The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1914-03-13
LAMPSON BACK
FULL OF IDEAS
County Agriculturist Returns from
Corn Show Well Pleased
with Results of Trip

County Agriculturist L. M. Lamp
son returned home Sunday after an
absence of month, most of which
time was spent at the Dallas, Texas,
National Corn Show. Mr.. Lamp
son, together with E. F. Gaines,
cerealist of the State College, had
charge of the Washington state ex-
hibit at the Corn Show there and
was in Dallas eighteen days. The
remainder of his leave of absence
was spent at the various state ex-
pertinent stations of the south and
middle west where he picked up
large amount of information which
will be of considerable value in his
work in this county.
Mr.. Lampson describes the Corn
Show as being an unusually success
full affair, both along the lines of
education and entertainment. One
hundred and sixty thousand square
feet of floor space were given over
to the exhibits in which thirty three
states were represented. Not only
were the exhibits very represent
ative of the states and of the coun-
ties within those states, but care
had been taken to furnish along
with the exhibits much valuable
data as to the conditions under
which the crops were grown. The
U. S. Department of Agriculture
was among the largest of the ex-
hibitors, their space being given
over largely to educational models
and demonstrations covering the
forest reserve work, good roads
building, etc. In the national ex-
hibit also were photographs from all
the states, depicting the various ag-
ricultural possibilities.
While visiting the experiment
stations in Kansas, Colorado and
Utah, Mr.. Lampson made partic-
ular inquiries as to the success Of
their experiments with the various
dry land plants, his purpose being
to ascertain what plants are best ad-
apted to growth in the Horse Heaven
country. All agreed that feterita
was valuable crop, both for the
cereal and silage, in districts having
light rainfall; and that Soudan
grass was perhaps the best of the
forage crops. At the Utah expert
ment station considerable expert
menting has been done with the
Siberian alfalfa which is now being
tried out at the local high school
and some of which has been planted
on the Mcguire and Wheaton places
in Horse Heaven. In Utah this
plant, so far, has failed to justify
the claims made for it as dry land
crop. 1t was said that the plants
experimental with there had shown
little, if any, more drought-resisting
power than the ordinary alfalfa,
while stock will not eat it as readily
as the common variety. Mr.. Lamp
son, while advising the farmers not
to believe all the claims made for
the Siberian alfalfa, says that he
means to give it a thorough try-out
here, as he thinks it may prove of
value as a building and soil
holding crop, if not as a forage crop.
At Laramie, Wyo. Mr.. Lampson
stopped off and visited large dairy
ranch where they have had great
success in the use of the Russian
thistle as silage. He found condi-
tions there as they had been re-
ported to him. Several large silos
were filled with nothing but the
thistle and the silage was being fed
to a big herd of COWS with fully as
great success as from the ordinary
silage. A small ration of hay and
grain is fed along with the thistle,
but the main food is the silag\ the
COWS eating it readily and doing
well on it.
At Salt Lake the agriculturist Wis
tied the first mill which has been
built In the west for grinding the