The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1923-10-26
Balanced Agriculture For
Prosperity" Is Good Motto

Prosperity Is G00d Motto
Brookings, S. D.-''The greatest
lesson we can learn from the hard
ships of the past few years is that q
balanced agricultural program is the
most outstanding need of the times"
said President c. w. Pugsley of State
College IN talk on agricultural con-
ditions before an audience of Sioux
Falls men last week.
Particularly he said, "is that
true for South Dakota. Most farmers
of today know that they must feed a
balanced ration to their livestock if
they expect profitable growth and
gains. 1t we are to have profitable
agriculture the crops entering into it
must be as truly balanced as the foods
entering into a livestock ration. The
results on the one hand are to be
measured in terms of farm and ma
tlonal prosperity, on the other in
terms of animal growth. That is the
problem to which experiment stations
and agricultural colleges must give
their undivided attention during the
coming years. Farmers, farm organ
lzations, county agents, bankers, edi-
tors, in fact, everybody, should keep
the motto, "A Balanced Agriculture
For Prosperity" constantly before
them.
Simply because crop has been a
profitable one for one or more years
IS no indication that it will be profit
able for a long time. The best illus
Jration | know of this is one that has
come very close home to South Dakota
farmers during the last few years. In
1910 paint manufacturers became
greatly concerned over the decrease
IN the production of flax. They put
men out all over this country to show
the profits Of flax production. At
that time flax seed was worth $3.50 a
bushel. The efforts of these ag1i-
cultural evangelists were rewarded by
a great increase i,s fiax production,
SO that by 1912 the price Of seed drop
ped to $l.l4 per bushel, or less than
the cost of production. Farmers lost
confidence in the value Of flax and to-
day we have very little flax grown.
Just now flax would be very
profitable crop for many South Da-
kota farmers to use in balancing agri-
culture. More Of it should be seeded
for the coming year but all land
should not be put in flax. Proper pre-
cautions should be observed in the
rotation OF flax or wilt will destroy
he crop. The very necessity Of ro-
.ating aids in establishing a balanced
agriculture.
Another illustration of the need
# a balanced agriculture is to be
found on every wheat farm today.
Wheat farms should grow wheat, of
curse, but not all wheat all the time,
my more than corn farms should
row corn all the time or a potato
farm potatoes all the time. Nature
'las provided one or more useful crops
which can be used in rotation with
every major crop to the great ad-
.antage of the soil, the farmer and
the country.
"Thcre is another lesson to be
learned from the last few years, par
ticularly by colleges and other agencies
:harsed by law or assuming the obli-
cation of finding and teaching facts
leading to n balanced agriculture.
Production is not all of agriculture.
There remains the marketing. The
study Of the best methods Of market
no fa,m products is as truly part
Of our work as the study of produc-
ton in the first place.