, 1896-09-05
THE WORK At THE FARM
VICE DIRECTOR BUFFUM HAS EX-
CELLENT RESULTS TO SHOW
TO FARMERS.
Wheat. Oats. Barley and Rye of Su-
perior Quality-Results of Three
Years Experimenting in Potatoes
Will be Bulletined Shortly-Alfalfa
an Excellent Crop.

The Laramie plains are a natural
home for cereals Of the more hardy va
~rieties. and they will grow to as great
a degree of perfection here as they will
at any place on earth"
TIis was The statement made by Vice
DiIge'or Bufum Of The Wyoming EX-
per.monl station to the editor of the
Republican This morning, and he has
wb:Is g. show to back up the faith thar
Is in lin. II any ranChman or agri-
cuItur,s doubts his word. let him
visit the farm and examine the crops
produced there this year. Magnificent
oats fully five and One-half feet high
and a stand of wheat and barley greet
he eye which would make a Nebraska
y al the varieties are matureI suf-
f,icntIy to he beyond the reach of Jack
Frost.
Director Buffum and his able assist
ant. Prof. W. II. F%airchild, have 400
y2r!et!C3 of wheat. the seed from
watch was gathered from nearly every
.Ounlry on the globe. Some of these
varieties. OF course, are not adapted to
this climate and soil. but all have been
prolific 10 n surprising degree. The
wheat has been raised in drills, one va
r!ety in i row, and it will be cut with a
sickle, the choicest heads selected and
carefully throshed and put away f0I
seed.
Of oats. l25 varieties have beer rails
cd, nearly all CT which nave matured
sufficiently to be beyond the danger OF
frost. As stated before. this crop
sands five and One-half feet high and
The heads are Of mammoth proportions.
II is estimated that the average would
be between fifty and sixty bushels to
he acre. OF course oats have been
raised to great perfection by numerous
ranchman on the laramie plans, but
the station is doing excellent work in
determining the varieties chat will be
most prolific in this climate and soil.
One small patch has been sub-irrigated
this season and the surface has the APP
pearlnce of a dashboard. the grain
growing taller above and near the pipes
which carry the water.
Seventy-five varieties of barley have
2een raised this year. and Director Buff
tum believes hat this cereal has a great
future in the state. 1t is very hardy
and natures early. At the worlds fair
A large dealer in barley from Liverpool
made a critical examination of the Wy
1ming exhibit and said: This is the
finest barley | have ever seen. | wou,d
give so cents more per bushel if | coult
procure barley like that"
The beer manufacturers of the worlt
now seek to obtain a barley that will
give a light amber tint to their produc
md this can only he secured to per.
fiction with barley raised upon irri
gated ground in the arid regions, fol-
he reason that the rains ard dews o
ghe lower attitudes rust the grain ant
give it a darker shade, which is unde
sirable. In the near future this will b,
n of the leading products of The
state.
Rye has been produced at the farm
this year in five or six varieties.
The crop of which the station Off
s!als feel like Dragging more than any
Other IS the alfalfa or lucerne. as they
call it in Utah. A 'half-acre is devoted
% This and it stands as thick as posi-.
Bile and two and one-half feet high. II
.las been cCntended by many that this
forage plant would not do well on the
Laramie plains. but this contention is
entirely ~disproved by the experiment.;
at the farm. Those who have failed ir
raising the crop have lot planted il
right or have been at fault in its irri,
CATION or cultivation in some way
Last year four ton to the acre were Sc
cured in two crops. and this year it will
run from four and one-half to five tons
This crop can be raised with create
profit to the ranchmen than the nativ,
hay. and they should by all means visi
the farm and take notes upon its pro
duction.
An acre of the farm is devoted to DO
tatoes. so varieties of which are beinj
experimental with. This is the thirt
year in which careful notes of the DO
tabo crop have been taken. and the sta
tion will issue this fall or the comm,
winter a bulletin giving detailed note
of the results obtained. Prof. Ruffun
is very proud of his success with tn
apples of old Ireland.
On an acre of ground experiments il
~sub-soiling have been carried on thi
year, but the benefits to be derive,
from this mode of culture have not We
been fully determined.
Caulifower of mammoth size and ex
cellent variety have been raised at tn
station this season, and the cabbag
has proved an equally excellent cror
A curiosity in the way Of small vegeta
bles is the asparagus pea, importe'
from India. 1t has a square pod and /
cooked pods and all.
Over at the southwest corner of tn
&c., .;ooo - ,,-J a.. l-t--- .-o