Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-01-24
CORN mi

The forthcoming corn and potato show will be
"a gathering right in line with the highest develop
ment of agricultural possibilities. The indications
are that the gathering will be we'll attended, and
that valuable information will be gained by those
in attendance as to the experiences Of the past i'll
the production and handling of some of our most
useful crops. The past few years have witnessed
some extraordinary developments in agriculture. 1t
has been shown conclusively that the restriction Of
agriculture in any section to one crop, even though
that be an important one, involves a risk which the
average farmer cannot afford to take. There have
been a few occasions on which the devotion of effort
to a single crop has yielded satisfactory returns.
That has been due to chance, and the more the farm
er can eliminate chance from his business the more
safe he is, the the more likely in the long run to
achieve solid prosperity.
In this section wheat has been the main crop,
and with many farmers it has been the only crop,
but the idea OF diversification has gained ground
until there are now many farms on which the wheat
crop, while still important, is merely one in a rota-
ton which tends to balance the work on the farm, to
maintain its fertility, and to eliminate as far as pos.
slbie chance from its operations. ,
Thousands of farmers last year found them
selves fortunate in having devoted a considerable
acreage to the potato crop. In many cases it was
the potato crop which saved them from disaster. At
no time was the price of the crop very high; never
theless, where proper cultivation was followed. the
yields were usually very satisfactory. Mistakes in
marketing were made in many cases, sometimes in
holding crop on the farm improperly protected and
without suitable facilities for handling, and in an
-other case of the sale OF potatoes to irresponsible
buyers who were not prepared to pay cash for the
purchase. The losses which have occurred from this
cause are in no way attributable to the crop itself.
Those who have sustained these losses have gained
experience which will doubtless prove beneficial, to
them in other years.
The North Dakota corn crop has not been yet,
and perhaps may not be, a crop to be marketed
largely in the form in which it is grown. Neverthe-
less large yields have been obtained here, and with
the rcadjustment of matters in relation to livestock
production, we may expect to see important chang
es-brought about in the utilization Of the corn crop
which is raised on North Dakota farms. As a mat
ter of fact, most of the corn raised in the United
States is marketed on the hoof. The amount which
is shipped and sold as corn on the market is rela-
lively very small. The livestock and the corn in
%dustries are therefore very intimately associated,
and the management of the livestock industry bears
directly upon the fertility Of the soil and that, in
turn, upon the production of future crops, not only
iof corn, but of whatever else may be raised. The
people who are handling the coming show are emit
tied to credit for the energy which they have ex-
hibited in interesting the community and in the
discussions of production, handling and marketing
which will mark that convention many things OF
great value will be developed, and the results will
be seen in the future activities on the farm.