The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1908-11-05
SCIENCE APPLIED TO FARMING.

On the nome farln, before l Weui
to agricultural college, we practiced
four year rotation of crops
twice corn, once oats, once wheat
and now go this one better since
learned the value of legumes as
soil enrichers. We SOW clover with
all our oats except small piece
each year. which We SOW with al
ialfa after grain is cut The al
falfa we allow to stand three TO
four years aud then follow it with
corn. We let just enough clover
standing to meet or requirements
for hay and seed, pasturing the
remainder of the field and then
blowing il under in the spring, TO
be followed with corn again.
Not many years ago we were
iold that we were wasting our time
in growing wheat and that corn
was the real money crop. Here
is the answer to this statement
which we have worked out in a
practical wav We are just the
wheat crop ahead, as the rota
ton has fully made up for the
loss in acreage. In fact. we are
now able truthfully TO say that we
are the wheat, clover and alfalfa |
aheld-a clear gain and this is
no mean consideration when you
figure the value of clover and al
falla fed in connection with corn.
This is feature of what !
LEARNED at the agricultural College
IS worth many times over what
expended for my education there.
To understand the value of al.
falia hay in all feed operations is
worth course sin an agricultural
school. A few of our farmers
tried growing alfalfa and pro
nonnced it failure. They urged
against it that it would produce
only two crops year; that the
frs crop would come in the wet
end OF .the season, which would
rem Ter the hay impossible to stack
without spelling; that 1t was
after all, not good feed.
While attending the college
had my eyes opened on the ques.
ton of alfalfa, and on my return
TO the farm | said. 1--WE will
grow alfalfa" The result has
succeeded beyond our expecta
tions. We now keep % acres in J
alfalfa and get five tons of excel
lent hay from every acre each I
year, and an abundance of good 4
safe pasturage besides. Not only
is it relished by all stock but i,
by far the easiest feed to handle. 7
Before | went to college an ear >,
OF corn was an ear of corn and r
more II il had a reason a
able size it looked good to me. /
knew nothing and cared less about c
The proportion of corn to the cob, r
about the value of a well filed butt .
and tip, about the wedge shaped "
kernel about indentation and the "
various other vital features of an
EAR of cora While at home on my d,
irst vacation from school | went TO
BUR corn.erib and tried TO pick out v
/ quantity of COOL seed corn, ! 81
vas astonished to find that there rs
vas scarcely presentable ear in
he en- ire crib Now | can go in Al
o any one OF the cribs on the farm
md pick ont 20 ears every one of Co
winch will score above 20 and do Co
his without any hunting over the
lie either We used to think that ~,
,ur SOC. bushel cribs did we'll il An
hey shel,ed out 900 bushels and
,ften they would fall below that I $
mark Now these same cribs in r.
shell out more than 1000
'ushels. All this change has been su
ccomplished in FIVE years simply TO,
nd solely by the process of intel
gent selection for we grow the Tn,
anne variety of corn now as when
'e went to college TX
Before | took my agricultural Bet
curse the oats grown i'll our local re-, Tse
y were practically confined to two
one fair yielder in ;,
lvorable year, but, unfortunately,
lost years were uufavorabe, and The
lese oats had a strong tendency SIZE
} lodge and were verv susceptible Ilu2
} rust; the other kind, a late vari- '"'
y, had heavy straw and would
ot lodge, but was poor yielder.
! school learned of new vari.
v they imported from Russia by 1
e experiment station. brought any
veral bushels of this kind home. dow
his is the variety we now grow, will
i'd the yield is not only much lar Gre
II but far more dependable. and
csc oats will stand I'm after orr Icobrs
.aviest storms even ofter tbau BY PEI
: al.5 80 while
comparatively easy End success Lyn \
! operation. But the point which he II
wish to emphasize in this connec- been
IN is that one neighbor after an
her has seen the success of Our lay p'
4 coll