American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-09-23
FIVE ACRES THAT PAY A PROFIT

Jos. Meyer, OF Whiteside, Observation-Disclosures
and teacher-has, since 1894, been principal Of
the ward school. He has been teaching boys and
girls for thirty years. From the classroom he
goes every day to his little farm OF five acres
near the center Of the town.
Nine years ago he undertook to rejuvenate the
place and make 1t a home for his family Of four.
The place was impoverished by poor tillage and
gross neglect. An old building had to be re-
moved, stumps of trees had to be saken out to
make room for new paintings, fences had to be
rebuilt-it was a work OF reconstruction.
Today the reconstruction is complete. He owns
the well-tilled. productive land. the barns and the
home, And the farm pays well. Here is the
simple, unvarnished story of his success:
since from the soil come our profits, we look
well to Its fertility and cultivation. Upon eXamina-
ton I found my soil acid, and during the past year
/ applied fifteen tons of ground limestone to it.
1--WE keep four cows. These are fed alfalfa hay
and some, grain. Manure from cows fed as ours
are Is worth, according to a bulletin issued by
Cornell, s2.02 a ton. During the past year we
have put on our land more than fifty large loads
OF this sort of fertilizer. During 1913 and 1914
We had one acre in alfalfa. After each crop or
cutting, what manure was In the yard at the time
was scattered ON the alfalfa stubble. This one
acre OF alfalfa provided the four cows with all
the hay they needed until December first the fol-
lowing winter.
we cut three crops OF nay the iOurln crop WAS
pastured Off by the COWS. Then the land was
plowed and this spring was planted 10 onions.
Last summer we had one and one-half acres
OF onions. After the onions were sold, the land
was plowed and seeded to alfalfa the middle week
OF September. On this area we sowed thirty
pounds Of seed. II made but scanty growth before
It fToze up for the winter. But this spring 1t came
out fine and We have a perfect stand. some of
which is two feet high. We have raised alfalfa
for five years and have never failed to secure a
good stand. and a yield of at least five tons to the
acre.
The acre and a half OF onions yielded $40
bushels. These were sold to a nearby grocer at
one dollar to one dollar and twenty cents a
bushei. In lots OF ten to twenty-five bushels. For
the crop I received 5000 In cash. although some
OF the small onions were sold for fifty cents a
bushel. l kept two bushels of bulbs for seed. l
sold the entire crop from samples In n small
basket, and In every instance the merchants we're
well satisfied when delivery was made,
"Our young fruit HIS not come into bearing yet.
But most OF our old cherries. when they come In.
are often sold at three dollars a bushel. We have
not been able to supply the demand for these. For
two years We have shipped them to Fargo. North
Dakota. and the persons who bought them were
30 well pleased that In rcmitting they paid fifty
cents . crate more than We had asked.
Our goosberries have found ready sales In our
ow ntown and In Morrison and Clinton. They
bring US as high as s2.5 a crate. The grocerymen
who buys one year always bring new customers