Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1912-02-09
CORN AND sILAGE

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feed for stock has grown more in fav-
or with the farmers, especially the
progressive dairy farmers, of this
Pacific Northwest or elsewhere than
silage. Agricultural journals have
given much valuable space in order
that their readers might become ac-
Professors in our colleges have used
silage as a theme for class and insti-
tute work, urging the farmers, in or
der to have an abundance of succu-
lent feed in all seasons of the year,
and to build silos. But after all the
prominence that has been given to
this subject there are still hundreds
or farmers trying to get along with
out it, either from indifference on
their part, or lack of faith that a
well filled silo will accomplish all that
has been said and written about it.
In every country there are farm
ers so certain of their ability to sue
coed in their own particular way that
they fail to appreciate the thought
and work that specialists have given
to this and other farm problems
Human nature is the same the world
over. Skepticism has invariably been
the forerunner of all the great pro-
jects that have been accomplished
no matter in what particular line of
work. Many of the great achieve
ments that have brought to mankind
in general wonderful assistance had
in their infancy much to contend with
by skeptical people, and today stand
forth as beacon lights and monu-
ments of mans skill and perseyer-
ance
The wheat farmer, although not es-
pecially interested in live stock, has
to SUNNI erfallow in order to keep
his land in anything like wheat grow
ing condition. The experts of this
college do not believe that it is neces-
sary to carry out that method of
farming in general. Their plan is to
grow corn crop occasionally instead.
keeping the land producing all the
time, and we have proved in a very
satisfactory manner that this method
is a paying proposition. 1t costs
money to summerfallow every second
or third year. 1t creates a great deal
OF extra labor beside the loss of rev.
enue from the land, if the college ex-
perts are sound in their judgement,
and | believe they are. On the other
hand, it would seem to be unwise for
farmers having four or five hundred
acres of summer fallow to plant it to
corn, and the only remedy that / can
think of is to sell the surplus, retain
ing only what can be titled each year
The question will naturally arise,
what disposal could the wheat
rancher make of the corn?" There
are many ways of disposing of corn
crop profitably even if it is not put
into the silo, although l believe the
silo method is the best for this state.
We are facing problem in this Pa
cific Northwest which in the near flu
ture will be felt from one side to the
other. In fact, it is already felt,
namely: scarcity of livestock, and it
appears to me that with the thous-
ands of acres of idle land in eastern
Washington every year, with mois-
ture sufficient to grow corn, the
wheat rancher could assist in a very
material way to remedy this evil. He
could erect some cheap sheds, as they
do in the middle west, and feed a
carload or two of good steers, even If
he had to bring them from somewhere
else, and not only could he make a
profit on the steers. but he would
have quantity of first class manure,
by hauling the straw for bedding,
which at the present time is made use
of In very wasteful way. In other
words, equally good, if not much bet
ter, results from the more intensive
working of lesser acreage can be
had. am fully aware that goodly
number of the wheat ranchers will
laugh at a proposition of this kind,
but just the same, the time will come
and is not so very far distant, when
some of these gentlemen will sit up
and take notice The fertility of the
soil is depicting despite the summer
fallow system, and the only cure is
livestock.
The dairy farmer seems to have a
serious time in this part of the state
in getting sufficient feed for his
cows. 1t is certainly true, If he de-
ponds upon pasture during all of the
summer m onths, his business will not
be profitable. 1t is also true that he
can grow clover and alfalfa, but the
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