The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1901-04-18
THE YAKIMA HERALD.
THURSDAY. APRIL rs. 1901.
MADE FARMING PAY.
True Story Of q School Teaeher-Farmer-
What He ACCOMPLISHED.

If any of you believe that farming in
an arid district doesn't amply pay for
work Systematically carried out read
the following story Of how disguised
school teacher succeeded in that line.
This story is taken from the Phoenix
(Arz.) Gazette, and the conditions un-
der which the party referred to labored
are similar to those of this valley:
Three years ago this winter w. A.
Adams was teaching school in the Cart
wright district, receiving salary of
1925 month. Mr.. Adams became inn
pressed with the facilities offered for
making money on farm and saved his
wages until he had $500 in cash on
hand to start in with.
In the spring of 1897, Mr.. Adams
rented an SO-acre alfalfa farm five miles
north of Phoenix on the Black Canyon
road, for one year with privilege of pur-
chase at the end of the year at $50 an
acre. At the end of the crop season in
the fall of 1897, Mr.. Adams purchased
the land, paying $24Oo in cash therefore,
and had a capital of 5000 on hand, as
he had made $4,000 off the farm the
first eight months. In other words,
Mr.. Adams secured an eighty-acre farm
for only 500 and eight months labor.
In the spring of 1898 Mr.. Adams pur-
chased another farm of 100 acres adjoin-
ing the original 80 acres, for $50 an
acre, and Melted $4,000 off the new farm
that season for his alfalfa crop. The
original farm Of 80 acres he sold in the
fall of 1898 for $45 an acre or $500, af-
ter netting $500 out of the years crop.
In 1899 Mr.. Adams bought and fattened
cattle on his lands besides raising al
falfa, clearing over $4,000 on his years
work.
Yesterday he sold the 100 acre farm
for $50 an acre-$SOOO-having cleared
in three years with capital of only
$500 to begin with, $4,000.
Asked yesterday for the secret OF his
success and why he sold out, Mr.. Adams
said:
81 have worked like slave for three
years, and feel that have made money
enough to entitle me to some rest. |
have invested part of my money in
income paying residence property in
Phoenix, which will insure me a
good living whether l work or not
"Any one can duplicate my success
who will devote himself to work. l
never did any of my work on the street
corners of Phoenix. | never had time
to stand around on the streets and talk
politics or discuss the Filipino or Boer
wars. Whenever it was my turn to get
water personally attended to it, going
to the headgate, and seeing to it that l
got what l was entitled too and that
every drop of it was properly utilized.
I only employed one man to help me, a
Mexican, whom paid $45 month.
"But l superintendent and helped
about the irrigating, making every drop
of water count. While some of my
neighbors who farmed with their mouths
on street corners, were cursing the ca
nal companies and bowling about not
getting water enough, ! had no such
complaints to make. | had water
enough for the reason that l utilized
every drop and whether day or night |
looked after it, In the three years
have been farming think have aver
aged two nights week when ! was up
all night looking after the irrigating.
I'm each of the three years | have
farmed | secured three crops of alfalfa ,
my third crop in 1899 averaging one and
one-quarter tons to the acre. Any man
who will work as hard as have done
can duplicate my success. There is no
question about farming being profitable
if a farmer will attend to his business
and let politics alone and stay away
from town.