The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1913-08-15
MANY FARMERS
BEING HELPED
Advisors Quarterly Report Shows
that Ranchers Face a
Variety of Problems

County Agricultural Advisor Lee M.
Lampson. The report covers the
work done from May 20 to August l,
and shows that the ranchers all
through the county are keen to
avail themselves of Mr.. Lampson's
help in solving their many problems.
1t was plainly realized in the begin
ming of this work that no recommen-
dations should be made without first
thoroughly understanding conditions
After making a farm to farm study
in each community, both of product
iveness and financial conditions, it
was decided to make strenuous cam
paign in favor of enterprises to sup
plement the growing of fruit and hay.
This was deemed necessary in order
that the farmer may have a steady
income and that the fertility of the
soil may be maintained.
! have helped the fruit business by
giving advice on pruning, spraying
and cultivation, and the growing OF
cover crops for orchards of different
age and in different localities. But
have increasingly urged, on every
lnat dairy cows, hogs, and poultry
be put in to supplement the fruit. My
reasons for doing this, the reasons
given to the farmers, are as follows:
If farmer carries his fa lily and
farm expenses for year, depending
ON single crop, and then faces crop
failure or poor market, he is either
left in debt with little or nothing
with which to pay, or he has to draw
on reserve capital If he is taking
off a crop year after year without re-
placing the fertility of the soil, his
land will as certainly depreciate in
productive value as a mine will de-
preciate in value when the oar is
taken out year after year. If, on the
other hand, the Amily and farm ex-
penses are taken care of each month
by turning off some poultry and eggs,
some dairy products and few hogs,
the farmer is at least as well off at
the end of the year as he was at the
beginning, and if his fruit crop turns
out well he has chance to get some
thing ahead. The keeping of poultry,
hogs and cows furnishes constant
supply of manure that will keep up
the fertility of the soil so that it's pro-
ductive value will not decrease.
Practically all of those who have
grown, baled and shipped their hay
for a number of years in succession
tell me there is nothing in it."
While, almost without exception those
that have fed the hay to stock on the
farm tell me that it pays them well.
Pretty conclusive evidence, isn't it,
that the thing to do is to feed the hay
on the farm? But this is only a part
of the proposition. The man who has
been feeding his hay on the farm has
kept up the productive value Of his
| land, while the man who has been
baling and shipping his hay has been
decreasing the value of his land by
exhausting the mine of fertility. He
or some other individual and the coun
try at large must inevitably suffer
that loss.
In helping to develop profitable
stock business on these fruit and hay
farms, | am urging the people to
select animals that are adapted to the
purpose they have in view. | am at
tempting to make it clear that an
animal must be properly fed If rapid
profitable growth is to be made. Quite
a number have made poor starts along
these lines, and spend great deal OF
time and money before they find out
their mistake. I will cite only two OF
many llluStIdIiOuS WhiNh AAi6hS ~
mentioned. A man decided to start a
small dairy on his farm and his first
buy was a red cow with white face
OF course being a cow of mostly Here
ford breeding she had anything but
dairy form. While this man was
very intelligent, he followed other
lines of business than farming and
had no opportunity to learn that he
might Just as we'll try to make track
horse out of a Clydesdale as to try
TO make a dairy cow out OF Here
ford
In another place a man was found
who is trying to raise hogs on alralrs
Concluded on page five)