The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-17
ALFALFA
is KING
c. Oldfather Made 40 Per
Cent on His Investment
FROM 60 ACRES OF ALFALFA
And $1,000 Invested in
Some Young Hogs.
FROM 60 ACRES OF ALFALFA

| If there is anything wanted to show
that alfalfa is the king crop Of Kansas.
| the farmers can furnish the information.
Ever since the Jewetts called attention
10 the value of alfalfa on the bottom
lands of this section OF kansas, the
farmers have been experimenting with it
and every experiment has shown its
value
People in other states will doubtless
be inclined to think that some of the
alfalfa stories published in this section
are hot air Productions, but investiga-
ton will show in every case that the half
has not been told. Conservative farmers
have experimental with alfalfa and they
have demonstrated beyond doubt that it
is going to be the big source of wealth
in Kansas.
{. +. FulliHgton of this city yesterday
related an incident of the profita bleness
OF alfalfa that viii bear repeat ting 1T is
all tine more entitled TO credit because
the information was obtained from c.
Oldfather of Maize in this county. Mr
Godfather is known as a conservative,
money making farmer and when he
says a thing it goes without question.
DIR. Fuilinston was seated in one OF
the big chairs in his office in the Winnie
building yesterday. talking to some of his
friends about the value of alfalfa to this
section when he suddenly remembered
~
He came into my office a week or
two ago on business said Mr.. Pulling
ton, when I asked him how il happened
that the farmers of this section of Kan
sas appeared 10 be getting hold of so
much money. He told how the people
were making money on alfalfa in addition
to their other crops. and he gave me n
fed figures to prove his assertion.
In May last ne put 1920 worth of
hogs on sixty acres Of alfalfa, where
they We're grazed until october 4. after
which he took them off and fed corn in
dry lot until November 25, when he
marketed them. The net returns from
the hogs was So, 425. the cost of feed other
than alfalfa grazing was $500. but he
got 100 tons of hay from the sixty acres
worth 500. which would repay the $500
expended for other feed and leave $500 to
add to the returns from the hogs. bring
ing that item up to $685.. deducting the
1920 first cost of hogs there is a net
profit of s2.425 from sixty acres of alfalfa
in one season. or over 40 per cent on 800
per acre valuation.
These figures are astounding, but
coming from Mr.. Oldfather they will be
accepted as correct. because he is not
the man to make wild statements about
the profits in farming. He says that
every acre of his alfalfa win make six
hundred pounds of pork during the graz
in gseason, and that is not bad even
when hogs bring less money than at this
time.
Mr.. Oldfathsr is showing his faith in
alfalfa by buying more land. I sold him
:, 200 acres of land in Barber county. 9Go
acres of which is river bottom land. and
he is having il seeded 70 alfalfa. He
has also bought six farms in the arte-
sian district in Meade county, and he
is sowing them to alfalfa as fast as he
can. and he says that alfalfa already
sown in Meade county has proven just as
as that sown in this county.
People do not begin to realize the value
Of alfalfa in this section and some iel-
lows who are selling bottom lands here
for So 0and $50 an acre viii live TO see
their mistake
At am sometimes asked if there is not
danger Of OVERRIDING this alfalfa bust
ness. but 7 think not until this world is
OVerstocked with hay and pork; and that
time will never come. Hogs got up to |
$500 last summer. and the people ate the !
pork as fast as the packer could kill the |
hogs and cure the meat. I believe that |
the industry of hog raising in Wichtas !
territory is now only IN its infancy. The |
people will sow more alfalfa and raise !
more hogs, and continue to SOW more al |
falfa and raise more hogs. until within |
a very few years Wichita will be in the |
center of the greatest hog section in the |
world and more and larger packing /
houses will be built here