The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-04-10
ILLS
SAME ALL0VER
UNITED STATES
Colonel G. 3. Little Sees Same
Problem Faced by Califor-
MIA Fruit Growers
BAD SCARE THIS YEAR
People of This Section Have
Reason to be Optimistic,
Mr.. Little Says

The same difficulties beset the one.
crop industry in every section OF the
country, these difficulties are more
accentuated in some other parts of
the nation than in North Dakota, C.
B. Little, President of the First Ma
tional Bank, who has returned from
a brief sojourn in California, said
here today.
Asked concerning the situation
agriculturally in the Pacific Coast
state, from which reports Of drouth
and foot and mouth disease bringing
disaster to agricultural interests
have emanatcd, Col. Little said that
the lack of rain in Southern Califor-
mia threw Il panic into the fruit
growers some weeks ago.
Amy farmer who depends uron
one crop is facing possible disaster
at all times" he said. This is true
in California as it is in North Dako-
ia. The fruit proposition in South
ern California is much the same as
the wheat problem in North Dakota,
except that in the case of the fruit
industry it is not so much dependent
on a world market, and the fruit
growers have an organization so that
it is not necessary to dump al; of
their product on the market at one
time.
Failure Takes All,
But when they have crop failure
everything is gone, and always they
are subject to low production and
low prices. This year the fruit
growers in California came near not
only losing their crop for this year
but also the source of their income,
from drouth. They were much wor-
ried, and had rains not come in
March and April at a time when they
do not normally come, the orchards
would have been lost to many fruit
growers. The fruit grower, too, has
a hard proposition the year round,
and is always facing the evils of
drouth, frost and ravages of insects.
"There is nothing to indicate that
the farmers in California are any
better off than here,'' Col. Little
continued. I'm fact, they are not
as we'll off,"
North Dakota is sound and the
Bismarck section right now is the
best in the state, in the opinion of
Col. Little.
81 believe our section is in better
shape than any other part of the
state, because farmers have dlversi-
fled, credit has been restrained and
farming has been on better bust
ness basis than many other sections
he said.
Many Burleigh county farmers and
others, he pointed out, had done mix
ed farming for many years, the profit
that many made through raising seed
corn leading others to adopt the sys-
tenn of farming.
Right To Be Optimistic
81 believe that farmers in this sec
tion have cause to feel reasonably
optimistic" said Col. Little.
He pointed out that the experience
of many farmers who had been diver
styling their crops and their risk in
this territory for many years was
satisfactory, and said that farmers
who had done this were not suffer
ing. He has no faith in Legislative
cure-alls for the situation.
"There will be no trouble for the
man who raises feed, corn and cattle,
hogs and makes his products ready
for the market, and milks cows"
Col. Little said. "He usually will
get a good price on the basis of the
amount of work necessary to pro-
duce and the capital invested. The
experience of many men in our own
territory is sufficient evidence Of
this"