Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-04-29
RESERVES NEEDED
FOR FARM SUCCESS
(From Montana State College,

(From Montana State College)
"HE modern Montana farm should be
equipped with balloon tires, shock
L absorbers n bumpers, figuratively
speaking, says r. d. Mercer, county
agent of Rosebud county, If a safe and
comfortable journey over occasional rough
spots in the road Is to be enjoyed. Trans
lating these automobile terms into the
phraseology of the farm he advises that
they can all be summed up in the word
reserves Feed reserves are the balloon
tires which insure a safe journey for live
stock from weaving time to marketing.
Moisture reserves are the shock absorbers
which keep the farmer safely in his seat
instead Of going through the windshield
when a rut in the form of a dry year is
hit. Bumpers in the way of money re-
reserves ward off chattel mortgages and
debts with their high interest charges.
This is the way Mr.. Mercer tells about
1T in a recent letter to his farmers:
The year 1926 has again brought home
to most of us the value of having q re-
serve on hand to tide us over the rough
spots. The three reserves we are depend
ent upon for the operation Of our live
stock and farm interests are: feed, mois-
ture and money. The first two will en-
able us to have the third.
The year of 1919 caught a great number
of livestock growers will considerable
feed on hand but the long hard winter
which followed caused a fortune to be
spent for high priced hay which had
little feeding value. In the years since
then there has been ample opportunity
to build up a reserve OF feed sufficient to
carry the farmer and stockgrower over no
matter how severe the winter. But many
failed to heed. Dry seasons such as the
one just passed, brought about a great
reduction in livestock in southeastern
| Montana hpra1Jcn there wpg little feed In
reserve n livestock owners did not dare
run the risk Of another long winter feed
ing period. On many farms the losses
and stock depletion Of last year could
have been avoided If farmers had saved
feed which was wasted during more IA
vorable producing seasons. There has
been too much indiscriminate feeding of
hay in the spring just because there was
some left over from the winter when
stock could have picked up enough If
turned out Too often fields of corn have
been tramped down with much feed
wasted when 1t might have been stacked
for future use. With the of the
"duster" OF 1926 still vivid, now is a good
time to start planning q feed reserve
which will take care Of the next one.
Moisture reserves are just as important
We have witnessed many attempts in re-
cent years to beat the game without TAX
ing moisture conservation into account
There is only one way TO play safe and
that is to arrange the farming system Sc
that a portion Of the cropped area is set
aside for storing moisture each season
Under this system a farmer may take an
occasional nance on volunteer or stub
bled In grain but without 1t the odds
are too strong against him.
With careful attention to the building
up of feed and moisture reserves the
third type of observation-disclosures @
possibility. In this the farmer is M diff
ferent than any other business man
Shoe-string propositions may be romantic
but they are not safe. The business with
2 substantial financial reserve to meet
emergencies will weather most storms
Failures are greatest among those whc
accumulate debts instead of bank bal
ances.