Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1913-10-23

IN turn means the best homes and +h,,
best citizens. The growing of alfalfa
alone IS not worth exploiting. We want
you to grow alfalfa and you want TO
grow it because it means more live.
stock and more returns to the farmer
To grow alfalfa alone on YOUR farms
would be like growing nothing but
wheat or some other kind of grain
Alfalfa must be grown to insure rota.
tion OF crops, to further diversified
farming. Diversified farming is the
best kind of agriculture. The middle
states have suffered through having
grown nothing but corn on their farms
the south has paid the same penalty
with too much cotton and the west
right now is following the same calf
path with wheat and other small
grain.
Don't pay too much attention to
any one particular branch of farming.
Follow the diversified plan. Why, do
you know there are lot of farmers
nowadays who value their pigs more
than they do their boys? It's a fact.
1t you had bunch of hogs over in an
adjoining pasture and some one over
there was taking care of them for you
it is likely that you would find time to
go every day or so and see how the pigs
were coming along. But you seldom
have time to go to the schoolhouse to
see how your boy or girl is progressing,
only on the last day of school, aud
lot of you don t go that often.
"Did you ever read that little poem
The Calf Path!' 1t tells how a little
calf, pasturing in a field where the
city of Boston now stands had gone
from one feeding spot to, another, wind
ing in and out, round about The boy
driving the calf home followed the
same trail, 'in and out, round about
Finally the path became well beaten
track, and eventually road; later il
was street and immense buildings
were built along either side. And all
this time the people have been follow
ing the calf path, and cursing the cali
instead of lining out straight anG
direct route.
Stial Growing Corn.
''Back in the middle states they
grow corn; father raised corn and now
the sons are growing it. Raise corr
every year, sell it at the elevator ant
complain about the weather and say the
crops are not as good as they used t.
be. But that was before diversified
farming was followed.
Alfalfa is especially adapted tt
Camas Prairie for the reason that yo,
have here great undeveloped dairy
region. This is in truth a natural dairy
section. Alfalfa is great dairy stool
food. All over the east and the middle
west the farmers are breaking out O.
the calf paths and taking up the growtl
of alfalfa along with their other crops
But they cannot grow good alfalf'
seed. They must look to the west fo
that. And right there is another rea
son why alfalfa in this country shoul'
be the premier crop. You can eithe
feed it or sell it and you can alway
find a market for the seed.
Most Profitable Crop.
"Alfalfa, according to accurate AM
reliable statistics, is the most profita
BILE crop known to the farmers OF tn
hok .c ~ hrinOc m
returns to the farmer. That mean
that it will increase farm values. Elk
periments that we have conducted II
Iowa. Illinois, Nebraska and sothe
states show that it excels every othe
crop in yield per acre, in feeding value
"a a drouth resister and as soil en-
richer. Certainly those points ought t.
commend it.
"The growing of alfalfa will keel
the farmer ON the farm. And, by tn
way, the farmer who moves to town is
nuisance. He votes against every I'm
ptovement. He simply moves to tow
to die cheap.
Must Cultivate Alfalfa.
seYon must cultivate alfalfa. ina
is one potent point. You must cutil
vAte where 1t is planted in rows Q
tsown broadcast. Don t use disc.
used to be friend of the disc but
have learned that for alfalfa the sprin
tooth harrow is the proper thing. Cult
vate it both ways. The harrow get
the weeds, mellows the ground, and Pre-
perly treats the growing alfalfa. Gu
tivate alfalfa in the spring and IN Tn
lfall and after each cutting. II the q
falfa is planted in rows set them aoou
1 IN ;nchos anart