The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1913-12-26
Cows and Irrigated Farms.

Cows and Irrigated Farms.
Oregon Agricultural College, Corval.
hs.-The little dairy COW Of the north
west has been, called upon to bridge
the gap between the irrigated small
farm and success. according to Profess
sor r. r. Graves, head Of the dairy
department of the Oregon agricultural
college,, and is making very salts
factory response. Dairy cows are val
liable on these small farms not only
Ior the dairy products they supply
out even more largely for their contri-
button to the SOIL !.
Dairy products are highly desirable
70 furnish money income at the time
It is most needed. Many of the farms
IN the irrigation projects are to be
planted to fruit trees, but it requires
several years to bring them into regu-
lar and profitable bearing. During
this interval dairying is the most prof
table means of providing running ex-
penses. And as a means of adding
humus, the only soil element serious
~ lacking, the dairying industry is
unexcelled.
So the farmers of these small tracts
are fast coming to appreciate the
dairy COW. 81 have never before seen
so great an interest in dairying as
was shown by the farmers of the Her
mission section at. the first annual
dairy show held there short time
ago." said Professor Graves. "For
the size of the community and the
length Of time in which 'dairying has
been followed, the number of people
in attendance and the number OF anil
mails exhibited were remarkable. And
they all wanted to know the desirable
points in a dairy COW and how to feed
and care for her. Mr.. o. M. P1hmmer
Of the Portland Stock Yard company,
who attended the show, stated that
there were more people who watched
the placing of the cattle than were
present during the judging at either
the Oregon or Washington state fair.
'Of course the quality of the dairy
herd is not equal to that of the herds
in the well established dairy sections.
But the dairymen were present with
their stock to learn their value as
dairy cattle and to find out how to
improve them Just wait until next
year and believe you will see great
improvement in the condition and
quality of the cattle that will be
shown There were sixteen cows that
this year were entered in the one-day
milking contest, and great interest
was taken in the result. In all there
were Is head of dairy stock shown,
and some two dozen hogs.
"The farmers in the vicinity of Her
mission are planning to make their
community a center for Jerseys, and
those around Stanfield are hoping to
make their district known as a Hol-
stein center.
THE dairy cow will be a great help
to the land while the young orchards
are coming into bearing. The soil
needs organic matter, and the pres
sdnce of considerable quantities of
humus will greatly reduce the cost
of irrigation, as less water will be re-
quired.
Large amounts of high grade al
falfa can be produced on the farms
there, and corn can be grown for sill
age. The combination, alfalfa and
foundation for dairy ration that can
be had. 1t will be great deal more
profitable to feed alfalfa to cows on
the farm than to send it to market.
Farmers will be more Independent of
glutted hay markets and low prices,
and can always dispose of their al
falfa and corn silage at a good profit
by making them into milk and butter
when dairying on the small irri-
gated farm is thoroughly established
in the Hermiston district, I look to
see one of the most prosperous dairy
districts of the state at that place."