East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-11-11

settlers of that region at that time he
went first into the stock business,
raising first horses, and later cattle.
When he raised horses he acquired
the local reputation for raising the
best horses in the county, and when
he went into the cattle business he
turned his attention to the problem
of producing the highest grade of
thoroughbred cattle. When he began
to break up his land and put it into
wheat he entered upon the task of
producing the best wheat and pro-
and effort.
In the early eighties he introduced
the bluestem variety of wheat into
the Endicott country and for a num-
Der OF years was the largest producer
Of that variety in that part OF the
country
In 1903 he brought the first COM
bined harvester into the county and
proved that machine to be a success
under certain conditions. Later he
introduced the Stockton gang plow
and the method Of farming with men
and large teams. During the past
several years nearly all of his farm
ing operations have been conducted
with teams of six horses and upwards.
In the early nineties he aroused a
fierce controversy among wheat
growers throughout the country by
declaring that wheat could be pro-
duced in Whitman county at a cost
not to exceed 80 cents a bushel. And
for several succeeding seasons he
demonstrated on his own farms the
conservative correctness of his the
ory
Works Years on Problem.
at was in the early nineties that
became seriously interested in the
problem of preventing the injury of
wheat by smut" said he in relating
his experiences. For years before
that time we had been using vitriol or
bluestone for the treatment of seed
for this purpose. But my own ex-
perience in applying the method then
in vogue convinced me that it was
not an effective remedy. At one time
even questioned whether 1t was a
preventive at all. So | seeded some
of my fields without treating the seed
and found that the treatment was
measure of protection.
Having progressed this far, | be-
gan experimenting to ascertain |
whether | could not hit upon a meth
cd which made the vitrol treatment
even more effective. At that time
the farmers generally followed the
method Of vitriollng their wheat in
sacks. This method is to mix the
vitriol with water in a barrel and
dip the seed in the barrel, half a sack
at a time.
II observed, by studying this meth
Od, that it did not afford an opportu-
nifty for every grain Of seed to become
treated by the chemical.
Also / noticed that where there were
a few whole grains of smut in the
seed so treated those grains did not
become thoroughly saturated. This
suggested the idea that these grains
might become broken in the later
Of the seed and infect some
If the whole grains which had been
treated and thus reinfect
hem
Uses an Open Trough.
"FOllowing these suggestions, 1
ought to work out a method which
would give every grain Of seed wheat
m opportunity to become thoroughly D.,
reated by the chemical, while at the
anne time separating from the seed {
very grain Of whole smut Then It
vas that | worked out my method of /
Dplying the vitriol in an open trough
he one which has since proven en- !
rely successful.
MY method Of applying the vitriol {
; to take a wooden trough about 12 {
inches wide and II inches deep by 12 {
eet long. Filling this about two 8
birds full Of water place the vitriol 9
o sack and hand II I'm one end Of I
he trough. Using a sack for the Wit 7
Iol prevents II from becoming mixed
'th the wheat, while at the same
me permitting the water TO take ND a