Evening journal., 1913-08-27
WEALTH FROM
HIS ARID LAND
Man Who Won Laughs From
Farmers Gets Profit
On Alfalfa

alialfa stretching over what are now |
the arid sand wastes of South Jersey |
is the vision seen in the day dreams
Of R. S. Smith, a well-known New
York hotel man, who is a summer
resident Of Elwood. Unlike most
dreamers, this hustling amateur
farmer reinforces his flights of fancy
with the hardest kind of work and is
now IN a fair way toward bringing
about a realization Of his dream. So
successful has his venture in alfalfa
proved that he is seriously consider
ing his retirement from the hotel
world and really enjoying life in the
fascinating occupation of gentleman
farmer"
An area of 25 acres adjoining the
Smith home has been planted in alfalfa.
and the enthusiastic owner looks for no
less than 500 an acre pront on his in
vestment. Twice the acreage. he figures.
will enable him TO live in comfortable
circumstances for the remainder Of his
life, and if he be seized with the whim
for riches he will have TO 90 to no fur
ther trouble nor expense than the pur-
chase of as many additional acres as he
desires to add 500 notes to his annual
income.
This alert hotel man, who at pres
ent is the manager of the Hotel Col
lingswood, in New York. and at one
time was in charge of the Hotel FL
wood. in Atlantic City, has opened
up wonderful possibilities to owners
of land in this section of the State.
When he expressed his intention more
than year ago of planting seven
acres Of alfalfa on the land surround
ing the homestead in which his moth
er has her residence, local tillers of
{ae soil expressed their sympathy for
his mental condition by plying
glances and by gravely shaking their
heads.
"I-TOld- YOu-SO's" Disappointed.
Many of them began to recall early
events in the life Of young Smith,
and there were a few "I-told-you-
SOS" who called attention to the fact
that they always had insisted "the
boy acted queer" Smith had read
in some agricultural paper or an
other that alfalfa required no end of
fertilizer and also that the soil upon
which It was intended TO grow should
be "inoculated" with top soil from
the Alfalfa Belt" II cost him more
than $1,000 to go through with his
experiment, and during the interval
that followed this expenditure he
might have been taken into custody
ard examined for his sanity If he had
not conducted himself with proper
decorum on the streets of Elwood
All the. preliminary work was COM
pleted in August. 1912 and with the
seven acres properly fertilized and
planted Smith hied himself back to
his hotel duties in New York, though
his thoughts flew back daily to quiet,
peaceful Elwood Early in May Of
this year he returned and found that
the first shoots of the alfalfa were
making their way above the ground
Neighbors flocked to the Smith home
when they heard the news. but they
shook their heads and continued to
look askance at the hotel man. Then.
as is its won't, the alfalfa began
springing skyward, an inch or more a
day until persons could actually
stand by and see the grass growing
or so, at least, it seemed to Smith.
Up it went in leaps and bounds un-
I'll June 3. when it had attained
height Of 26 inches and was pro-
nounced ripe for the reaper The
buyers were readily found at $40
ton, material advance over the
prices asked for hay and clover. Then
came Smiths turn to smile at the
farmers who had questioned his
sanity when he entered upon his
venture.
Second Yield in Four Weeks.
On June 80. twenty-seven days
after the first crop had been har-
vested, another yield stood ready for
the reaper, and the sales of June 8
were duplicated. Last Tuesday the
hotel man was engaged in the pleas
ing task of supervising the third cut
ting of the season, and there will be
another crop on hand not later than
September Is.
When assured of success in his
original venture Smith obtained pos
session Of Is acres adjoining the land
upon which the first crop had ma
tured, and that area is now covered
with fertilizer, planted and ready for
its first yield early in the summer of
1914. The land, with proper care
will continue its yield annually for
approximately 20 years, and smith
already is casting about for addition
al acreage,
The height of the alfalfa for the first
year runs from 90 to 80 inches, the sec
ond year from 80 to SO inches. and in
full maturity, in the third year, from
30 10 AS inches. The roots in the seven
acres originally planted now are at a
depth Of three feet, and all doubt as u
the feasibility of using this heretofore
arid, land for profit has been removed.
The fourth and last crop this year is to
be cut up into chicken feed, and will
bring in this form approximately s32 an