Judith Gap journal. [volume] (Judith Gap, Mont.) 1908-19??, 1910-11-04


twenty years ngo an Iowa farmer sold
a half section Of land. paid his debts.
and. with seven or eight thousand
dollars in cash. II wife and four chill
dren. started for Arizona. He located
in the Salt river valley. bought rs
much Of the cheap land rs his money
would pay for and set out to learn
irrigation farming. He learned It we'll
and made money. The surplus went
to buy more land. He Joined the
Water Users association and was In.
hueutiai III getting congress to start
the Salt river irrigation project. Gov.
ernment irrigation Insured permanent
prosperity for the Salt river valley.
and today this pioneer fari'er who
set out to make fortune In 1.-THE
great American desert" Is worth more
than $2OOOOO.
Success in the irrigated districts Is
not necessarily measured in extensive
farms and large bank accounts. A
few years ago Il locomotive engineer.
sixty years old and broken III health.
moved from Minneapolis to the state
of Washington. lie bought an acre
Of irrigated land, paying $1.4OO for It.
1t contained an apple orchard III poor
condition. II house aud few dilap.
dated outbuildinss. The purchase Of
the land took nearly all the old Ell
gincrr's savings. He pruncd the old
apple trees aud set out thirty new
a ~ eN1Nl
chickens that were on the place and
bought Il pure bred rooster and three
hens After the first years expenses
were paid he had enough money left
to put on many improvements. The
next year HI. put money In the bank.
acre produce that ut the Lewis and
Clark exposition at Portland in 1905
it was awarded the prize for the Sec
Und most productive and best nIam-
aged farm in the west.
1t is instances like this that really
show the possibilities OF the farm for
the average man. Few men can be
come great cattle kings. and not many
can repeat the success of David Ran.
kin or Colonel Smith. But the success
of the old engineer on his one acre Of
irrigated farm land ought not I" hc $"
hard to duplicate.
There are men who say land IS so
high that there is little chance for the
man will, small capital 10 get start
Notwithstanding this more young men
are buying farms every year. \
dozen years or So ago Il young German
who had been working by the day IN
northern Iowa decided to get married.
After the ceremony his chief posses
sinl,S. in addition to a capable wife.
wcr" Il horse and buggy aud $3.50 In
cash. lie rented n farm and bought
n grade I'crclcrOn mare. The prices
he received for his first few colts open
cd his eyes to the profits Of the horse
business. lie bought some more
mares. pure hrcds this time. lie made
money from the start ana has nearly
enough money laid by to buy and pay
for the farm he has been working.
Another young farmer IN northern
Iowa went into the dairy business
six or seven years ago. Dairying was
rather IL new thing in his part Of the
country then. Most farmers preferred
to raise corn. where they could do
most Of the work by machinery. Much
Of the land ut that time was badly IN
need OF drainage and was better suited
to pasture than to corn growing. \
few wet seasons reduced the profits
Of the corn growers almost to the van,
iShing point. The Young fellow who
had put his faith in dairy cows jim
EIrd milk pals and put money III the
bank. After few years IT milkin.
he bought the farm he was working
and paid half cash. The mortgage
cannot last long in Tho. face OF II pros
perrin. dairy business.
The average farmer of the middle
west doesn't like to think Of farming
anything less than a quarter section.
An eighty or a forty he considers
rather 'smnil business" Nevertheless
there are many advantages In the
smaller farms. The hired help prob.
len, is solved. for the owner can do
all the work himself. 1t Is much
easier for II man with limited capital
I" buy Il small farm. and the cost Of
stocking and cNuippn. is less
G. T. Bealle Of Nebraska is one Of
the corn belt farmers who is making a
living on forty acres of land. His
average net income is $500 IL year lie
has II very comfortable house. To rent
such house in the city and live as
we'll there us he and his family Ito on
the farm would cost him $500 q
year. Considered III that light his lit.
tie farm is really paying him salary
If $3.50 year.
Duty is a concession to the claims
Of others that we never quite feel like
making no matter how stubbOrnly we
do it.
Everybody loves a winner except the
loser and his family.