The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1915-02-18
FARMER DRIVES OK TEAM
Okiahoma's Champion Potato Raiser
Prefers Oid.Fashioned Motive
DNAnr

MuSkOgee, Okla.-SClentlnc rmln
with Ike is not taught in the agricul.
tural colleges, neither Is 1t mentioned
in the tone of press bulletins and liter.
ature sent out by the United States
Department Of Agriculture. Yet just
this combination of "highbrow" farm
ing with oxen has produced some re-
markable results on the farm Of O.
X. Marks, half way between Yahola
and Haskell. Okla.
Marks star success was sweet pota-
toes-a big. white yam that is marve-
lous for size and weight. His biggest
potato weighed v e twenty pounds,
From hill the pillow turned up over
%thirty-two pounds of potatoes. one Of
these weighing IA Ia pounds. another
Z and still another S, the last being
far bigger than the average biggest"
potato.
Marks absolutely refused to state
what an acre of such potatoes yielded
because he says it is so enormous that
nobody would believe it. But be has
the big potatoes mentioned and
brought them here to show his banker,
who Immediately agreed to lend Marks
all the money he needed to exploit
such crops and grow more of them.
Anybody who can raise sweet po-
tatoes like that can get all the credit
he needs" said the banker as he gazed
in amazement at these that were nea
er the size of watermelons than they
were any sweet potatoes the banker
had ever before seen.
Proof that scientific methods were
used in the growing these potatoes lies
in the fact that but one rain fell on
them from the time they were planted
until they matured, and that was just
a few days after they we're planted.
The proof Of the OK team cultivation
are the big oxen on the Marks farm.
Four years ago a %fve-yoke OK team
drawing a great logging wagon loaded
with farm supplies plodded slowly
over the paved city streets. They ex-
cited almost as much attention as a
circus parade. That was Marks farm.
ing outfit going GU to transform raw
forest land into a farm. Marks was
then referred to as a picturesque"
farmer and lots of fun was made OF
his outfit.
He had gone over into Arkansas and
purchased his team. To-day everyone
will admit that Marks and his oxen are
picturesque, but they refer to him now
90 o nocionfifo PornoorD
Marks merely made a dent in his
forest farm the first year. He cleared
and plowed just a small patch" then
death in his family and other circum-
stances caused him to abandon further
efforts for two years and the farm
was turned owe to a tenant. But that
first year Marks accomplished some
thing that vas worth while. The
patch" that he did clear and plow he
worked well.
In fact, he plowed it four times with
a breaking pillow. going a little deeper
each time, and after each blowing, har-
rowing and narrowing until a neigh
Dor tenant farmer in establishment
said: THAT man is sho' just wear
ing that land out narrowing it." That
plot of ground this year was right in
the middle of the potato field.
You can tell to a foot just where
that real cultivation was done four
years ago." said Marks, "by the size Of
the potatoes this year.. All of the big
potatoes grew In that plot.
Here is what the farming sharps
had been telling us all the time. Plow
deep enough SO that the soil would
absorb and hold enough moisture for
the crop whether it rained or not. Well
that deep blowing and narrowing four
years ago had made a regular sponge.
out of that ground. That's why this
enormous crop without rain this year.
And think about such results from
work done four years ago."
Farming with oxen may be pic
turesQue to most people these days."
said Marks. "but just get a few hg-
ures. A big bull can be bought for
$50. Anybody who has ever used them
knows that a bull can kill a mule
when 1t comes to heavy logging work
In the woods. Furthermore, it costs
less to keep them. A bull costs $50