American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-10-28
SUCCESSFUL ARBON FARMER
AND METHODS HE USES
Successfully Grows Winter Bluestem
With No Fear of Winterkilling or
Frosts-Simple and inexpensive I'M
plements that Keep Soil in Perfect
Condition.

country Friday, highly pleased with
his trip. He met many of the farm
ers of that locality and is assured OF
their cooperation in whatever he may
undertake. One thing that pleased
him greatly was the willingness he
found among the better farmers to un-
dertake demonstrations under his di-
rection. These demonstration plots
will be of great value, he is certain, to
the communities in which they are
located.
With the character of that locality
and the conditions which surround H.
he was equally we'll pleased. AS an
evidence of what can be produced
there by adopting good methods he re-
ferred to the record of Henry Shan
drew, one of the older settlers and
first class farmer. Mr.. Shawdrew's
farm is as clean as board, he stated,
and his summer fallow in ideal con-
dition. Mr.. Shawdrew formerly had
ideas of farming that were far diff
ferent from those he now uses, but
term spent at the Utah Agricultural
college at Logan convinced him of
the error of his former ways of doing
things.
He put the new ideas he gained into
use by plowing twelve inches deep,
to create a reservoir to hold a larger
amount of moisture than shallow
plowing would retain. Each season
he sets his plow at a different depth
to avoid plow soles. This year he
plowed only four inches deep, and the
soil turned over as mellow as a gar
den, leaving an ideal seed bed and d
perfect mulch.
He has abandoned the use of a
disk, and advises against its use ex-
cept on new land where there is sod.
The tools he employs to put and keep
his soil in perfect condition are all
simple and inexpensive, consisting Of a
pillow, harrow and homemade weedei
which can also be used for dragging.
II ia built like a drsg with 3xS tim
bers for side pieces, with cross pieces
set perpendicular when used as a
drag. These cross pieces are set on an
incline, and extend little below the
side pieces so as to plow into the
ground a little, when he uses 1t as a
weeder. 1t does as perfect work as
a complicated weeder costing from
500 to 5000 and is not only mex
pensive but SO simple that anyone can
make 1t.
He uses this weeder when the weeds
are small not more than about an
inch high, with such good effect that
he has weedless place. These meth
ods keep his ground packed, sup
plying a good seed bed with a suf.
ficient surface mulch to keep moistur,
near enough to the surface to germi'
nate the seed when planted.
The results of his methods are strik
ingly shown by the yields he secures
and the variety of things he is able tC
produce. His winter Bluestem yield
ed 35 bushels per acre, and his Tur
key Red 81 bushels. of perfectly clean
and perfectly colored berries. Som'
Of his neighbors who stubbled-in theil
grain had failures in comparison. Hi
garden produced three varieties o
peas, table and sugar beets, severa
kinds of berries, radishes, carrots
and fine Burbank ana Gold Coin pota
toes.
Mr.. Kjosness brought home sample
of Mr.. Shandrews grain and potatoe
and commented upon the total absenc
of smut in the grain, while there wer
abundant evidences of smut elsewher
sn the valley. Mr.. Shandrew alway
treats his seed grain for smut and II
telling of his experiences laughingl
referred to one man he knew VIII
was seeding In the dark Of the moo
to prevent smut, and using smut
grain for seed on land that had produc
ed a smutty crop. Mr.. Shandrew wa
confident he could tell in adyanc
what the result would be.
Mr.. Kjosness was Informed tina
there was one man I'm the valley VIII
proposed to grow wheat for a Ion
series of years with but one plowinl
His yield. never large, fell to twelv
bushels, then to eight, and then
practically nothing, while those VIII
followed good methods secured goo
to splendid yields.
"In an other particular" said Nj
Kjosness, "the results secured by NJ
Shandrew are worthy of note. HI
crops do not suffer from frosts.
have been told that winter Bluestel
was an uncertain crop here. M
Shandrew does not find 1t SO, an
/ am inclined to the opinion that fros
will be a very small factor in eiths
wheat or forage crops when the SO
is packed and a good seed bed forme
by summer fallow. / believe that
good solid seed bed will give suff
cient protection from frosts or wint'
killing to insure crop"