The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, November 1, 1917, Page 10

AR T Y vy e ———e g T P i Breeding Sheep in Big Demand T S Mvsee e w amrerarco-d ISR ey -, Decreasing Meat and Wool Supplies Offer Money Making EXT to hogs, sheep offer the best means of quickly re- plenishing the livestock sup- AXSS] Plies of the country. This is SEs the foundation fact back of the big general movement that is now gaining headway, for stocking up all suitable farms with at least a few sheep. Such a movement ought to engage the attention of all farmers, and nowhere more than in the North- west. A sheep census of the United States by the government this year shows that there are only 48,483,000 head now on ranges and farms, the smallest num- ber in 17 years. That places the sheep resources of the nation back where they were 35 years ago, and while the sheep have not increased any between that time and the present, the popula- tion of the country has increased by about one-third. The most noticea- ble feature of the sheep situation is that the number has been steadily de- creasing for 10 years, there being but one halting place in the whole period, namely the year 1911 when the total number increased slightly above that of the previous year. CHANCE TO BUY GOOD BREEDING EWES Farmers with a sheep-raising spirit this year can gratify their needs, and at the same time help greatly in in- creasing the meat supply. The feed shortage has made the carrying over of many sheep on the ranges a risk that big sheep owners will not take. Rather than take chances on the win- ter short of hay, they will send their ewes to the livestock markets. Sheep men last winter suffered enormous losses in all the range country because of a particularly long and cold winter, and they are faced with prospects of Just as heavy losses this winter even if it should prove to be mormal, Already farmers who have decided to increase their sheep holdings are going MEBETING of creditors of Townley 'Brothers, held at Bismarck last week, has re- sulted in nailing some lies g that have been' circulated broadcast by enemies of the Nonparti- san league. - ; Some newspapers unfriendly to the League farmers have been attempting to creatc tihe Impression that the League was involved in bankruptcy and that money contributed by the farmers for their organization would be seized to pay debts of Mr. Town- ley and his brother. These are the facts: A. C. Townley and his brother engaged in flax raising on a large scale In western North Dakota. After meet- ing considerable success they suffered failure in 1912 when the earliest snow storm in the history of that section de- stroyed a large part of the crop, while the price of flax was pressed down- ward by market speculation so that what remained could not be sold at a profit. These hazards of bad weather and a market dominated by gamblers have been faced by many other farm- ers and many of them have met fail- ure from the same causes that caused the Townley Brothers failure, After the failure A. C. Townley and his brother gave up all their prop- erty and abandoned their venture. Bankruptcy proceedings are now being held to settle all pending claims. 7 The Nonpartisan league is in no way involved. :I‘he debts of the Townley Brothers were contracted more than two years before the League was first organized. : H. F. O'Hare, referee in bankruptcy, ruled in the progress of the first credi- tors’ meeting that the League was'in no way involved and that the only in- vestigation that could be 'made of the League would be to show what money President Townley had received from the League. The creditors’ meeting brought out the fact that Mr. Townley's only re- ceipts from the League are $200 per month and expenses. The testimony further showed that Mr. Townley has less than $400 in the bank, that Mrs. Opportunities to Many Small Farmers to the West to pick up suitable breed- ing ewes before they are loaded for the market. As many of these as possible ought to be saved from slaughter, and they will prove useful in producing one or two more crops of spring lambs be- fore it is necessary to dispose of them. It has been suggested in livestock cir- cles that even ewes that have been dis- carded for breeding purposes in the range sections because they are no longer able to stand the comparatively hard usage of open country, would be good breeders for small farmers where they would get better care. This of- fers a chance to pick up some good breeding animals, but the old argu- ment against saving broken down or inferior stock for breeding purposes, would have to be answered in each case. SHEEP RETURNS MOST LIKE “EASY MONEY” A determined effort on the part of farmers to take on a few sheep where they can provide winter feed (and in this connection straw would go a long way towards filling the gap) would bring some fairly easy returns next year. Many a farmer who has kept a few head declares that they are the nearest to “easy money” of anything he produces. There ought to be more A UNIQUE ROOF A type that is growing popular in the Northwest Nail Lies About the League Townley Brothers’ Bankruptey Proceedings Have Nothing to Do With Farmers’ Organization or Finances Townley has less than $100, that Mr. Townley does not own a home, an automobile, or even an insurance po- licy. These proceedings give the lie to a number of statements that have been made by enemies of the farmers. One statement is that the League is involv- ed in bankruptcy. This statement is wholly false, The other statement is that Mr. Townley has secured large sums of money from the League and has them in banks in his name or Mrs. Townley’s name. Any persons making these statements, either in a newspaper or by word of mouth, are doing so merely in an’ effort to break up the farmers’ organization and are liable to the punishment of the law. If any League member or friend learns of such false charges being made, either in a newspaper or by word of mouth, he should communicate this. fact to the Leader. A LETTER AND ANSWER . : Red Lake Falls, Minn. Editor Nonpartisan Leader: I am sending you a copy of the so- called Nonpartisan paper published at St. Paul and ‘would like to know what you ' think about it. I have received several copies of this paper and can’t understand why they are sending it to me, as I see they are working hard to try and break up OUR Nonpartisan league, and if that is what they want to do they will have some hard work on hand. e ANDREW YDSTIE This is the paper published by the fake “Nonpartisan league of Minne- sota,” organized by old gang politicians of the capitol. It is practically defunct as an organization, not having been able to secure a single real farmer as a member, so far as the Leader can learn, It seems to get sufficient money to put out a paper attacking the real League, however, and since it hasn't any farmer members of its own, any- one can make a shrewd guess where its money comes from. No farmer has to take this paper if he doesn’t want to. He can refuse to receive it from the postmaster—THE EDITOR. - sowing, PAGE TEN sheep growing on the average farms of the Northwestern states. Even a dozen head to each average farm, would greatly increase the meat sup- ply, and what they would earn for the farmer from spring lambs turned off to market next fall, would be a wel- come addition to the farm revenue. Spring lambs this year went to $20 at Chicago, the best sheep market in the country, and they attained $18 at South St. Paul, At the latter place they are now selling at above $16 per 100 pounds. The average farm price per head of all the sheep in the coun- try January 1, 1917 was $7.14. This gave a total farm value of all sheep amounting $346,064,000. Both figures are far ahead of anything ever before known in the country. The average farm price for the 10 years preceeding 1917 was $4.02 per 100 pounds. This indicates something of the in- come that can be expected from going into the sheep business, One can get into it in a small way very rapidly, The rarge stock would be good enough for many farmers, and these can be had now from range men who are going to be forced to sell. WOOL PRICES ALSO AN INDUCEMENT ‘Wool prices are as much of an ine ducement as are the mutton prices, The increase shown for various grades at Boston, the wool barometer of the country, indicates a spread of 75 cents to $1.12, and 65 to 80 cents between 1915 and 1916, and of 65 to $1.12, and b6 to 80 between 1914 and 1916, for some grades, while other grades range about the same. There are many farms where a few head of sheep could be taken care of without much extra expense if any, after the necessary fencing was pro= vided. Of course this would be a charge to come out of the venture in most cases, but it would be a perma- nent investment, capable of contribute ing to returns for a good many years in future. The feeding problem on many lands, particularly such as the timbered sections of northern Minne- sota and Wisconsin would be small once the land was sown to clover or sweet clover, and sheep are just the sort of subduer needed on these lands to give them their first increase in value. 4 CATTLE MARKETING HEAVY In the first eight months of this-year 2,700,000 more cattle were marketed than during these same months in 1916 and the sales were rather heavy then. Only 300,000 of these were sold from the stockyards. This shows that these heavy shipments have been slaughtered and have gone into consumption. This means a 25 per cent increase in the sales in 1917 over these in 1916. The shipments of calves to market have also been heavier than usual and they have been slaughtered. This heavy marketing” of beef animals and calves will certainly have a - big - effect on prices in the next two or three years. It would seem to indicate that now -ig a good time to hang -onto breeding stock and if possible to increase the production of beef cattle. HOME MADE SOAP Put the waste bits of fat or fatty material into a kettle. To purify add & raw potato sliced thinly, boil very slowly -till the potato slices are crisp and brown, then strain through several thicknesses of cheese cloth. Dissolve one pound of lye in 11 cups of water and pour it gradually into seven pounds of the clarified and strained fat, stirring the mass till it is creamy and thoroughly mixed. Pour into molds to harden. This will make a satisfaos tory soap for dishwashing, laundry and similar purposes. Annual Seed Contest The North Dakota Improved Seed Growers Association Annual Seed Con- test will be held at Fargo January 1§ .to 18. Full details regarding prizes and contest rules, etc., will be mailed to all applicants, Sl A one-pound sample of each kind of seed is the amount required for the . contest. Make entry and send sam- . ples as soon as possible; the samples will be tested in the seed laboratory and if found of suitable quality they will be placed on seed lists which go to all parties who wish to buy seed for Later the samples will be ENTRY CARD OF N. placed on exhibit at the grain growers convention, after being judged in the usual way at the seed laboratory, Address correspondence and sampleg ;c; lH). L. Bolley, Agricultural College, Only those who are pald up memberg of the association will be in the contes$ for prizes and competitive scoring ribe bons. One dollar pays for membership and entry fee for all samples a membe# may wish to show. The associatios has issued the following blank entry, card which can be had on applcationg Or may be used by clipping from this notice: D. IMPROVED SEED GROWERS CONTEST i samples to correspond to his numberq ;:ooaolccaoolu.'mw MW-M"M )--...-r-'i;i-‘-'%";-h..;‘ ;'. '_. sessessoTerPEENsa e se wnmmw Tsabarac s P AU 0 Co DI 0 o o0l tertcscoorsnsnaBassresuse EREETERR PRSP S oCun Name, . voveervers arrasanarne B O soxvatsms Ry, PR DU T 0o 000 veosll e b N OCL Yy S Sy Btassvesssvaeana s s LT e “»