The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1915-11-19

work and expense of handling 20
acres of beets was very heavy, and
in summer he got in debt at the
store for supplies. He changed the
program, bought few more cows,
raised only half as many acres OF
beets and gave up the other land to
the cows. They had plenty of dairy
products for the use of the family
and turned in enough at the store to
keep up current expenses. He con-
served his fertilizer carefully and
put it on his beet land. His. beet
checks from ten acres was about as
large as it had been from double
that amount, and he had less work
and expense because there were few
er acres. The hauling was the only
item that remained as large as be-
fore. He had no store bills to meet
in the fall, and he had money of his
own.
But when a man learns lesson
he does not always stay learned. Mr.
Hale raised some potatoes and wor-
ried around with. them, and got to
thinking of how profitable beets were
as compared with potatoes, and the
first thing he knew he was breaking
up alfalfa land and planting it to
beets, and selling off his cows. The
beets grew short and knotty like a
turnip on his alfalfa ground and it
was not until the second year that
he could get long beets on it. The
old strip that had been in beets every
year and MANFRED regularly, yielded
from IS to % tons. He ran short
of fertilizer when he sold his cows,
and his beet yield has declined to
where it used to be. The only COM
forting thought he has is that he
knew enough to leave potatoes alone
the past few years. He has raised
an orchard and it has never been
profitable to him. The family have
enjoyed it, the hogs have rolled in
apples, but if there was any profit
in apples he did not manage his so
he got it. He has decided to pull
up all but few of his trees, get a
bunch of cows, conserve the fertiliz-
ers and again be happy.
BEST OF FARMERS
Arthur Hale, of West Groveland,
has had a remarkable experience on
his farm and it contains valuable
lessons for others. About the year
1906 he had most of his farm in po-
tatoes and received for them about
$3.50 an acre. The next year he
planted nearly all of it to potatoes
again, the. whole automn season was
wet and rainy, the price of potatoes
was not very good, the roads were
almost impossible, and he stored the
crop. In the spring he could not sell
at any price and lost them all in
The cellar. He was raising 80 acres
Of apple trees and he planted pota-
toes between the rows. That year
he lost considerable on potatoes.
Then he went to sugar beets, raising
hem between the rows of trees. He
vas looking forward to the day when
lie would sell beautiful apples at a
profit. The time came when he had
% spray the trees, and that interior
ID with the beets. 1t became serious
Ind he had to quit spraying or quit
he beets, and he saw his hopes fad
ng for apply profits anyhow, SO in
he spring of 1915 he pulled up the
10 acres of trees.
Mr.. Hale is one of the men who
Inows how to prepare seed bed and
lie prepares it. This year 1t cost
lin a heavy sacrifice for his loyalty
o that hobby. The field superin-
endent advises early planting. Mr.. |
Tale liked to prepare the seed bed,
ct it lay and sprout the weeds. har-
ow and disc until they were killed |
nd then plant the beet seed. This
made saving in hand work fighting |
he weeds, and his beets had -four
shed so well that he was rather en- !
husiastic over his methods. Last !
pring he followed his ideas to the
init and just when he was ready to
liant seed it began to rain. He
wanted to harrow again and get the
eed bed just right before planting.
rained some more and then It did
again and settled down to raining
very day. Those tricks of the
7eather man set him back month,
nd he decided that he would have
0 catch up with autumn growth. He
his beets rather late in sum-
her and decided that with the fall
aims they would finish off. The
round began to get dry in October
nd he was afraid to irrigate for fear
would rain following It and make ,
too wet to dig and haul. He
'aited and 90 did the rain, The
eets could not grow It was 20. dry.