Spray courier. (Spray, Or.) 1???-19??, 1912-10-30
SCIENCE BRINGS REWARD.
Immense Increase on Farms Where
o. A. @. Methods Were Used.


Oregon Agricultural College. Cor
vallis-An average yield Of 20 to 81
per cent more in crops raised on farmI
of the o. A. c.. experiment station
than on other farms in the same local
ity is reported by Prof. H. d. Scud
der, of the agronomy department, who
has just returned from an inspection
tour of the Sherman, Crook and Har-
ney county experiment farms. He
attributes these results to the scisn'
tific methods in conjunction with un-
usually favorable weather conditions.
Corn, field peas, alfalfa and Turkey
Red wheat have succeeded on the land
of number Of Eastern Oregon farm.
ers, indicating a promising future fol
them in the dry-farming areas. Five
years ago it was claimed that these
crops could not grow there with any
profit to the farmer, but the college
insisted then as now, on their future
Importance in the development of dry
farming. That the farmers, notably
in Sherman and Crook counties, have
growing reliance upon the wisdom
of the college experts is shown by the
fact that more than half the wheat
acreage is now in Turkey Red. On
the Moro branch experiment farm this
variety has consistently proven its
superiority in yield over other varie-
ties.
At Metolius and Redmond. as well
as at Moro, the value of corn to the
dry farmer has been proven by its sue
cess, both as grain and as forage.
The variety which made the best
showing is a college-bred corn which
Prof. Scudder has been introducing to
hundreds of farmers, not in Eastern
Oregon alone, but throughout the
western part of the state also.
An equal success has been gained
with field peas, even better results
than expected being achieved at both
Moro and Metolius in the matter Of
production flor seed and lhay and for
pasturing pigs. Returns in pork OF
$12 to $1S for each acre Of peas were
obtained at both stations. This
makes peas better crop for financial
gain than wheat, as there Is no har-
vesting expense, and, still more i'm
portant, it increases rather than de-
pletes the soil fertility. The Brown
field pea proved far the best and will
be grown for distribution as fast as
possible.
Alfalfa grown in cultivated rows
for seed production gave the greatest
success Of all, and proved most graft
flying to Prof. Scudder, who has advo-
Gated this particular form of produc-
tion, and now feels that the college is
well justified in pushing this form of
dry farming work. A variety which
he introduced from the Dakotas is far
superior to all others not only in
drought resistance, but in seed pro-
duction and resistance to frosts. For
mer estimates Of a possible profit Of
$40 an acre each year from the seed
crop, it is believed, will be exceeded
considerably. The seed 10 Of unusual
value, both for its hardness and yigor
and because Of its environment. It
has already proven ITS superiority to
wheat as money maker, and its val
ue as soil builder is unquestioned.
More than ton Of hay to the acre
was also obtained this year in the al
falfa fields at Moro, and Improvement
in methods is expected to bring the
weld up to ton and a half.
Certain varieties Of potatoes intro
duced in Sherman and Crook counties
by the college have also proven SUI
perior in yield and quality, and as po-
tatoes are always of unusual quality
on the dry-farming land, the varieties
now being developed on the expert
ment station fields will prove profit
bringers.
Ample demonstration on the expert
ment farm has been made of the
greater profits that may be obtained
from more intensive methods of farm
ing where corn, potatoes, field peas
and alfalfa replace wheat, as rotation
crops used with it. The Improvement
of the soil and the maintenance of fer
tility, always the ultimate object of
the college in its work, is considered
the greatest result Of such system.
Timothy Nets Big Profit.
Hlounafh EaIIa--Thraahin Ia nearly