The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1915-12-03
NEWCOMERS BRING NEW
METHODS OF FARMING


Observation-Disclosures ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A mistake that most people make
with a newcomer in this county is
to assume that he needs some infor-
nation about how to farm here. They
have not generally assumed that they
can get some valuable information
from the new man, and that is where
they miss it. To illustrate this matter
and to give our readers some practi-
cal lessons in farming we want to
tell about E. G. Conklin, who came
here in 1904, and was at once sized
up for a good fellow, but new in the
locality. That was all they had
against him, and that wore out in
time. But in the meantime the
neighbors lost money by entertaining
that thought, and the faster they got
it out of their heads the sooner they
began to profit by it, In other words
they began to make more money
when they realized that because he
had been somewhere else good
while he could show them some
things about farming.
Mr.. Conklin is man, who to use
his own expression fooled away part
of his early career farming in Ne
braska where man has no voice in
the matter of moisture for crops. He
moved to Greeley, Colorado, and
farmed II years, and in that time
took thorough course in potato cul-
ture. He raised from 80 to so acres
each year, and raised beets and other
crops as step to making money by
feeding stock. He bought feeders in
the early fall to eat the roughness
that must otherwise go to waste, and
then he finished them off on the farm
crops that were stacked and stored.
He acted on that idea that the easiest
way to get farm produce to market
is to wait until it will walk to town
itself, and he has been operating on
the same plan here. He buys some
stock in the fall, and makes some
profits on them besides fertilizing his
lands. He has one tract on which
IL crops of sugar beets have been
grown in IL years. with satisfactory
yield, but it is the annual feeding
ground for part of the stock.
When Mr.. Conklin came to Black
foot he bought the George Worden
farm of 324 acres at about $37 per
acre. Lands in that locality are
worth about 500 an acre now, and
Conklin's way of farming helped to
raise the values.
At that time the neighbors were
raising some potatoes, planting them
by hand and doing nothing to them
until they got few inches high
Some people cultivated their potatoes,
but that was not nearly so popular
as absent treatment. Conklin spent
some time sorting seed and cutting
it carefully. He remembers that J.
G. Bond, the present county commits
sioner was one of the first ones to
become curious and to watch the pro-
cess and show an interest in noting
results. The Bond boys were skepti-
cal about planting potatoes by ma
but when invited to take 1t
home and try it for Just few rows,
they finished the field with it and got
the fever for machinery. Conklin
began cultivating his potato crop as
soon as the seed was planted. He
said 1t killed the weeds while sprout-
ing and got the air and warmth of
the sun into the ground early so the
seed could be doing bushes. He said
also that it held the moisture better
and 1t would not be necessary to ir-
rigate so soon% that potatoes did
their best growing under those con-
ditions, early in the season. After
the plants came above the ground he
narrowed and fused around till
there was no sign of weeds The
ground was loose and mellow and
moist. Nobody else raised spuds with
such ease as did this man Conklin,
who was just new in Idaho, and no
body else had such good stand and
good yield. Next spring the fellow
planted potatoes on different ground
and said he was afraid of disease If
ne repeated the crop on the same
;ract. He has never had any potato
diseases, but he has always been
afraid just that much. Always at
ais ease and working. and always
afraid to plant anything but the best |
# seed. He always raised a big |
,rop Of sugar beets on last years |
potato ground, or II he sowed It to |
,rain, that was very satisfactory. /,
During the winter when others were
die Conklin was making his money,
eeding lot Of stock that he was
n debt for. Toward spring he sold
he stock and kept on working. He
vas paying off the mortgage. He rode
sulky pillow, used wide gauge drill
nd big harrow, had machinery
round that was said to be useless