The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-04-05
DRY FARMING EXPERIMENT
Juab County Station Under Patron
age of Government-To Prose
cute Work on Large Scale.

Nephi. April 4.-Few of the farmers of
the state of Utah know of the important
Investigations and experiments that the
United States bureau of plant Industry is
for the benefit of the rapid
ly-growing arid farming industry OF this
state The Juab county experiment sta-
ton is fortunate in being the only one IN
the state which receives this great AID
from the government. F. d. Farrell, ex-
pert in charge, has just returned from
Washington, and also from a tour OF IN
vestigation of the most efficient expert
ment stations in the east, and has plans
FOR making the Juab county station one
of the best. -
meut which was commenced last sea-
son will be continued during the present
wear and a large number Of additional
experiments will be tnaugurated. Inc
cereal work will be extended by the ad-
dition of about two hundred varieties ana
strains of wheat. oats, corn, sorghum and
harley Varieties of these grains have
been imported from Europe Asia, South
America and Mexico. and besides large
number of selections and strains nave
been obtained in various sections through
ont the United States. A machine for
planting small quantities OF these SEEDS
has been added to the farms equipment.
The authorities of the Utah experiment
station, and the United States bureau OF
plant industry plan to make this the most
extensive dry land cereal station in the
intermountain states.
There will be some extensive expert
nents in dry land crops other than the
cereals The co-operators will endeavor
to make possible a greater diversity in the
crops of the arid lands. With this in
view the station will conduct experiments
with a number of varieties and strains OF
peas, sorghums. drought-resistant grasses,
in addition to those already being tested
on the farm, vetches, and rapes. IL is
hoped that some of these Will deVeiop
into profitable crops for forage and grain
Twenty varieties of potatoes which nave
been fairly successful in the arid sections
of South Dakota will be planted here this
spring In sections of Colorado and the
Dakotas where the rainfall is no greater
than it is here, potatoes nave oeveiopeu
into a valuable dry land crop, the tuoers
being shipped TO the irrigated lands,
Uhere they are used as seed. The
Utah station has already raised some po-
tatoes on The Nephi farm, ana II is be-
lieved that potato growing may be made
onite profitable The experiments now
being conducted in alfalfa seed produe-
ton will be augmented by about seventy
regional strains of alfalfa from differ
ent parts of this country ana frem otner
countries In addition TO the work here
suggested, there viii be experiments with
miIIets. milos prosos, buckwheat, flax
hemp and other miscellaneous crops, all
with hope of bringing about wider d.
yersity in our arid farming system
Besides the work in crop production and
Improvement. the eo-operators are plan
ming some extensive Investigations IN soil
bacterjology, soil physics and meteorol-
ogy.- A station sbuilding Is now being
planned to provide the necessary labora-
tories for this work and the regular work
in crop technology. II VIII also provide
store room for the farm products and for
the machinery and apparatus used at the
station.
The regular spring planting and soil
cultural work will be commenced as soon
as the weather permits.