember the time in Lyon
county, Mimi, when a 10-acre patch
of corn was considered something
wonderful and we drove out to see it
and wondered if it would mature.
Corn is now the principal product in
Lyon county.
Later in northern Minnesota, they
said it was too far north, and that it
could not be raised. They are doing
it now, not to such a great extent as
in southern Minnesota, but the acre
age is increasing each year. ! don't
believe that any man can safely say
where corr a or cannot be raised.
The homestead agricultural land in
the United States is practically all
gone. Our population, without a
doubt will increase very rapidly.
Perhaps we will learn hat although
our rainfall is light, there is a way.
False Explanations
We like to make ourselves believe
hat the last four years in Montana
have been abnormal and in that way
explain our crop failures and in a like
manner infer that when conditions
get back to normal we will again have
good crops. A careful study of the
does not prove this to be
true.
During the last six years we have
had three abnormal years and three
normal years; 1915 and 1916 were
abnormal because they were unus-
ually wet years; 1919 was abnormal
because it was an unusually dry year.
During the next 20 years we will
probably have mor seasons similar
to 1917, 1918 and 1920 than any
other kind. In 1915 and 1916 the
state enjoyed exceptionally fine crops
because of the unusual amount of
Precipitation. If we continue to farm
the future as we have in the past,
With the same amount Of precipita-
ion in any two years as we had in
1915 and 1916 we could not possibly
as good crops simply because
our land is all so foul.
Need New Farming Methods
Under successful agricultural
Methods during the last six years,
Montana should have produced a
profitable crop in every year except
.919. If in the future, in a series
# six years exactly similar to the
tx last past we cannot produce at
four good crops the state will
all ag~riculturally. You can readily
ee that the recent method of farm
ng has proved a failure.
This statement is made to show
that there is no intermediate
round. 1t is absolutely one thing /
r the other; that is, you understand
. far as the so-called dry agricul-
lral land is concerned. This article
oes not make any reference to the
or irrigated areas of the
ate.
lccessful stockmen of southeastern :
-ontana came to this country in the J
srly days and made his money be-
IRE the fences were built. He has a !
cry fine 1000 acre ranch near Eka-
ka, in southeastern Montana. He
rs often told me that since the /
.nge is all fenced up he does not !
low what to do with this ranch. :