The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-05-19
THE CUB SAYS


west of Moreland, has just had we'll
supply at depth of 125 feet. He
installed one and half horse pow
er gasoline engine and by operating
it steadily was unable to exhaust
the water in the well. The drilling
was done by John Weise who is now
drilling for G. w. Hagen.
! A. It. Willecke of Taber has the
agency for a small combined har-
vester and thresher, and at last re-
port needed one more order to COM
plete his first carload. The outfits
\ cost $3.50 in car lots, and anyone in
terested should confer with Mr.. Will
1lecke early. He sells on the Install
ment plan.
The railroad company is having
a well drilled at 1aber, near the ware
house and site of the proposed depot.
Surveys indicate that water will be
obtained at depth of 800 feet.
Edward Kasel who lives two miles
south of Taber, has demonstrated
what can be done storing moisture
by simply blowing the ground one
summer and keeping it worked at the
surface. to prevent evaporation. He
has been on his place three years, has
cisterns for storing water, and hauls
from Mr.. Evans well when the sup
ply is exhausted, and depends on the
sweat of the earth" to supply mois-
ture for his crops. He has ITO acres
of winter wheat, 33 acres Of oats,
acres of bluestem wheat, and some
garden, with fruit trees. His farm
is at the eastern extremity of the lava
beds and on the northerly side where
he gets some protection from the
south west winds He harrows and
works the surface to keep weeds down
during the summer and fall and in
the spring he rolls the grain with a
corrugated roller having rings of ag-
itator teeth to throw dust for filling
the openings. He says the harrow
kills some grain in the spring not
withstanding the talk of dry farm
writer's and speakers, but the CORFU
gated roller and rings get the desir-
ed effect of stopping evaporation.
The roller is made in short sections
so it more readily gets into the de-
pIGSS1OIlS, UuL III thC Va o1AoAy nv"
field the amount of space that fails
to get properly worked by even the
best implements is a large item OF
loss. The yield on the low spots is
about on a par with the whole field
that is not worked at all to hold mois
ture, and that is a near-failure ex-
cepting in very wet seasons
Mr.. Kasel advises farming less and
getting the ground well leveled or
rounded in its general contour SO that
every foot of surface would be treat
ed alike. Mr.. Kasel has carried out
this idea in his garden, having hor-
rowed and dragged it until 1t Is very
firm. To walk over it one might
doubt whether it has been plowed at
all, but on sinking a shovel into 1t,
the soil is found to be just firm and
moist with not enough air in 1t to
aid evaporation. Radishes that were
up and not yet forming bowls had
roots four and five inches long, and
were in vigorous condition. Field
peas not much above ground had root
systems eight inches long.
Last year he raised carrots weigh
ing pound apiece; onions three
inches in diameter and rhubarb large
and tender. He has few fruit trees
and thinks they will be successful.
One little cherry tree had three or
four blossoms last year and ripened
one cherry, it being the second year
since the tree was set. Across one
snd of the garden he has spread fine
manure about an inch deep in
strip two feet wide, and under 1t
he ground was moist and mellow to
he surface, even in windy weather.
rhe indications were that If the seeds 1
lad been planted and the manure |
spread right after them, the mulch I
10 formed would hold the moisture
md prevent baking or crusting OF t
he soil for a long period. 1t Is said G
hat If the manure were worked into s
he soil, the air and chemical action
would result in the ground drying q
tut or burning soon. fit were work h
ID into the soil in small quantities .
md in pulverised condition in the 8
after part of summer 1t might be so D
veil dissolved by spring that 1t would .
i'd in holdig moisture rather than I
ring about the burning. t
Delzer Brothers who live in the /,
enter of the desert between the r
uttes, have 100 acres Of fall wheat a
nd so acres of spring wheat. They b
ave well COS feet deep and a gas s
line pumping plant. The Delzer n
arm is on the easterly side Of the q
ava beds, extending northward be- b
ween Cerro Grande and Furey, where il
he road makes big circuit of twelve ii
lilies to get around the end of the Al
avas, On both sides of the lavabeds 81
) the southwark are settlements, II
umbering forty houses total. Many W
I the settlers are clearing of and It
lowing land for fall seeding, and b,
pine have winter wheat that looks 81
altho not many have CIV te
n it the spring care required to hold a,
le moisture. Some have sown spring ar
rain and taken much risk of getting h
sturns. The first year or two after fo
cling cleared and plowed, the ground %
very light and full of air. It does n