Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1909-01-28
Opportunities For Men Of Small Capital.


Of the remarkable transformation
which is being wrought by irri
CATION in many of the desert valleys
of the West, is the prominent
position which newcomers from the
East are taking in the development
work. The instances were meE
from the East with no previous ex.
perience and training in farming
have achieved signal success on ir-
rigated farms are numerous. They
call attention to the opportunities in
the desert for men of small capital
but with plenty industry and brains,
To get away from the crowded
centers of population into the broad
free country.
In much of the preeent develope-
ment of new agricultural areas in
the West the sturdy sons of Penn
sylvania are taking no small part.
Nothing less was expected of the ex-
perienced farmer of the keystone
State who ventured out into the
West, But the same achievements
apparently are being shown by
other citizens from the cities.
From iron moulder to dairyman is
rather a startling change of occupa-
tion. Ten years experience in the
Baldwin Locomotive works would
hardly seem to be the sort of train
ing to insure success in dairy farm
ing Nevertheless III. G. Watson,
who for decade labored faithfully
as iron mOulder in the Baldwin
shops, has demonstrated that his
previousN occupation did not unfit
him for another profession. In
1907 Mr.. Watson took stock as it
were and decided that while iron
molding brought him good wages,
the annual difference between in
come and outgo promised him little
for his old age. He sent Mrs. Wat
son to the West on tour of investi-
CATION, with the result that in 1907
he gave up his job in Philadelphia
and moved his belongings to farm
in West Idaho near the town of Cald-
well He bought eighty acres of
land, all in sage brush, but with
rights to water from one of the large
canals Although he had never
worked at the carpenter trade Mr..
Watson in one week built house
of two rooms and attic, assisted
only by his son II years old.
In 1908, after clearing, cultivating
and planting he cropped 60 acres,
ten acres in red clover, eight seeded
to alfalfa, five to potatoes, and the
balance to oats. He had good gar
den and some chitken Mr.. Wat.
son brought one COW with him, and
in February that year, purchased
two more at So each. In April he
bought another for $l15 and later
added another to his herd. He was
finally established in the dairy bust
ness and soon began to supply the
home market with butter at 80 cents
per pound. From April to Deem
ber he produced and sold 1910
pounds, which returned him the
the sum Of S4l2,45. deducting the
cost of feed $l05., the net return
was 1907 45, or $6l per head for nine
months. All the feed for the herd
and for five horses and three colts
was raised on the farm, besides near
ly all the food consumed by the fam
lily. The land has more than douh-
led in valne so that his net returns
for the year are considerably in en-
cess of what he usually made work
ing at his trade. He is free from
worry, no landlords trouble him, and
shut-downs, strikes or panics do not
disturb his rest at night. He has
one great ambition, and the fulfill
ment is within sight--to own a
dairy herd of 100 registered cows.
The great work of bringing water
to the thirsty land npon which the
government is now spending $50. 900,
900, has its justification in the sue
cess of the industrious home builders
who are taking up the new farms,
and who are paying back to the
Treasury every dollar thus invested
by the Nation. What wonder that
the daily mail bag Of the Statistican
Reclamation Service at Washington
- Ia