The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1895-12-27

years ago. lt is worth coming all the
way from the Missouri river TO sec this
one green spot
Before ! describe these alfalfa farms
at DanlurE. let me 60 back into the
country half way between Dnnbury
and Lebanon, where ! left Sam Mes.
ncr on hi, farm. ] met him first at
Lebanon, where lac was loading car
of fat cows for shipment to Omaha.
saw these COWS a. got or the train
at Lebanon, that they were unusually
fine looking, aud Mr. Mcsucr informed
me that they had not tasted grain.
either winter or summer but mad been
raised and fattcncd ON alfalfa alone.
Iwcnty'thrcc years ago. % young
man then. lac lived az Fairbury. Every.
body had the blues there then. There
was very light crop. almost total
failure Ia 1873 and 1874. Nearly every.
body was discouraged Al the people
were poor there then aud the farmers
placed but little value on that land
NOW worth $50 TO $50 an acre.. just as
some people here place but little value
on this land now. some OF the farm.
crs there who had borrowed $500 each
on their farms. abandoned them. and
said To sam us they went away; you
can have that land just as IL g. Tor moth
ing II you want IT, IL is no use to us. "
But sam was young then, unmarried,
ana he didn't want land. lie had heard
OF the buffalo that were then plenty In
Red Willow county aud he longcd to
get on "A strong horse. undcra big white
hat, ana ride free and bold among the
buffalo ON the plaiu lie came with
some other young men and tool, mp his
temporary abode In small cabin
among the trees on the Beaver. near
where his present comfortable farm
dwelling now stands For several years
lie lived much in the saddle. sleeping
ntnight wherever night found him, on
the soft, brown buffalo grass, giving no
thought to land, or home, or settled
conditions Of life. some OF the boys
took up land. aud they wanted sam to
take some, but land here had no value
then, and 80 far as lac could see, never
would have. some of the boys took up
land. built themselves little homes and
married wives one by one these bold
riders settled down into quiet aud civ
iiigcd life. and sam, finding the long
rides across the plain 10 the mountains
and back lonesome without his old
companions. married and settled down
too
Up 10 1890 the seasons were faynrn-
bic and the crop conditions good. But
1890 was % dry year There was
scarcity OF hay and roughncss and
many farmers ON the uplunds sold their
stock Tor whatever they could get
Mcsncr, who had made Hume progress
IN alfalfa, had plenty OF hay and could
buy and feed all the stock that came
his way. Here Is where alfalfa hay
gave hun a big boost lie had o supply
OF old hay on hand. II will iattcn hogs
and cattle as well when 10 IN one or two
years old 90 when II Il new The nj.
faifa farmer always Keeps supply on
hand. so that when his ncighUors arc
short OF feed and offer their Young
stoci, Tor sale he can take them lie
made enough money that year 10 pay
oil $4,000 Of debt that lac had incurred
by the purchase of additional land. Al.
falfu hal served him 80 well during the
dry year of 1900 that hc enlarged his
fields IA 'gl, w aud 'ui From sep
tcmbcr, 1898, 10 September, 1874, no
sold from the farm $1,000 worth o.
hogs that had been brought 10 matur-
iiy and fattcncd largely ON alfalfa. lie
sold that same year 81, 500 worth OF TAT
steers that had subsistcd chiefly ON al.
ialia lie used this money To buy moro
land. lie now has 900 acres In this
farm lie showed mo carload 81 fat
hogs nearly ready for the market that
are now being fed little corn to hard.
en- them up and give them weight Tie
showed me 100 head OF line hhoats In
the clover Geld, growing rapidly and
thriving without grain. lie showed
me twenty-five fat steers that will be-
ready to ship In thirty days llo
showed me 100 tons OF alfalfa hay In
the stack, besides 100 acres that will
yield another cutting yet this year
Last year he cut twelve acres for seed,
from which he thrcshcd 1903 bushels,
which sold At So u hushcL lie has
good bank account and does not owe u
dollar
Mcsuer believes that alfalfa will rev.
olutionizc the stock industry all over
western Nebraska lie believes IL will
inaugurate new system OF farm man
agcment that Will run more To hogs
and cattle, less to wheat aud oats. and
stop the sale OF lucent corn. llcthinks
the corn and wheat raisers work too
AAtN ffNh NAhhA hAAAn anu HhA fNhhNn
with their brains IL IL not hard work,
but good management. that makes n
farmer rich. lie says that alfalfa will
not stay on farm year after year aud
work side by side Ia harmony with a
mortgage. Whenever alfalfa begins to
get In its work, begins 10 put fat on
cattle ana hogs, the mortgage folds its
tent like an Arab and silently steals
away Now ] have proven satisiac-
toriiy, 10 myself at least In my 90.
seryations here in the last ten DAYS.
that this is literally true. Ia all NV
inquiry ! have not yet heard OF a single
alfalfa farmer who Is not well.to.do
and out OF debt
How could 10 be otherwise with the
phenomenal profits that have been
realized from this clover IN the last two
/ years? IL may be true that these
/ enormous profits will never again be
realized. find men every day who
/ have no alfalfa OF their own, men VINO
/ are always reudy tu prophecy evil "a
/ every new enterprise, repeating this
suggestion, that alfalfa will soon be
/ overdone, that the seed will come down
/ IN price to &c d bushcl and that the hay,
when II becomes plenty, will not sell
| Tor more than 50 cr "a ton, and some
| OF these men, when they speak OF this,
/ act as IL they really wished that II
might como true. Hut say, let II
come true. and still 10 will be worth
more by the acre than any other crop