The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1911-06-01

water Users Hs~ s'!.'4 ra~
1uential il, geIliss- -t''~
the Salt river .rriSatIi, in"...l t...
erHment irrigation Insured in.:nlanen,
prosperity for the Sail river valley.
and today this pioneer farme, who
great American desert" is worth more
than 100000
Success In the irrigated districts is
not necessarily measured In extensive
farms and large bank accounts 4
few years ago u 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 $l.400 for 1t
II contained an apple orchard In poor
condition. house and few dilap
idated outbuildings. The purcha of
the land took nearly all the old en
gineer's savings. He pruned the old
apple trees aud set out thirty new
ones He sold off few mongret
chickens that were on the place and
bought 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 be put money In the bank.
and the year after So well did the
acre produce that at the Lewis and
Clark exposition at Portland in 1903
it was awarded the prize fot the seq
ond most productive and best man
aged farm In the west.
II 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 so
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
northeru Iowa decided to get married.
After the. ceremony his chief posses
sions. in addition to capable wife.
| We're a horse and buggy and $50 in
| cash He rented u farm and bought
ii grade Percheron mare. The prices
| he received for his first few colts oI,ei,
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. Dairyins was
4 rather new thing in his part OF the
country then. Most farmers preferred
to r1ise corn. where they could do
most of the work by machinery. Much
/ of the land at that time was badly IN
| aeed 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 few years OF milking
be 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 quarter section
! An eighty OF Il forty he consider:
rather .'small business" Nevertheless.
there are many advantages IN thu
smaller farms. The hired help prob
lem is solved. for the owner can d.
all the work himself. 1t is mucf
easier for man with limited capita
To buy small farm. and the cost O
stocking and equipping is less
/ e. f. Beadle of Nebraska Is one o
the corn belt farmers who is making :