Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1915-02-05

i'oineS' ldlseu diversified crops, live
at home, raise what they eat. and
enjoy the emoluments and BLESSING 6
OF a modern agriculture. At present
1t would be difficult to find a farm
OF any size in that beautiful. wealthy
valley that has not for it's foundation
four-legged animals in abundance
The irrigated districts of the state of
Washington are we'll adapted to the
raising of alfalfa, that wonderful To-
gume that has done so much to in
Vlgorate and renew the depleted
soils OF the world. Following the
lines OF least resistance the settlers
in these districts have baled and
shipped their hay to the western
coast markets until finally the termi-
nal markets were overstocked with
the single crop, and the farmers
found themselves in just as deplor-
able condition raising a single crop
and shipping to an overstocked mar
ket as the ones who had depleted
their soil raising a single crop with
out rotation. Here, again, the
farmer has been driven through dire
necessity to change his methods of
agriculture and place it on a more
permanent basis, for these farmers
are beginning to stock their farms
with live stock, and thus concentrate
their cash crop in a concrete form
and put agriculture on four legs in
stead of one. as they did formerly.
The wheat farmer of the Nez Perce
Palouse, Walla Walla and Big Bend
districts, following the lines of least
resistance and having a soil and cli-
mate abundantly adapted to the rails
ing of wheat, have been reluctant
to make any change. The old sum
mer-fallOw method seems quite sat
isfactory in some of these places
mentioned, while in others a notice
able depletion of production is quite
marked. But the handwriting is on
the wall. In the famous Palouse
country, where formerly could be
produced 40 and 50 bushels to the
acre year after year, under the sum
mer-fallow methods now in vogue
the average yield is decreasing. and
the last two years not more than half
of what was formerly produced every
year. Weeds, mustard, and thistle
have taken the place of the wheat
and it is now fight for existence.
Deterioration. disease and smut have
stamped their impress on the plant
life of the cereals until something
must be done, and that something
means that agriculture must be put
ON permanent and lasting basis by
standing it on four legs The Pa
louise farmers have made consider
able progress in this direction in the
last few years as may be observed
by the fields dotted over with hogs.
However, this progressive movement
will be retarded somewhat, temper
arily by the high price of wheat and
the low price of hogs relatively con-
sidered, caused by the unwise meth
DDS of the packers hammering down
the price of hogs. notwithstanding
the great foreign demand for meat
products
England and France were placing
future contracts with the American
packers and in the face of all this de-
mand for meat products the price of
hogs kept on the downward scale un-
ill the farmers lost money in finish
ing hogs on dollar wheat This falls
experience will drive many farm ers
temporarily out of the hog raising
business. With the present outlook
for high priced wheat next year and
their experience with low priced hogs
this fall Notwithstanding the great
demand for meat ought to convince
the farmer that something else be-
sides production is necessary to put
agriculture on a permanent and pay
ing basis, and that something is or
ganization and systematic methods in
cooperative marketing. The Farm
ers Union is the one great hope and
permanent organization that can
regulate and permanently cure these
unnatural and artificial conditions.
Had all the farmers belonged to
the Union and systematized their
methods of marketing, and when
packers began to put down the price
of meat products, stopped marketing
on a falling market, they could have
controlled the situation. The united
effort or the pulling together of all
the farmers could put every trust
out of commission in 80 days. /
have been pleading with the farmers
in the Northwest for six years to
Join this Union, that they might con-