The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1922-09-14

III fostering community spirit - a
spirit of friendship and sociability, so
that people will enjoy coming here for
reunions and picnics, and to bring
with them the whole family. There
should be sufficient number of prizes
for attainmen by the boys and girls
so that not only will they enjoy COM
ing to the fair, but the folks will plan
with eagerness upon the time they
can come to the Ward County Fair,
and to bring with them the whole
family and to join the neighbors in a
fine and wholesome spirit Of friend
ship. The fair must encourage this
spirit, and you should make it a point
to have noone on the board of man.
agement, as Judges Of Or any other
capacity who would fail to radiate this
spirit of friendship for which we
should make our fair to stand.
Gas I have stated before, the fair
is of little value, except insofar as
it convinced the farmers of our Sec
ton of the state that it is possible for
every one of them to raise products
similar to those which are exhibited
and that only when products of that
class are being raised can be possibly
hope to insure the economic future of
this section Of the state. Only when
we put our commonwealth on this
permanent basis of prosperity which
will come from the program of diver
sification that is indicated by these
exhibits have we really accomplished
what should be the aim and purpose
of this fair.
eve have done we'll as a one-crop
state. There is no state in the Un-
ion that can raise fine wheat more
successfully than we can here in the
northwest, but we know that our
economic future is not safe unless we
can develop in our state balanced
program of production-a diversifica-
ton which means the successful rails
ing in large quantities of at least
dozen different ones Of the products
that are exhibited here today.
II like to think Of our state, and
especially of our social and economic
life as a structure that we are erect
ing and maintaining. So far it has
been supported on one magnificent
pillar-that of small grain farming,
and when things are absolutely right
for the successful raising of small
grain, there is little cause for COM
plant. But experience has taught
US that there are half a dozen things
that may happen to this pillar OF sup
port that will make it of little or no
value for a whole year, and that fire.
ouent obstruction Of this basis of our
support continually disturbs our eco
nonic life, and renders true and
steady development impossible. How
much better would it not be If our
economic structure rested on six,
eight, or ten substantial pillars con-
sisting of each one of these products
that may successfully be raised and
developed upon our farms. Small
grain, corn, dairy cattle, beef cattle,
hogs, sheep, poultry and garden truck
may be mentioned as some of these
more substantial pillars in our states
development.
"The great and fundamental prob
lem is to create conditions in our
state that will mean the establishment
and maintenance of the best possible
home life with families Of healthy,
happy, and contented young people
that like the farm and take an inter-
est in the problems that the farmers
are seeking to solve.
ITO create the ideal conditions on
the farm, every farmer in my opinion
ought to produce enough OF cream
eggs, poultry, hogs, sheep, corn, pota-
toes and garden truck to furnish the
complete living of his family so that
whenever any favorable season makes
grain farming profitable, that he may
add the results of that to his growing
fortune.
'The advantages of raising this
variety of products in each commun-
ity sufficient for home consumption is
that it saves freight, eliminates mid
dleman's profit, and provides fresh
wholesome food that will promote the
health and welfare Of all Of our peo-
pie.
The complaint is made that it takes
q great deal of capital and commun-
ity cooperation to get started in some
lines Of the diversi6cation program.
This may be true, but when we have
the assurance from the experience OF
many in our own state and from the
experience of those in other states
that certain success is sure to follow
+bo ;,tol1;ren+ dovalOnmant in these