THE STORY OF THE NONPARTISAN LEAGUE 



same by-product that had been skimmed 

 from a brother farmer's wheat, if not from 

 his own. It is the contemplation of a few 

 pivotal facts like these that takes away all 

 the mystery from the increase in the cost 

 of living. 



Besides the stock-feeding value of these 

 products, we are also to remember that year 

 after year the soil of North Dakota was 

 being impoverished, and so long as the wheat 

 was sent elsewhere to be ground there was 

 no chance that from it any part of the lost 

 fertility could be returned from its own crops. 

 Doctor Ladd showed that the amount of fer- 

 tility carried out of the state in the by-prod- 

 ucts of one wheat crop of 100,000,000 bushels 

 was as follows: 



Nitrogen 46,018,400 pounds 



Phosphoric acid 46,648,760 " 



Potash 10,700,220 " 



Lime 1,787,280 " 



Contemplating this impressive showing, 

 Doctor Ladd wrote these conclusions: 



All of the fertilizing material should be retained in 

 the state and returned to the land. The state can 

 only become great agriculturally and continue its de- 

 velopment by promoting such a system as will enable 

 the return of at least a considerable share of this 

 fertility and the marketing of products in the form of 

 beef, pork, mutton, butter, flour, and the finished 

 bread products. To insure this end means the de- 

 velopment of the manufacturing agricultural indus- 



88 



