Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1905-06-13
ilglEllsiyE AeRicU cUtTlJll( 4 4
Timely Address Made by
DR.. Withycombe. :

At recent farmers institute
held in Milwaukee, Or, Dr..
Withycombe, of this city, made
the following address, as set forth
by the homestead:
Extensive agriculture is the
watchword of husbandry.
Western Oregon and the irrigat-
ed portions of Eastern Oregon
are entering upon an era of small
er farms and more extensive cul-
ture. The trend of agriculture
is towards maximum production.
This condition will be found on
smaller rather than on large
farms. There are contributing
conductive to the devel-
opment of this system of farm.
ing. First, conditions here are
highly favorable to the system;
second, the highly-increasing
values of land and consequent
ly increased taxation compel the
owner to make the farm more re-
munerative. This subdivision Of
farms will not only give rise to
better general farming but will
give us a more dense population.
The increased revenue by reason
OF more intensive systems of
husbandry will stimulate! every
avenue of trade and help to de.
velop Portland into great com
cial city. " ''''
There is no agricultural sec
ton in the world more favored by
natural endowments for exten-
sive agriculture than our own fair
state; also there is not a sec
ton OF our state better situated
for intensive husbandry than
here. Your farms are located at
the very threshold of the metro
polls of the Northwest. There is
no reason why the farmers of this
section should not be prosperous.
Nor is there any reason why ag-
riculture should not be a profit
able and pleasurable vocation.
Surely the potentiality of our
soil and climate, when properly
understood will surpass the ex-
pectations OF the most sanguine.
AS an example of what can be
done in the line of producing
green feed for dairy cows, results
obtained at the experiment station
this spring will be given. We
began cutting on April 3, an
acre of rye and vetch, sown Oct.
18, 1904; finished cutting on
| April IS; yield per acre OF. green
feed, 13, 325 pounds. Began cut
ting second crop on May 20;
finished May 80; yield 11,195
pounds. Thus this acre of yetch
and rye has yielded this spring
IT'S tons of green feed and
there is a good prospect of a third
crop.
Began cutting a two-acre field
of alfalfa April 70 and finished
cutting May 20; yield of two
acres twenty tons and eighty
pounds of green feed. Thus three
Iacres have produced 81 .7o tons Of
green feed already this spring
| with a good prospect of cutting
two or three more crops of alfalfa
] this season; or, in other words,
three acres of land have furnish.
] ed the principal feed for fifteen
head of grown cattle and four
six months old calves from April
8 to May 80.
| This is what is known as the
soiling system and plainly Illus.
trates the possibility of small
farms when intelligently utilized,
These crops are produced under
ordinary farm conditions anc
without any artificial fertilizers.
The same principle may b
-Iapplied to all branches of hus
bandry, including poultry, swine
Isheep, grain, and market garden
ing.
l. Agriculture in all its rami6ca
tions is steadily becoming NOR
highly specialized. We advocate
diversity of productions only St
far as is necessary to main,ail
the fertility of the soil by rota
ton OF crops. Thus animal hus
bandry in some form is practical
/ ly indispensable in general farm