Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1914-11-06
FARMER ENDORSES
FARM EXPERT PLAN



yaucr tuu agricultural interests u
Thurstou county most first eMurae
improving soil fertility and as.
again pointcdly Who is capable o.
has the time 10 put into execution
scientific modern methods Of jm
proving the soil OF the farm but on'
who has scientific and particula,
training and is paid for time spent il
that direction?
If ! were YOU l would not invite
discussion whether or not the APP
pointing of farm expert was neces'
sary, but discuss the question as tc
what concrete effort among farmers
along one line of farm product would
bring greatest benefit to those who
till the soil of our county, and then
practical, we'll trained man could
help farmers develop along that
line. So much for the farm expert.
"The development that must re-
suit will bring the greatest results
if it follows along the lines of least
resistance. This is a dairying COM
munity, a dairying climate. Potatoes
J freeze. There is not the best market
/ for apples or apples are not first
grade and farmers will not make
them SO and it is a well known fact
that it is a hard matter to get the
/ farmers to hold together and stick tc
one kind of product.
Proposes Dairying Industry.
/ r, "The dairying industry is here
The farmers are all engaged in it
now No new ideas of uniformity OF
product or marketing will have tc
be adopted and 1 venture the asser-
ton that nothing can be done that
will be of more benefit to the agri-
cultural interests of Thurston county
than the developing of it's dairying in
1 dustry.
:, 1.-THE COW is the most productive
of all animals. The average common
COW properly fed and cared for will
give close to 5000 pounds of milk a
year. From 5000 to 10000 pounds
of milk year is not an unusually
large production for dairy bred cows.
Butterfat from 25 cents to 35 cents
a pound is the highest priced product
sold from the farm. On farms where
/ dairying is given special attention the
sale of butterfat is from $50 to 500
q COW each year. When we sell
grain which at the present price is
worth from $25 to $35 per ton, we
sell from Sc to 50 worth Of fertility
from the farm with each ton of the
grain. The market price Of butter
through the year 1913 was close to
$500 ton and ton Of butterfat re-
moves less than so cents worth of
fertility from the farm.
"Such figures ought to be convinc-
ing to the farmer. They show where
good profits can be had at the small
est possible cost.
II would suggest the starting Of
q clover planting campaign. That
would be striking at the most vital
point. soil fertility. Glover will i'm
prove the land, make It productive
and provide feed for cows. Glover
hay. when cut in season and properly
cured. IL the cheapest milk-produc-
ing feed that can be grown on the
average farm and I cannot see why.
with the adaptability Of this climate
to the growing Of red clover. that the
hrst crop could not be cut for hay
and the second crop harvested for
seed.
| Would Produce Glover Seed.
"This climate is adapted to the
production Of clover seed yet I do
not know of clover hulling ma
chine in Western Washington. The
Willamette valley has captured the
seed market and the farmers in that
section we're up against q similar
condition as that which exists in this
locality. continuous grain cropping,
year after year. until 1t became non
profitable. They were obliged ia
turn to the growing of clover to bring
back their soils to productiveness and
now the production Of clover seed II
one of the chief sources Of revenue
to that section.
j If were to be asked by q farm
expert, what to my mind would be
Of greatest benefit to the farmers in
this county. would suggest: plant
clover. get cows to eat It, get clover
seed harvesting machinery. induce
capital to supply well-bred dairy
cows to the farmers ON cream check
payments by an arrangement with
our creameries. which is common
practice in progressive dairying COM
munities, and I think that by follow