El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-02-22
IS
BY EXPERT
Irrigation Supervisor Gives
Business Talk to Ranch
ers Saturday.

Better business methods for farmers
was the keynote Of an interesting ad-
dress by I. D. O'Donnell, supervisor OF
irrigation at the Saturday afternoon
session of the reclamation service con-
ference at the chamber of commerce
Mr.. O'Donnell showed how many farm
ers are unable to tell whether certain
crops are mOney-ma6ing, simply be-
cause they do not keep close track OF
the outlay on each product Of then
farms. AS a result, many are growing
great quantities Of produce on which
they are losing money and merely
counter balancing this loss by other
crops on which there is a good profit
Mr. O'Donnell cited his examples
from his own place, Hester Farm,
$40 acres of irrigated lands in Montana
He began by stating that the place OF
all places for plans is the farm, more
particularly the diversified. irrigated
farm. plans should be made from
three to seven years ahead and pro
per system Of rotation Of crops worked
out" he declared. The irrigated farm
is more expensive in the way of upkeep,
consequently the finer the plans should
be made and the closer the system OF
farm bookkeeping be, he added.
Rotation Of Crops
Taking up the rotation Of crops, he
suggested alfalfa as a first crop, then
grain and finally to other products.
once in every four years, however,
the ground should be well worked over
and suggested either sugar beets or
sugar corn as a good crop for this pur-
pose. Potatoes also result in giving
the ground a good and much-needed
turning over
Thorough cultivation of all irrigated
land was strongly urged. Often two or
three ploWings are not too much, he
said. The matter of stock feeding also
came in for some attention and MI
O'Donnell stated that no farm. no mat
ter how small, should be without its
stock. on his own place he goes IN Tor
fatteninE sheep in the fall and the sea
son for fall pasture in Montana IS much
shorter than in Texas and New Mexico.
Still he was able to show profit, last
fall, of over $4,000 for IS days feeding
on his $40 acres. And this was after get
ting off all his regular crops.
Feed Hay When Prices Low
Replying to questions, he did not be-
lieve that it would be a paying propo-
sitiOn for farmers to take up stock
feeding when they can get Sl2 per ton,
net, for alfalfa, but where alfalfa sells
for from IS to IS a ton, 1t would pay
and pay we'll
farm, Mr.. O'Donnell gave an address on
rural credits. He cited the systems Of
farm credits in Germany and France,
where loans are made through com
munity banks at about II per cent.
TEN would quite be practicable in this
country.
He did suggest. however, that 1t
might be advisabl to form farmers
loan associations with a capitalization
Of, say $4,000, which would loan
money for purchasing dairy cattle or
thoroughbred stock and discount these
notes with the large financial institu-
lions of the east. This loan would, Of
course. be of a commercial nature and
not run over six months.
Forms Loan Legislation.
Mr.. ODonnell explained certain legis-
latiOn now before congress with regard
to farm loans. The legislation proposes
to sanction the formation of assOcia-
tons for real estate loans. These as
sociations would have a capital of not
less than $1,000 OF this. 81 900 must
20 to the national reserve bank for
the district. The other $4,000 may be
loaned at 3 per cent up to not more
than so per cent of the selling value Of
the real estate. The mortgages can
then be taken to the reserve banks