The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1904-08-12
PRICE FIVE CENTS.

enough TO change the basis Of the propo
sltlon that diversified farming will paw
/ ntJter III almost any country than ad-
herance 70 the one crop idea.
/ The PalOuse country il one ~ tbe
most favored sections in the world. No
more fertile and productive soil can be
| found and few countries are blessed with
a. equitable a climate. Almost every
crop capable Of being grown in the tenn
! perate zone comes to perfect maturity
| here and the excellence of the products
| are noted in every market to which they
| go. When the white man first trayersed
the beautiful hills and wales of the Pa
louise he found a country luxurient in
bunch grass, an ideal stock range; but
It was not many years before it was
found that wheat would yield most mar
veiously and within short period
almost every homesteader was growing
that cerlal. Then came the planting OF
lew small orchards. The results at
tanned from them were wonderful. for
apples, pears, piums, prunes, and small
fruits OF all kinds ripened with perfec-
ton seldom seen and with a delicious
hayOr never before known by the settlers.
80 1T has been going down to the present
time and the soil has not commenced to
wear out"
In looking over the files of The Gazette
last year at harvest time the writer
found an item published during the fall
OF 1873, which gave the Weld of 100
acres Of sod ground few miles from
ColtaX. That quarter section returned
~ bushels OF wheat per acre 25 wears
ago and last year produced Al bushels.
the land being in almost continuous
cultivation during the entire period.
Diversified Farming Pays.
The tendency of the times is to diver
silly, and it may be noted in passing
that those farmers who have been the
most successful are the ones that have
given their attention to the raising OF
different crops. To be sure, men have
made fortunes raising wheat in Whitman
county, but the basis for those fortunes
were almost invariably laid upon the
large number OF acres under individual
cultivation. For instance, a farmer owns
but quarter section and has it all in
wheat this year If this crop averages
with the estimated yield Of the county,
2Sh bushels, he will have 1850 bushels
when threshing is over. That crop
should net him SO 81 per acre, or about
$1,000 for the 100 acres. Almost every
farmer when he reads these figures will
think that he should be able to do better
than that, and 80 he should, but few do.
Let every farmer in the PalOuse coun-
try raise few dozen chickens; a pen or
two OF hogs; keep few well bred cows;
plant ten acre orchard to the varieties
OF fruits that do best; set aside a ten
acre tract fOr hay and pasture: plant a
large garden every year, devOting the
most space to some special line, say po-
tatOes one season and onions another,
and so on; then let him care for those
different lines as he should and within
few years his income will be very ma
terlally increased. There will be more
work and more expense attached. but
the profits will also be greater. These
things have been demonstrated year after
year. He can also raise 100 acres of
wheat if he wishes, it will not consume
much of his time
Ii every farmer would keep an accurate
account OF every dollar received from
fruit, produce, poultry products and
hogs, raised upon a comparatively small
amount Of land, he would soon be con-
vinced that diversified farming will pay.
There are many crops that will pay as
large profit as wheat and the market
is just as sure. Ii a farmer ia dependent
entirely upon one crop he runs the rick
year in and year out of having the
marked price Of that product rise or fall
During a season in which wheat s a poor
price, other products may be at the top
margin. Hogs, for instance, may bring
big money and the farmer might be able
to feed 40 cent wheat to his porkers with
the assurance of a splendid margin on
his wheat crop when the hogs go on the
market. There il nothing that will de-
velOp an agricultural community as fast
as diversified farming.