Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1912-12-05
AN ILLINOIS ,MourRN

writes asking 00vlce III rceaIu " sAS
management Of a hundred acre farm
which he has lately bought and IN the
nurchase Of which he has assumed
considerable debt. He asks specimen
" as TO the culture of popcorn and on
ions and wants to know II peanuts
would make profitable crop TOT cen
trail illinois. There are so many con
ditions and factors which our 1r1enus
brief lettor of inquiry does not STATE
that we feel a bit loath In giving ao.
vice rs to what would be the best
course for him to follow In getting the
place paid for as soon as possible. In
the long run we believe our friend Will
fare best If in working out his problem
be adopts that type Of farming wnlch
will tend to increase and conserve the
fertility of his soil. The most effective
meens of doing this Is to take up dairy
ing. II our friend is new at this bust
ness he should start with few cows.
and he will be money ahead IN the emo
II he buys the best cows ne can get
They should be tested both for yield
az milk and per cent Of butter fat 80
that be will know just what to expect
from them. In picking his lows 1t VIII
be best to select that breed which u
the most numerous In the locality In
| which his farm IL located. for 1t Il
more the man than the breed IN the
case Of three or four Of the leading
dairy types. To do best with his dairy
be should have a silo. and II his farm
does not already contain an alfalfa
0eld we would suggest that he start
one early next August following rye
or early oats. Such an alfalfa aeld.
which should yield not less than four
tons Of finest forage per acre when
once it gets established. will dovetail
| In nicely with the silage. Hogs should
accompany the dairy and will make 1t
possible to manage it most economical
", particularly II butter fat IL sold and
the skimmilk kept at home.
As to the query about popcorn. We
would say that In q general way pop
corn Yields about one-half ~ much 40
Geld corn and fstches about twice a.
much. 1t will b readily appreciated
that any considerable acreage Of pop
corn would not work In with dairyins
@ we'll ~ common dent corn. How
lever, It would not b. bad idea to try
Z patch u It. It should b planted
about the time Of dent corn and usual.
/ y natures q little sooner. Owing 70
tty smaller size the rows may b plant
a tribe closer than the usual corn
distance, which II three feet six inches.
He should select kind for seed which
fstches the highest price in his nearest
market Onions are q paying inten-
sive crop and require good deal Of
hand labor The seed should be sowed
with q drill In early spring on rich
land as free a. possible from weed
seed The rows should be sixteen
inches apart. and the onions should be
thinned to two inches apart when six
or seven inches high. II the seed Is
not very thick the thinning may be
dispensed with. In which case the
onions will be small, but of just as
good quality. From 400 to TOO bushels
may be raised per acre. depending
upon conditions. and to raise the crop
will cost from $50 to $50 From 40
cents to 81 bushel may be got for
the crop. depending upon whether one
has to ship in car lots to distant points
or can peddle locally. In conclusion
the writer would suggest to his cor
respondent that II he has not already
done SO he subscribe for two or three
good farm papers and that he further
take advantage Of every opportunity
to observe and inquire into the meth.
DDS Of the most successful farmers
living In his immediate neighborhood
He will find them ready to communi
cate. and their advice and suggestions
should be Of special value because
they know local conditions intimately
ARE AFTER EASTERN FARMS.
With prime farm lands in north cen
trail states advancing in value in the
past fifteen months all the way from
SIS to $40 per acre. a decided move
ment has set in along the line Of q
purchase Of cheap New England farms
many of which have passed hands ir
recent years for good deal less thar
1t would take to erect the buildings or
them. There Is one big advantage II
these New England farms. entirely
apart from fertility of soil. which may
be little or much. and that Is theil
nearness to big markets and larg,
body of consumers. While the writer
would not suggest the purchase o.
these eastern farms without personal
ly inspecting them any more than b,
would farms located In Texas or Ore
gen. Ire is of the opinion that at tn,
prices at which many of them can b,
bought they are well worth looking into
ARE SPARED FOREST FIRES.
1t is matter concerning which al
people of the country feel gratitude
both those who would have been di
rectly as well as indirectly concerned