Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1910-09-28

Water Users association and was in
fiuential In getting congress TO 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 fortune IN the
great American desert" is worth more
than $4,000.
Success in the irrigated districts is
not necessarily measured in extensive
farms and large bank accounts. A
few years ago 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 Sl.40O for it.
II contained an apple orchard In poor
condition. house and a few dilap-
dated outbuildings. The purchase of
the land took nearly all the Old en-
gineer's savings. lie pruned the old
apple trees and set out thirty new
ones He sold Off a few mouCrel
bought a pure br : rooster ami 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 wel did the
acre produce that at the Lewis and
Clark exposition at Portland in 1908
1t was awarded the prize for the sec
ond most productive an:i best man
aged farm = the west
1t is instances ike 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 &c be so
hard to duplicate,
~ ere are men who say land is so
high that there is little chance for the
man with small capital to get a start
Notwithstanding this more young men
are buying farms every year. A
who had been working by the day in
northern iowa decided To get married,
After the ceremony his chief posses
sions. in addition TO a capable wife.
were a horse and buggy and $50 in
cash. He rented Sarm and bought
a 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 bis 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 10 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 few years OF milking
( he bought the farm he was working
and paid half cash. The mortgage
cannot last long in the face of a 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 eau do
all the work himself. 1t is much
easier for a man with limited capital
to buy small farm, and the cost of
stocking and equipping is less
O. p. Bea2le of Nebraska is one OF
the corn s~sas farmers vino is making a