The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1930-01-16
Master Farmers
To Be Decorated
(Coptipued Er0m Page One)
North Dakota
Continued IRON Page One)

900 acres. Wheat, flax, and rye his
chief crops, but balanced with beef
cattle and hogs. Rotates crops to
maintain fertility and control
weeds. Dockage separated from
grain on the farm and fed to live
stock. Farms characterized by Ia
bor-saving equipment. Two sons
have received higher education.
An outstanding community leader.
William Watt, Leonard, Cass
county. Homesteaded his first 100
acres in 1895. Today has a well
improved farm of $50 acres. A pio-
neer in diversified farming. More
than half hs income from cattle
and hogs. Grows corn and alfalfa.
Five children, all well educated.
Daughter a teachers college grad
uate; two sons graduates of North
Dakota School of Agriculture; one
son a student in North Dakota Col
lege of Agriculture, and fourth
son farming.
South Dakota
Carl T. Peterson, Watertown,
Coddington county. Twenty years
ago bought a small herd of cat
tie, including a purebred Shorhorn
cow. Today has a farm of 600
acres. with herd of IS purebred
Shorthorns, all but IL of which are
descendants of his original pure
bred. Farm possesses almost ev-
cry modern convenience for fam
lily comfort and efficiency in farm
work. Devoted in service to his
community.
Commenting on the 1929-30 class,
The Farmer, in it's January Is is
sue. will say:
"The average value per farm
of livestock kept by these ten
Master Farmers is about 400. In
addition to work horses, these
farms keep an average of 81 head
of breeding cattle and about II
brood sows per farm. Although
sheep are increasing in number
each year on northwestern farms,
it just happens that only one farm
err in this group is keeping sheep,
and he only on small scale. Live
stock has an important influence
upon maintenance of soil fertility
and control of weeds, especially
when combined with system OF
crop rotation which includes the
production of legumes such as the
various clovers and alfalfa. About
20 per cent of the crop land of
these Master Farmers is sown to
legumes. On the average north
western farm, not more than 10
per cent of the crop acreage is de-
voted to these soil-building crops.
Large farms (within certain
limits) have an advantage over
small farms in the economical use
of machinery and buildings. On
the average, the farms of the 1929
Northwestern Master Farmers are
larger than the average Of their re-
spectfve states. Five Master
Farmers living in southern Min
nesota are farming an average Of
134 crop acres, compared with an
average of ITO crop acres for all
Minnesota farms. Four Master
Farmers living in North Dakota
and the Red River Valley district
in Minnesota are farming an av-
erage of 1856 acres, compared with
an average Of 3O6 crop acres farm
ed by all North Dakota farmers.
The size of farms of the ten Mast,
err Farmers ranges from two farms
of 80 acres each in the intensive
dairy district of southern Minneso-
ia to one farm of 112O acres in
North Dakota where the system of
farming is much more extensive.
averaging them altogether,
however, the average value of real
estate per farm of the ten North
western Master Farmers is $500;
the average value Of livestock per
farm, 400; and the average value
of machinery and equipment per
farm, 4,400, making a total capital
ization per farm of about 42,600.
AFTER farming an average Of
26 years. these Master Farmers
have gained an average net worth
of about $4,000. OF this amount
only 400, on the average, was ac-
quired before starting farming or
was inherited later. One Of these
men started farming 81 years ago
with $50, and by his own efforts
has become owner of 2,4O0 acres Of
good farm land. Another started
farming 80 years ago with 1000 and
now owns three farms comprising
a total of 1,400 acres. Still an
other started only IL years ago
with 500 and by his own efforts has
become owner of well improved
160-acre farm.
I'm keeping with this success
these Master Farmers have privid-
ed their wives and families with
comfortable homes equipped with
almost all modern conveniences.
including running water, bathing
facilities, indoor toilets, electric
ity for lighting and other house
hold uses. and modern heating
nlants. All have radios and other
l,'nds If ro.,e;caI ;,st-,,-,, o,4s Al
---or4 &c hose men have
had only a common school educa-
ton they have all given their chill
dren the opportunity to obtain at
least high school education.
THE average age Of these Mast
er Farmers is So years, and the
range Of their ages is from S3 to
65 years"