Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1907-10-11
w. E. Smith of Sherman, Texas.
Enjoys That Distinction.
HAS I4OO ACRES IN ALFALFA
His Annual Income from hay and Seed
IS Over 500, ,000--RaiSeS Many
Hogs and Cattle.

Al dnHudl luCOmc VI thOlC Au0u
800, ,oO0 from alfalfa-more than
twice the salary of the President of
the United States! A farm kingdom
of 400 acres of alfalfa!
These are the things which r. Z.
Smith of Sherman, Texas, is enjoy
ing as the fruits of his own labor
and well directed management. The
title of "k;ng' has been given to
him unsonght. Despite his wonder,
full success in his chosen field of ag-
riculture he is modest and unassum-
ing and accepts the honors that
have come to him with all the diff
fdence of the ordinary farmer.
Mr.. Smith has developed from a
practicIng lawyer to the greatest
alfalfa grower in the world in
period of thirteen years. lie began
his first experiment of planting alf-
alta in 1894. At that time there
was little known of this plant in
Texas. He sowed five acres with
the seed. 1t thriyed so well that
he met with a difficult problem in
keeping it cut. 1t was new thing
to him and afforded him an oppor-
tunity TO begin the study of that
particular branch of agriculture
with closeness of application that
in a few years caused him to be
known the country over as an
authority upon the subject of alfalfa
growing.
The growing and harvesting OF
the crop were not the only things to
be studied and investigated. lie
conducted long series of experiments
of the best methods of feeding and
fattening stock upon il. He made
many new discoveries which have
been of the greatest value in utlliz
ing the product and his income from
the hogs and other livestock which
feed npon it amounts to many
thousands of dollars annually in ad
dition to the enormous sum which
the alfalfa crop directly brings him
n When the irst five acres enlight
Nned Mr.. Smith as to the possibil
Nes of alfalfa he began to increas
acreage year by year. Eve
wsn he reached the point when b
Ia 100 acres in the feed stuff h
was looked upon as the king OF all
alta growers in the southwest. Tha
was a number of years ago and sine
then there are many farms in tn
country which have a larger acreag
of alfalfa than that. Two years az
he had increased his acreage TO 100
acres and his income for that yea
was $7s, 900. Since then 400 NOR
acres nave been added.
The marvellous thing about Nj
Smiths alfalfa farm Is that it is
dry land proposition. The crop
grown without irrigation. FRA
tically all Of the other alfalfa that
grown in the southwest il by meal
of irrigation. BY the cultiVatir
methods used by Mr.. Smith be
able to obtain as many cuttings az
As large yield as usually obtains a
on the irrigated farms. The o
theory that alfalfa will thrive on
npon bottom lands is disproved
Mr.. Smith. 1t is growing in I
valley and upon the bills upon
farm. The highest hills in th
part OF Texas are in this 400 &C
alfalfa field. The alfalfa viii
grows upon their SUBMITS il eq'
TO that which grows in the vale.
The plant enrlches the soil marv
onsly and after the first planting
) not long until the most barr
npots are thickly carpeted. One
ae hills in the big alfalfa field
lled Mt. Nebo and from its 50
\ every part of the 400 acres {
plainly seen.
TO me this Is the most enticl
ID