The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-04-28
BETTER FARMS DEPARTMENT
The Republican Pays 81 Each Week for an Idea
on What You Have Planned to Increase
Your Crop Yield or Make Home More
Beautiful---City Lot or Farm

Undoubtedly a considerable profit
is lost on some Of our farms In this
valley each season by mismanage-
ment and neglect. Last fall, for the
first time, we spent few hours cut
ing and gathering a couple of loads
of alfalfa hay that had grown up
along the bitches and in waste places
about the farm. This hay had grown
old and tough and would have been
of no use as feed, but after we had
threshed it and cleaned 1t we had APP
proximately 200 pounds Of good clean
seed. This was not by any means all
OF the volunteer hay on the farm but
we cut it just for an experiment, to
see If it would pay.
= Last fall I threshed stack Of al
falfa hay for Harry Pratt, who lives
southeast of Wapello. He estimated
that it was cut from eight, or at
most, ten acres of ground. It had
very little care, and was only water
ed once. Nothing else was done to
it until it was cut and gathered. The
stack yielded so bushels of the finest
kind Of seed. Mr.. Pratt was offered
20 cents pound for the seed before
it was threshed, and it would prob
ably be worth more at this time OF
the year. Bat at 20 cents pound
his hay field was bringing $96 an
acre. This was not exceptional, as
Mr.. Pratt and his brothers have been
raising seed for several years now,
and the yield gradually increases as
they get more experienced.
~ Mr.. Alfred, who lives short dis
lance north of the Pratts, Is another
seed enthusiast. His yield was even
greater than that of Mr.. Pratt, but
the frost got some Of his seed hay,
aItho with the help of his neighbors
he was cutting hay during the whole
night. But the temperature sank
faster than the hay fell, and spoiled
some OF the seed. Even then his
income per acre was many times
what any other of our ordinary crops
would have brought.
AS to methods, Mr.. Alfred says
that the hay must be planted th1nly
or else cultivated until it is thin. This
is to give each plant chance to
branch out at will and prevent its
being dwarfed, as happens when the
stand is too thick. Then the water
should be kept off till the hay is
blooming, or needs water very badly,
and then it should have couple Of
good drenchings to give the seed a
chance to set and develop Too late
WATERING, however, should by all
means be avoided, as that starts a
second growth of sprouts from the
roots and stops the maturing OF the
seed.
Frel Nelson, of Firth, has grown
clover seeG successfully for number
of years. Last fall he received over
$500 for one load of seed. He says
he has round that q good stand and
frequent watering give the best re-
suits.
A great waste that is seldom If
ever thought of is the sweet clover
growing along the ditch banks and
fences. 1t will bring good amount
Of seed il gathered carefully, and
at the proper time. The seed brings
a. price ordinarily just little under
that of alfalfa seed.
It would take very little work OF
this sort to bring the net income per
acre up one dollar for the ensuing
year and carry to successful realiza-
tion the object of the campaign SO
worthily launched by The Idaho Re-
publican.
A