The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-10-20
A STORY OF TWO COUPLES

UP IN the north end Of the county
on the Woodville side were two
young married couples q few years
ago and each had a dry farm. The
couple we shall call "a" had a team
and some implements and plenty of
furniture. The couple we shall call
'B' had span of large mares and
a buggy and practically nothing else
but their shack. No furniture to
speak of, and they cobbled up some
out Of goods boxes and scraps of lum-
Der. They had to clear the land and
summerfallow it to get it in condi-
ton to grow wheat. A became dis
lcouraged and finally went to working
for wages. He said that was better.
He did not think much of farming
ANYWAY. He got a job working with
this team and made pretty good wages
Iso he kept at 1t even when he had
to stay away from the dry farm to
do ii. His wife agreed with him and
they moved away and he kept on
working for wages. OF course there
were times when he was laid off or
there was nothing In sight, and he
was on expense. He got tired of NOV
ing the furniture around and sold 1t.
Then they rented something already
furnished or boarded or messed" at
the construction camp or whatever
looked the best at the time. They
had an accident and lost one horse
and then sold the other and he went
to work driving team for somebody
else. He is driving dray now in
small town and is in debt somewhat
hoping to pay out.
During all this time, B and his wife
stuck to the dry farm. He worked
right along just as If he was ma
chine that had no choice. He looked |
ahead to the time when his wheat
would grow in the dust he was stir
ring up. His wife was loyal and
cheerful. They had undertaken dry
farming and farm they would. They
wintered in the shack altho 1t was
cold Their only stove was a combin-
ed heater and cooker, and 1t was not
very good for either one, but they
stuck close to it in cold weather and
used plenty of cedar wood that he
wrested from the lava beds. That
span of mares became four horses,
big and little. He was careful Of
the mares and the little horses, and
cleared off brush by hand when he
could not use the team. They did
not drive to the settlements on the
river very often, because 1t was a
long trip for big mares and little
colts. The first wheat crop did not
amount to much, the ground was SO
Dose and soft it dried out badly, and
t took long time to get 1t in condi-
ion for the second crop. When other
people went to the picture shows they !
,at in the shack or went to bed.
he went out and burned
age all evening, and she would stay !
lround with him and look on and I
lelp some. Coyotes would serenade !
hem at night, and sometimes there I
vas quite an orchestra. The SPUR
els would eat of the young wheat,
tut he threshed, they got $500 for
he wheat. That paid some debts and
hey had little money to buy things
aost needed. One thing they bought =
vas fine new range to put In that :
title shack and a proud day 1t was
vhen she baked the first biscuits In :
LEY 1hEmluS was 6CgCAA6 w w
eality now. The orchestra sounded "
etter. They might even get well Il
fter while The summer of 1916 "
,as an of summer for dry farming, Il
ut when they sold their wheat and
aid off their little debts they had D
I'LL round $1,000 in the bank. Gee, q
hat world! The dust was seven h
lches deep all the way back to the Il
ry farm, but it looked good. It h
,oked like wheat. Everything had a
tinge Of wheat. They had been h
Did long before that dry farming 1t