Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1914-11-20
BILLOWY LANDS Of
ONE STOCK FARM
FINE ESTATE or W. :. TAPER
ON RlcHFELD TRAcT-lNTER-
EsTlNG WORK OF TRANSFORM
ING a DESERT WASTE INTO a
SPLENDID HOMESTEAD.

Journal family was realized last Sun
day in a visit to the home Of County
Commissioner and 8Irs. ". J. Taper
up in the Riohaeld country: the plea
sure OF the ride thither in Harry An
derson's automobile, with Hrs. Ander-
son also in the party. going to make w
whole day Of delight for rs all. We
had taken along rod and gun for the
sporting members on the way back
but after the Taper visit there was
no daylight left.
The Taper farm lies at the extreme
northern boundry OF the Richheld seq
regation, where deep soil rolls in little
binowy undulations that irrigators
like. Still every acre Of the block that
embraces perhaps more than a whole
section. except a spot for corraIs, is
not too high to be reached by a gravity
flow of water.
Beginning of Fine Estate.
Upon nearing the dwelling the visi-
tor notices the evidences Of the be
ginnings of Mr.. Tapper's strenuous
work in reclining this fine body OF
land in two little acre tracts fenced
side by side. Those little patches"
the farmer said, were where we kept
our live stock. in this case a red COW
and a fat pig, besides the horses we
needed. pasturing first one patch and
then the other We broke the trail
out to our land too.s
1t is seven miles from RichfeId.
There are other productive farms all
around except on the north. Tapper's
clearings have extended that way, so
that now after four years work his
tillage is more than half, perhaps two
thirds, of the entire holding.
III some Single years his clearings
amounted to hundred acres. He en-
ploys heroic method of getting rid Of
the sagebrush by hitching eight head
of horses and mules to a homemade
contrivance that certainly does the
business. 1t is somewhat like a road
machine but in place of the usual
blades to the sides there is a v-shaped
knife directly underneath with wings
more than three feet long stretched
struction of sagebrush is something
enormous, being cut as slick as corn
stalks three or four inches below the
surface, the knives missing mighty
little. Then the growth is raked into
piles and burned. One more operation
and the land is ready for crops, except
that it must fallow and mellow through
the winter for the best results. This
is another eight-horse Job with a NAM
moth disc plow. which rends and tears
the soil from eight to ten inches deep.
Mr.. Taper said it was better to let
the freezing weather do the rest. so
that the soil viii absorb every bit OF |
moisture possible from SHOWS and
rains.
Model Stock Farm.
1t is the intention of the owner of
this ranch to make of it model stock
farm. To this end he is planning
buildings on an extensive scale. He is
on the place now twenty cows.
The dairy products are shipped to var
ious cities. it being a rule with butter
fat as in everything else marketed
from the place not TO carry too many
eggs in one basket.
Name Suggested.
For stock farm the Billows (Which
isn't the Taper farm name at all. so
far as known by the writer. but per
haps it might very we'll be that has
more than a nucleus in horses. which
run to Percherons and Standard trot-
ters; cattle. running to Short Horns
and Durhams. and hogs running TO
Poland Chinas and Berkshires. So
here again is the diversity that often
spells success. never utter failure.
The Billows In it's present stage of
development is in the best sense an ex-
Aeii ii' ocI the owner is max
ing ii more than pay its way right along
Yearling heifers and hullocks OF the i
two strains mentioned were pointed
'ut to show their points OF excellence.
'ne lot from Utah and another native
10 Idaho. The latter had it over the
rtahns by long shot. So Mr.. Tap !
Der may not import any more of the
'tock, deemins the Idaho variety Just ]
lhout the thing when carefully looked
lfter in their breeding and bringins
ID.
Only two cereals are now produced {