Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1914-04-17
FEEDSHEEPONWEEDS
A PALoUSE FARMER CARED FOR
SEVERAL HUNDRED HEAD ON
AUSTRALIAN SALT BUSH.
OTHER FARMERS CAN DO THE SANE
Experiments Show That the Disposed
Weed is Really of VaIue-M axes
Good Wool, but Not of Much
Account for Fat.

The remarkable success recently
achieved by Mr.. Y. C. Mansfield, II
Endicott, Wash, in fattening several
hundred head of sheep on the Australi-
an salt bush has created an interest
in this once despised weed which is
rapidly spreading throughout the
Northwest states.
One result of Mr.. Mansfield's exper-
iment is that other farmers on whose
acres the weed grows have come to
look upon what was formerly consid-
cred absolutely worthless land as
real bonanza, and they are now pre-
pairing to turn their attention from the
raising of hogs and wheat to sheep, |
with the assurance that, under ordin-
airy conditions they can hardly fall
short of Mr.. Mansfield's success.
They see opened before them what
is practically a virgin field of sheep
raising, offering wonderful POSSIBLE
tiles.
AS soon as the value of the salt bush
as a forage crop becomes generally
known it will undoubtedly be cul-
tivated in other sections of the coun-
Try. AS a matter of fact, it is now
found along the highways from Ari-
iona to Washington, but very few
people know it's true name and fewer
know that it is a valuable plant. In
Eastern Oregon it is generally known
as the Pendleton flood weed, and has
been looked upon as such a pest that
there is a law against allowing it to
go to seed.
= According to Mr.. Mansfield, how
: ever, it is really of more value to
Eastern Oregon than the alfalfa plant,
for not only is it far better feed for
: sheep, but it will grow on the most
arid land, and practically requires no
. attention after once getting a stand,
: as it grows in hard, firm soil better
than on loose. well-cultivated land.
: Mr.. Mansfield's experience, as re-
lated by him to the writer, who was
fortunate to visit the farm at a time
when a thousand head of sheep had
l. just been turned into new pasture
e OF the salt bush, reads like fairy
It story.
(. EARNED 5000 Acres.
l. For several years Mr.. Mansfield
IS farmed 5000 acres of land, all of which
e was wheat land with the exception OF
e $50 acres, which were sub-irigated al
falfa land. Finally the land became sc
! foul with Russian thistle and jim
~ Hill mustard that this, together with
= the high cost of labor and the low
. price of wheat, made it impossible fol
70 him to longer continue in the growing
III of wheat alone without also keeping
e live stock to help pay the living ex
% penses.
g. Accordingly two years ago. he de
f. cided to invest in a flock of sheep
lie and it was while driving these home
rs that he made this discovery which he
r. has since turned to such good account
Id Along the road near the MANSFIELD
m farm the salt bush grew in abundance
and to Mr.. Mansfield's intimate sur
prise the sheep began feeding upon i
greedily.
al He figured on the spot that he hat
lie destroyed $500 worth of good sheel
c feed that year, besides wasting
=, great deal of labor. trying to get rio
20 of the weed.
IN Pastured 1000 Sheep.
Mt Last summer he pastured his entir,
d. flock of 1000 sheep on the salt bush
lie with the most astounding results TIT
as sheep were not exceedingly fat, bu
10 their wool was of a superior quality
Several neighboring farmers witt
~ small bands of sheep followed MI
in Mansfield's experiment, and thei
e. sheep also were in much better shap
than those that were taken to tn
n mountains during the Summer
us During a period of two weeks las
tn Summer Mr.. Mansfield's flock of 100
sheep were kept on less than five acre
36 of ground that was growing the Aus
Us tralian salt bush, and they did no
" clean the feed all up at that Thes
- five acres of land we're two feed yard
where he had fed stock for years, an
20 consequently they grew an immens
- amount of weed, but ordinarily dr.
he land, which will not practically gro,
is anything else, will produce this weed
MT Later in the Summer Mr.. Mansfield
N made some hay of the weed, but o.
*. account of the scarcity of labor wa
ak not able to haul it out of the shocl
70 He had to turn his sheep through thi
at hay to the stubble field, where Their
ne was plenty of other pasture, and the
'le would stop and eat this hay, The
.. cleaned it all up and saved the tror
,is BILE of hauling it in.
We Salt Bush AS Feed.
mt Mr. Mansfield is not only very Ell
-, thusiastic about the salt bush as
a. food for sheep, but believes it is goo
IN feed for other stock also. Hogs, ca
ne tie and horses, he states, eat it some
he and he believes that they would lear
to like it as well as sheep do If the
IL were confined a short time on 4
80 Sheep, he adds, must be confined on
day or two before they relish 4
Then they go to it with avidity. The
do not, however, eat enough of