American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-08-26
OF Interest to Farmers.

on the dry farms, believing that not
only would a better stand be secured.
but that they would prove a profitable
crop for farmers engaged in raising
hogs:
Right 10Y there are several thous-
and young pigs in this part Of the
country and their owners are being
quite put to it for feed. Mr..
Bradley of the Agricultural Extension
service of the state university informs
us that this state problem has been
well met in other parts Of the state
by the growing of forage crops, us
ually a crop of peas and oats or peas
and wheat.
THE peas" said Mr.. Bradley, "in
addition to making a fine forage or
hogging down crop, are wonderful
soil builders as they deposit large
amounts Of nitrogen loaded roots
which remain in the soil. The ac-
c%ompanying crop, be it oats or wheat,
or barley or vetch, being so well
nourished by the pea crop make a
very much larger growth. When the
peas and grain are in hard milk then
turn in your hogs and there is no bet
ter feed for finishing off a bunch you
are preparing to ship. For sows and
young pigs this crop is unexcelled and,
of course, there is the great saving of
time in feeding. Another fine result
If hogging down your forage crop is
the fact as stated that the peas de-
post great quantities of nitrogen in
the soil. Go out in your garden and
pull up a hill or vine of peas without
tearing the small roots loose. OBJ
serve on the roots a mass Of small
white Jumps. These are the nitrogen
nodules. For preparing a field to re-
ceive alfalfa seed there a be no bet
ter treatment, as your field is then
already inoculated. A suggestion on
preparing your pea seed for planting
may not be out of place. I~noculated
pea seed will under any circumstances
make a surer and heavier growth. You
can write to the University at Moscow
and for a nominal charge secure the
nitrogen culture. This is a creamy
colored, gelatinous substance and for a
cost of five cents per acre you can in
o~culate your pea seed. The culture is
mixed according to directions with
sweet milk. Take your pea seed into a
dark room and using a ~sprinkling can,
sprinkle the liquid over the seed, stir
ring the whole mass until all has beer
moistened we'll. Keep cool and In the
dark and plant at once with as little
exposure to sunlight as possible. You
will be rewarded with a heavier
growth OF vine and a much heavier
yield of peas.
81 think perhaps Of the field pea
variety, the Kaiser pea, a variety de-
veloped by Lewis Aicher, superinteno
ent OF the Aberdeen experiment station
is the best. Mr.. Aicher has grown the
Kaiser for three years and has the
| seed perfected until 1t is a clean re-
liable one. Write to the Aberdeen
Experiment Station, Aberdeen, Idaho
and ask him about 1t and l think he
will have quite a good deal OF seed FOL
sale at a nominal cost this fall. The
Alaska and H%orsfords are of the table
variety-both good forage crops as
they grow well and stand up very
strong. / have found most of the pea
growers sowing them with the ordi
nary grain drill, stopping up two pipes
and using the alternate two. This
gives room to cultivate them a time
or two and to run water.
"The farmer should remember ina
at all times he is in need of feed, ant
this is a crop which supplies him no
only with an abundance of green feed
but prepares his field for the ensuing
crop. Hog it down"