The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1915-02-12

Up in southern Idaho there is a
man who, with the assistance of his
wife, is doing work for the real
and lasting benefit of humanity that
is second only to that OF the great
Luther Burbank. Thomas A. Allen is
his name as it appears on his bank
check-just plain Tom" to his
friends living near Meridian.
Tom Allen is farmer, but farm
er who is as different from the aver
age as day is from night. He is not
content to buy any old seeds that
may be offered him, and then. after
planting them, take care of them in
hit-or-miss fashion In some re-
spects his is an ordinary story. In
others as wonderful as a modern
Arabian Nights; but through it all
runs moral that it will be well for
every farmer to heed.
It begins just little over twelve
years ago when Allen vase Jerking
behind the counter of his general
merchandise store in the little town
of Goldfield, Colorados just as he had
done day after day for years. In
the course of his daily merchandis-
ing he had occasion to buy and sell
quantities of farm products; some
good, some bad, but mostly the lat
L. hn r1oo MT for fhQ
producer as well as the merchant to
endeavor to sell poor. inferior, un-
graded products, and, forseeing the
possible profit to be derived sfrom
furnishing customers with the same
excellence in farm products that they
demand in manufactured articles,
he there and then made up his mind
to quit merchandising and try the
game from the producers end.
With the proceeds from the sale
of his business Tom Allen purchased
small, badly rundown farm in the
Boise valley in Idaho. which. with his
industry, perseverance and disre-
gard for the old order of farming he
has made veritable Wonderland
Beginning with small capital and an
unpromising acreage, he has made 9
productive farm, beautiful home
and acquired comfortable compet
ence. besides national fame as plan
breeder and exhibitor. He has ac
complished many wonderful thingi
agriculturally. and among numerous
improvements on nature might b'
mentioned his seven-headed beard
less rye. Through perseverance AL
len is making it possible to in
crease the maximum yield of givel
field of rye seyen-fold; but he ism
stopping there; he is now engaged i
making his seyen-headed rye beard
less. and those farmers who have ey
erg rown and .threshed rye can easil
appreciate the benefit to- be derive
from this latest effort of the humbi
Burbank Of southern Idaho" Wit
infinite patience Allen has gone o
year after year breeding the bari
from his rye heads andw hen he hal
vested the crop from his experimen
nj Mot last fall was gratified to nm
that the boards had practically di
appeared, justifying his hope to al
nounce to the world the existence
an absolutely beardless rye with Sc
en- heads instead of one. At u
same time he is experimenting wit
wheat and is about to bring out
new beardless variety with mo
grains to the head and more hea
to the stalk.
Corn is another of the maj
grains Allen has experimental WI
and he has bred a number OF ne
varieties. His Ada County Yeilc
Dent corn which produces 125 bus
els 10 the acre in southern Idaho
a section which it has been SAID
united for corn-growing on accou
of the cool nights--is his create
achievement in this variety of gral
Old established preiudices OF far'
ers in the intermantane country ma
been asailed and shattereu pS
agricultural wizard, and none me
strongly than that corn cannot
grown on commercial basis in u
section OF the United States.
wears he has been continually prea'
ing that farmers in the intermount'
region should grow corn, and
demonstrated by his efforts that II
profitable commercial crop IN 9
section. when acclimated and WI
seed selection is Tacticed In
statewide contest inaugurated
Idaho by one of the newspapers
eral years ago Allen won first hon
and surprised the natives by prod
ing 1sO bushels of high quality g
10 the acre--considered phent