The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1910-09-09

Water Usery' association and was In
fluential In getting congress 10 start
the Salt river irrigation project. Gov
eminent Irrigation insured permanent
prosperity for the Salt river valley,
and today this pioneer farmer who
set out to make a fortune In 1.-The
great American DESERT is worth more
than 100000
Success In the irrigated districts is
not necessarily measured in extensive
farms and large bank accounts. A
few years ago a locomotive engineer,
sixty years old and broken in health.
moved from Minneapolis to the state
of Washington. He bought an acre
Of irrigated land, paying $1.400 for it.
1t contained an apple orchard in poor
condition, a house and few dilap-
idated outbuildings. The purchase Of
the land took nearly all the old en-
gineer's savings. He pruned the old
apple trees and set out thirty new
ones. He sold off a few mongrel
chickens that were on the place and
bought a 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 he put money In the bank,
and the year after. So we'll did the
acre produce that at the Lewis and
Clark exposition at Portland In 1905
it was awarded the prize for the Sec
ond most productive and best man
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 to be so
hard to duplicate.
There are men who say land is 80
high that there is little chance for the
man with small capital to get start.
Notwithstanding this more young men
are buying farms every year. A
dozen years or SO, ago young German
who had been working by the day in
northern Iowa decided to get married.
After the ceremony his chief posses
sions, in addition to capable wife,
were horse and buggy and $3.50 In
cash. He rented farm and bought
q grade Percheron mare. The prices
he received for his first few colts Open
ed his eyes to the profits Of the horse
business. He bought some more
mares, pure breds this time. He made
money from the start and 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 a 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 at that time was badly In
need of drainage and was better suited
to pasture than to corn growing. A
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
gled milk pals and put money in the
bank. After a few years Of milking
he bought the farm he was working
and paid half cash. The mortgage
cannot last long in the face Of pros
pering 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 forty he considers
rather ''small business" Nevertheless
there are many advantages in the
smaller farms. The hired help prob
lem is solved. for the owner can do
all the work himself. 1t is much
easier for man with limited capital
to buy a small farm. and the cost Of
stocking and equipping is less.
@. e. Beadle Of Nebraska is one Of
the corn belt farmers who is making