The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1929-01-25

sound business principles. Farm
ers should not be so optimistic
over the future of Montana, that
they spend up to the limit OF
their resources.
During the period between 1917
and 1927 there were two five year
periods of weather both of which
were abnormal. The first five
years were below normal in the
amount of moisture and the favor
ableness for producing good wheat
crops. The last five years were
above normal and YER especially
conductive to the production of
good crops. The unfavorable con-
ditions of 1917 to 1923 resulted
in a wedding out process-the sur
vival of the fittest. On this ac-
count those who remained to farm
during the good period, were the
better farmers.
Mr.. Wilson said that he had a
bunch that the next year would
be a dry one. Most farmers are
now in such shape that they could
stand one dry year, but if two
dry years come along in success
sion those who have no surplus
either in cash or in grain held
over to turn into cash or in live
stock, are going to suffer, and
there is apt to be a further elm
ination. Those who summerfal-
lowed their land at the right time
last year, have in the soil a suf-
ficient store of moisture to pro-
duce a crop with the help of
occasional rains. Those who did
not summerfallow, or who sum
merfallowed too late are without
this surplus.
1t is only one farmer in ten said
Mr.. Wilson that has been able to
build up a sufficient reserve to
tide him over two bad years. The
thing that Mr.. Wilson expects to
happen is that if two bad years
come in succession there would be
a lot of farmers who would be
pinched out of the game because
they would not have money
enough to buy gas and they would
have exhausted their credit dur
ing the first bad year. Then
many of them would sell out and
the land would be bought up by
adjacent farmers who have built
up a reserve.
Mr.. Wilson has just recently
visited the Big Bend and Walla
Walla wheat countries in Oregon
and Washington, where farmers
have been producing 40 to so
bushel wheat crops for years and
where they farm on a large scale,
farms being from 800 to 1000
acres. Land there is valued at
from $500 to 5000 an acre and is
rated as the best wheat country.
in the world, but it is not as good
as this country.
He talked with John Hoffman,
acknowledged as the best wheat
farmer in the Walla Walla coun-
try. Mr.. Hoffman told him that
most farmers think they have to
have land and machinery to pro
duce crops, but that he had found
there were two other essentials
to success, and these were money
and management. Mr.. Hoffman
has some $4,000 to $780, 900 invest
ed in machinery, and when asked
how much of a working surplus
he kept on hand he replied that
he either kept in wheat or cash
enough to run him two years.
81 have the feeling that the
time has come" said Mr., Wilson,
when it is just as important to
build up a cash reserve as it is
to have more land and improved
farm machinery The farmers Of
Montana are Don going to be
obliged to face world competition.
The Russian government is going
to plant 10, 1000, 900 acres of wheat
in 10000 acre farms, and will use
power farming to manufacture
this wheat. Canada which pro-
duces an immense amount OF
wheat will produce more The
Hudson Bay waterway is going to
make it possible for ocean vessels
TO go as far as Fit. Churchill on
the west coast of the bay, and
this will bring FIT. Churchill HOO
miles closer to Liverpool, than is
Duluth. The Argentine is only pro
1ucing one-third of the possible
Large farms are the
-ule there and tractors and COM
Dines have been used for a num-
her of years. The farms are not,
however, more than 400 miles
from water transportation. In
Australia the wheat production
las been doubled in the last eight
years. Most of the farms in
Australia are wheat and sheep
projects so that the farmers never
have a complete failure.
World conditions are going to
determine the price of wheat and
n order for American farmers to
world competition wheat
production must be made as cheap