The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1915-10-29

fair association at Blackfoot for their
efforts in securing display of agri'
cultural products rather than the
sports of the roundup. He says that
when the farmers Of this county de-
vote their attention to intensive farm
ing and to breeding good stock they
will have plenty of money.
Independent Big Farmer
John F. Shelley, several ranches in
the upper end of the county. Cne,
the Riverview ranch west of Shelley,
ON the west side of the river, contains
1000 acres, and is in charge of Will
ian Gutke, foreman. There is
large house, extensive stables, large
stone granary with feed chopper and
pumping plant, tank in an elevated
position on the bluff, and three potato
cellars with a total capacity of a.
900 sacks, or about 40 carloads. Mr..
Shelley has other cellars on other
ranches, and the pattern he follows
for them is to build them 80 feet
wide and from 80 to 100 feet in
length, with ventilaters through
which to run the potatoes in, and a
driveway through the center for
wagons, to haul them out. The drive
way is open at one end. The sides
and roof are made of timbers, brush
and straw, the straw being a good
absorbent of moisture, SO it is easy
to keep the potatoes cool and dry.
He has large acreage of potatoes
on several farms and expects to have
100 carloads of his own raising. He
expects to spend the winter in south
ern California and will arrange to
sell his own potatoes there. Mr.. Shell
ley does not plant anything but the
best of seed and on good land. He
does not approve of treating diseased
seed to try to make it good. He takes
the view that that plan should only
be resorted to when good seed is
not obtainable. Changing ground each
year and planting only good seed in
sures good yield and clean potatoes.
On his farm of 600 acres, lying on
the east side of Snake river just west
of Shelley, he raised 5000 bushels of
grain besides other crops. Mr.. Shell
ley is anxious, to see the farmers do
more intensive farming and raise
pure bred stock, so they will have
some income every month in the year
He says this valley has some of the
rarest resources of any he knows of,
and the agricultural class can become
generally wealthy and Independent ii
they will adopt proper methods; he
thinks it the duty of all citizens to
bend their efforts to spreading infor-
nation among the farmers and put
ting into practice the methods that
give greatest returns per acre.
A Happy Surprise
The Sage dry farm lies on the west
side of Snake river about five miles
west of Shelley. 1t consists of 1900
acres, and they raise Turkey red
wheat. The lands were plowed, and
narrowed with steam plow outfit
that left the sage brush nearly all on
top of the ground and it was raked
up with strong sulky rake. After
burning the brush the ground was
disced and narrowed and "floated"
until they had fine seed bed with
the ground we'll firmed. The wheat
was drilled in August or early Sep
tember-the latter part of August is
the best The blowing outfit cuts
a 10-foot swath and the drills IL and
Ia respectively, and the headers cut
a 12-foot swath. The grain is thresh-
ed in the field at central places, and
the wheat as it runs from the ma
chine goes directly into the big wagon
waiting to receive it, and from there
1t goes to the mill or to the box car.
They cut out all the expense of irri-
cation, binding, binder Irvine, shock
ing, hauling the straw to the stacks,
cutting bands, putting the straw
through the machine, Git is left as
stubble) measuring and dumping the
half bushel, sacking, sacking twine,
storage, rattage, loss on sacks. They
have hundreds of Duroc Jersey hogs
ranging on the stubble fields, and