Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-04-28
C'ROPOU Il 4
{ D BUSINESS u ii Il
Is IMPROVING
Spring Seeding Well Ad-.
vanced; Price Prospects
Encouraging.

Minneapolis, MIMI, April 28.-Tho
monthly report just issued by John
H. Rich, agent of the Minneapolis
Federal Reserve bank says agrtcul-
tural prospects are excellent and busi-
ness in many lines ar substantially
improved.
The report said:
The agricultural outlook is COCO.
Winter sown crops are better in,
the district than the average for. h
whole of the United States. ~
The volume of business has IN
creased from month to month M:Gch
than a year ago
Tension of the unemployment Situ:..
ton is removed.
Optimism is renewed Throughout
tl:e district and all parts are loox:ng
forward to a good year.
Even q poor crop year woul1 NOS
have as harmful effect as in the past
because mixed farming Is much ex-
tended.
The dairy cow is invading western
North Dakota and Montana.
Implement sales doubled in March
over the preceding February.
Total valuation Of building permits
in all cities of district increased three
fourths over figures Of a year ago.
THE northwestern farmer Is by no
means. down and out. Reports re-
ceived from important officials
throughout the states of our district
show that there has been no spread
Of pessimism this spring, even though
the farmers volume of debts has not
declined and he has not had much
money to spend. The continued ad-
vance on prices in agricultural prod
ucts and the urn Of the season has
renewed optimism and all parts OF the
district are looking forward to a
good year" the report said.
Mixed Farming Big Factor.
Even a poor crop this year would
not have as harmful an effect as pre-
vious crop failures, for farmers have
+ shown a marked tendency to go into
mixed farming in the district where
crop failures have been frequent
Mixed farming prevents adverse
prices or the failure of crop from
having an important effect on the wei
fare of the farmers.
I'm Montana and western North
Dakota in particular, farmers ar
shipping in dairy cows and are weed.
ing out the .boarders,' which pay fol
their feed in milk only in six weeks
of the Farmers are also
increasing their holdings OF poultry
and hogs, and are growing more for
age with which to feed the increase Of
animals. There also is an increasing
acreage being planted to potatoes.
Business Failures Increase. J
Business failures increased il
March over the previous month, In
dicating that the district is undergo
ing the period of reconstruction. tn
report said. The number of March
failures in the ninth reserve dtstric
in March was los, with liabilities o
$~3,7e4,602.
Savings increased / per cen in twill
city banks between March l and Apri
/. Investment house sales 'increase'
one-half between February an
March.
T%elegraphic surveys of the distric!
made April 26, are included in the re
port. Spring wheat planting Is rs pc
cent completed in western M1nnesot'
and is going forward rapidly, accord
ing to the reports. Wheat acreag
will be rs per cent less than last yea
in the southern part of the state
Spring wheat seeding Is about com
pleted in eastern South Dakota an,
should be finished in the spring whea
counties by the end Of the first wee
in May at the rate of present progress.
Wheat seeding in North Dakota var1e
from so per cent complete in north
western counties to 10 per cent com
plete in the southern and IS per Ger
complete in the western portion Of tn
state.
1t is one-tenth complete in Montan
and will require three weeks to fnisl
the report said. Winter wheat Is !
excellent condition. Moisture and so
conditions are better than at any tim
since 1919 ~ ~ =, L