American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1909-03-20
zoos ACRE
WHEAT FIELD
viii Grow to One Of 4,O0O
Acres Next Year.
Dry Farming at American Falls is an
Established and Remunerative In
dushy- Hundreds Of New
Settlers Coming.

An cVlOenCe Oh Cne prOOucClVeneSS OF
this section that will be pointed out to
homeseekers this season is 2,008-acre
wheatfeld FIVE miles from American
Falls. The wheat is growing on what
is locally known as the Dry Farm. but
which is in reality many farms operated
as one, with improved labor saving ma
chinery. The wheat is looking fine,
and conditions indicate large yield.
B. C.. Adams, an experienced Washing
ton dry farmer who recently came here,
says, basing his estimate upon his
knowledge of the Washington country,
that the tract should average twenty
five or thirty bushels per acre, and it
may do even better. This is the third
year the farm has been operated. The
first year 300 acres were seeded to
spring wheat, the yield ranging from
eighteen bushels for early seeding to
five bushels for the latest Last year
1,400 acres were in grain, the best fall
seeding yielding thirty bushels, and best
spring about twenty. Fall seeding was
continued the second year almost to
the first of December and three or four
hundred acres sprouted and froze before
coming through the ground, resulting
in an almost total failure of crop. Yet
on the who'd the year was success.
Last fall seeding was finished about the
first of October, and the entire field of
zoos acres is thrifty, and if the season
is favorable a crop approximating So,
900 bushels will be harvested.
In addition to the wheat 800 acres of
barley will be seeded as soon as the soil
is dry enough, the land having been
prepared last fall.
Superintendent Davis will soon begin
narrowing the wheat, as recommended
by Professor H. w. Campbell and other
authorities. Heretofore, for lack of
time, crops have received no spring
cultivation whatever, and much of it
has been indifferently put in. Better
methods are to be the rule in the
future.
A small field of alfalfa, sowed last
fall, is doing well and promises to be
success.
Within a few days Superintendent
Davis expects to have two traction
engines at work, turning up from fifty
to sixty acres every twentyfour hours.
Before harvest comes he expects to
have 1000 acres ready for fall seeding.
About fifty men will be employed.
Near this great field, which is unques-
tionably the largest in Idaho, is another
of about !, 200 acres in fall wheat. Both
these fields are in Blaine county, within
seven miles of American Falls. Indi-
vidual farms in that Immediate vicinity
probably have an acreage equally as
large.
In the northern part of Oneida comfy
the acreage in wheat will be doubled,
owing to the influx of new settlers. By
fall more than 300 new homes will have
been established in the territory south
and east of town, the greatsr portion of
which will be cultivated to some extent
this season.
The lands above are all dry farm
lands, filings upon which have been in
excess of 100, 900 acres within the past
year. Filings are now being made at
the rate of three or four thousand acres
week, with about 200,0 acres still
untouched.
Dry farming was begun here as an
experiment about seven years ago. AT
hrst it was confined to small belt
along the foothills, but has spread to
the plains and has been a success be-
yond the hopes of the most sanguine.