The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1912-08-22
0fOpp0rtunity
Advantages and Needs of the Rich
field Tract Smaller Farms,
More Home Comfort


The Recorder editor recently took
long trip over the Richfield tract,
covering most of the settled portion
and a little that is not so well
settled. V. V. Bower and his fine
driving team made the trip possible
land exceedingly comfortable.
It's mighty different country
from what it was when the writer
first came over this same ground.
Then. there wasn't a house, or a
fence, or a furrow between the Lane
ranch just south of Richfield, and
the settlement at Burns; and moth
ing at all to the north or north
east The Slick brothers were then
building the diversion dam, and the
first few miles Of main canal; work
ing like super-men at some of the
hardest work man could well do.
1t was a revelation, a portent of
magnificent, big things to come, to
see Bill" Slick holding the steel
"rcoter" plow in the canals behind
the big 30-horse traction engine
after it had scared out every hardy
laborer who thought he was a good
enough man to tackle that job or
giant blasts at the headgates of the
Richfield canal; one blast alone tool
45O kegs, IL 500 pounds of powder,
and moved 10000 cubic yards of
rock.
Well, it was all sage brush then
You had to be a good deal of a be-
lever in the unbelievable, a proph
ct who trusted intuitions and inner
consciousness, to be able to see
what is new here. It's all as plain
as day now; nothing marvellous, no
evidence Of what faith it took to
lay out such project; no doubt,
nc question as to whether the fig
ures were good. 1t is as common
place as Mars, the god of war, plow
ing corn with blind OK; or Peg
asus, the tabled steed of the poets.
the inspiration of literature and of
art, drawing a stone-boat load of
turnips to feed the town COWS. If
there's any other thing as little SEN
saticnal where it once was a real
't's that too
This country isn't yet developed
lit is doubtful whether it has yet
reached one-tenth of its ultimate
production. There is of course not
a bearing fruit tree on the tract, tho
there are thousands of trees set on /
and thriving Not more than one
fourth of the tract is in even NOM
inal cultivation; possibly not one
sixth Some fields are as well cul-
tivated as could be found in the old
est, best irrigated country on earth.
The rule, however, is that the fields
need more intensive cultivation. | /
is a fact that 80 acres is a really
Dig farm; most men, even the bes
farmers On the tract, would make 7
more money and lead better, hap |
pier lives on 40 acres than on the (
larger farms If the holdings could /
be limited to 10 and so acres. and
the land carefully TILED. it would |
be a boon to the country Cnly sec
ond to the getting of water. The
country has tco many farms with
owners who are not
able or ready or willing to improve
their land; there ae too many resi-
dents who have twice as much land I
as they can care for, now or ever.
hired helpp. Until this
section of the country gets to an
average cf 40 to so acres to the
farm, and some one living on every
farm, it will be ragged and only a
part as prosperous as it should be.
When the Twin Falls country was
opened, the average farm holding
was 100 acres. In six years, the av-
erage had fallen to SO acres---and it
Is now only little more than 40
acres. Until this tract experiences
the same change of heart as regards
the big farm, prosperity of the finer
sort will net come.
But it is an unalloyed pleasure
10 see hcw things grow. Nowhere
in the country can there be found
better grain than some Of the we'll
Cended fields. There is one field of
potatoes ncrth of town, 80 acres,
that would be the ultimate dream
Of the best potato grower of his
tory. There are oat heads a foot
and half long; wheat that looks
more like cat-tails for size; garden
truck that looks like an exaggerated
state fair out on a vacation; alfalfa
that can hardly be stacked on the
fields where it was cut. No one