Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1937-10-14
GETTING DOWN TO
TACKS"
THE DARK SIDE
of a BRIGHT PICTURE

vi ~ DtINsiil
Well, if some of the rest of you,
like myself. are a little downcast
over the outcome of the big annual
baseball classic last week, we can at
least join with everyone in rejoicing
over the good soaking old Mother
Nature has given the thirsty suil.
And, believe me, this IS something
to be happy about. The more you
talk to farmers-old timers. | mean,
who should know what they are
talking about because they have so
many years of experience ON which
to base their opinions-the more
convinced you become that the
back of the awful drouth is brok-
en- Moisture Is reported to have
gone into the soil to a depth of three
feet in some places on cultivated
fields, while no one has reported a
penetration Of less than twenty in
ches. One farmer told me the other
day that mot in all the time I've
lived here in 81 years has the soil
been in any better condition in late
fall" That seems to be going pretty
strong, but no one has disagreed
with the conclusion that 1t is "the
best since 1927" Well, that's ten
years. and should go a long ways
towards making one feel optimistic
ove the future. Now the ground is
certain to freeze with all this mois-
ture content, and that, they say,
will leave the soil in ideal condition
for spring.
But-and I'm not ever trying to
be pessimistic-a lot of things can
happen before a crop is harvested
next year. Yes, and a lot Of things
will HAVE TO HAPPEN before that
crop can even be gotten into the
ground, no matter how favorable the
condition of the soil. What, with the
most devastating drouth this coun-
try has eve known, all its accom-
panying suffering and d%epriyations,
the lack of feed or funds with which
TO procure 1t, and the forced sale OF
horses and cattle, borrowing to the
limit from the Federal government
or any source available, be assured
that more than ninety per cent OF
our farmers will do plenty of wor-
rying and scurrying before their
crop Is sown next spring. There is
NJ seed in the country to begin with,
so at the very outset either private
or public agencies will have to ship
in most every kernel of seed for
which there will be a demand. OF
left with farmers; consequently an
other seed loan-the most generous
and less binding of all-will Of ne
cessity have to be planned. If the
Federal government will not pro-
ide this. the state must.
That isn't all. The equipment with
which to put in a crop has been sad
ly depleted with many farmers.
Some have lost their machinery by
repossession by mortgage holders;
others have been forced to let their
tractors, plows, and drills deterior-
ate to a point where they would
need much repair if not out of com
mission entirely. Go back to horses,
you say? You need only to look over
the ranges in the country or study
the terms exacted through Resettle-
ment in securing feed loans to know
that in the first place very few work
horses are left in the country, and
what few there are will need a lot
of real conditioning with whole
some food between now and spring
to be made seryiceable. And where
will the money come from to secure
this feed?
These narrowing comments are
not made with any idea of painting
a dark picture on what might other
wise be a ''happy day but more
with the thought of preparation for
seeding time next spring. We believe
it Is none too soon to begin thinking
about these things, and the vast
amount of assistance that is going
to be absolutely necessary TO even
give the farmers of our county a
semblance of a chance to take adj
vantage of natural conditions at
seeding time. Sheridan county has,
through all its adversities, especially
in recent years been quick to take
advantage of every opportunity in
lending assistance to needy people
as well as secure for the county
every means of service in the way
of improvements of a permanent ma
ture made available either through
state or federal emergency setups,
The county commissioners, civic
clubs, individual groups working as
a unit, in different localities, have
all been very much ON THE JOB
all the time. 1t is only reasonable
to conclude that they will leave no
thing undone-that not one single
avenu Of possible assistance will be
left unapproached-in order thai
farmers Of this section will have
every opportunity possible mex
spring to rehabilitate themselves