The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-06-03
DRY FARMING IN
CEDAR VALLEY
Two Companies Report Sue
cess of Experiments in
Raising Wheat.
EXTENSIVE OPERATIONS
MUCH HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED
WITHIN THREE YEARS.

Three years ago the federal government
through the land office at Washington,
decided to declare all the lands in the
Fort Crittenden military reservation open
TO entry under all the land laws Of the
United States. The Fort Crittenden res
eTvation embraced ali the lands in Cedar
valley, located IN the western portion Of
Utah county. II is a historic locality
being the place where the first United
States military post in the territory OF
Utah was established. Even today the
old buildings erected by the army remain
standing and are used in "Old Camp
Floyd" as the dwelling places of the resi-
dents Of Fairfield. The huge cottonwood
trees which sheltered JOhnsOn's army in
its first bivOuac still stand along the
creek, forming an oasis in the sagebrush
desert.
Few Of those acquainted with Cedar
valley thought It fit for anything else
than sheep range and rabbit hunting
grounds but some observing ones who
remembered that in early days the army
had contracted with the Mormon settlers
from the Salt Lake valley to furnish hay
cut on the benches in Cedar valley, de-
cided that the location was well suited for
dry farming" In consequence, through
the state land board, piece of ground
was selected and purchased and since that
time they have been operating and de-
Veloping an extensive farm.
There is another company also operating
county residents. These two companies
have persistently continued their work in
spite of disCOuTagfng conditions and re-
suits until the present year, when the
most encouraging prospects are before
them. The first year two steam plows
were put into operation and hundreds Of
acres were plOwed. The wheat planted
did not mature as was TO be expected, be-
cause sufficient time had not been given
the land to create plant foods. The sec
ond year the Salt Lake company, known
as the Cedar Valley Land & Improvement
company, harvested a crop, which they
sold on the ground for - cents per BUSH
ell The quality of this grain was excel
lent. This crop conviT eed the companies
that the ground was well adapted for
grain-raising and that all that was need
ed to realize their hopes of converting the
sagebrush benches and flats to waving
grain fields was proper methods. So a
third crop was sOwn.
The Third Crop.
Yesterday a party of stockholders Of
the Salt Lake company visited the farm
and were agreeably surprised. over 1000
acres of promising grain now surround
the little hamlet Of Fairfield. The en-
plOyes OF the companies are pushing Op-
eratlOns and still more acres are being
broken up for planting this fall The
hOmesteaders, seeing the success of the
large companies. are planning active op-
eratiGns. and IN the next year or two
good many acres Of grain fields viii he
added to the grain-producing area of the
state
The contrast between the sagebrush
lands. the CROSSWORD flats and barren
hillsides with the waving fields OF wheat
and barley. already standing twelve to
fifteen inches high, is proof enough to
convince the most skeptiCal that dry
farming is u success and viii be one OF
the principal factors in building up the
state What is being done in spots I'm
Cedar valley after three years efforts can
be done i'm the whole valley, and what can
be accomplished in this valley can be
done I'm all the valleys of Utah.