American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1913-06-19
HE THINKS WELL
OF DRY FARMING
Land Commissioner Day Gives
in Boise Statesman
Tells Of the American Falls Land
Sale and Reviews Conditions in
the Southeast Generally

Land Commissioner Day, since his re-
Eturn from the southeastern part of the
state feels jubilant over the success Of
kthe land sale recently held at American
Falls. "The state land board advertised
j $500 cares of dry farming land for sale"
he said. "and it was all sold, with
demands for fully as much more The
prices at which the land sold ranged ~
high as $3.50 an acre. The NJ
Echasers We're largely Germans. MANY
OF them from the Palouse country and
they are confident that the American
Falls lands are fully as valuable for dry
farming as the best of the Palouse and
Moscow countries.
There is good deal of gratifica-
tion to me in remembering that | was
the pioneer in this state in the lands
that have just been Sold 1t is only
4 i've years ago I selected these lands.
inducing the land board to believe
Edry farming was profitable on these
rolling hills, with an annual rainfall
of approximately Is inches year. OF
the lands then selected the state still
owns 10000 acres in Power county,
Hall Of which, I believe, could be sold
this year at good prices.
State Land should Be Sold
l feel that the legislature at the
last session was guilty of short
sightedness in not providing for an
amendment to the constitution of the
state, permitting the sale of at least
100 sections of school land annually,
In place of the % sections now per-
mitted to be sold. At the time of
the adoption of the constitution this
provision was a wise one. The de-
mand for the choice lands was then
only by SPECTATORS, who would have
pooled funds and bought the best of
the lands at low price, and then let
them lie untitled until the demand
for land for farming and home
building had arisen, and then sold at
enormous profit.
Demands for state lands now are
on a different basis At the present
time we have filed in the office re-
quests for the purchase of 10000
acres of farm lands belonging to the
state. The irony of the matter is
that under the law the state land
department is only permitted to sell
$4,000 acres in any one year. A good
part of this years sales have already
been made.
Growth Of Dry Farming
During the past few years dry
farming in the southern part of the
state has attracted a good deal of at
tention. To illustrate how this branch |
OF farming has grown in Power county
alone. where only a very few years
ago no grain whatever was raised. this
year the crop Of wheat will exceed
/ .000. 900 bushels The dry farmers have
discovered by experience that Power
and contiguous counties are summer-fall
sections. They plow in the spring, seed
in July or August and get their grain
threshed and in the sacks early the
next fall. If fall rains come after
seeding and grain grows pretty high
the grain is pastured down or cut and
fed. After the crop is taken off, in
many cases a voluneer crop of profitable
dimensions can be secured without ad-
ditional work except the labor of har-
vesting and marketing the grain.
State Hhas Million Acres Leased
"The state is approaching the time
When all it's land grants will have been
satisfied. Recently in the Blackfoot
land office filed on $4,000 acres of
land in the vicinity of Downey, in Ban
mock county. The land taken was the
u cam OF -FOUR townships lHHeu1dtes
afterwards this land was all leased to
dry farmers, cattle and sheepmen for
rom one to five years, the lease price
ranging from 25 cents an acre down to
seven and half cents an acre. 1t
may be interesting to the people. to
know that the state now has leased and
paying an advance annual rental into
Inc state school fund approximately on
! million acres Of land. This is about