The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-09-08
THE CUB SAYS

The young Rice brothers, who live
in the Tilden Bottoms, are farming
the old Rice homestead, and are get
ting to be very much interested in
the game of farming. They are
both studying better methods and
are fertilizing and c~ultivating the
soil and doing all they "a to make
the largest yield of every crop they
raise. This year they are raising
some beets and Grimm's alfalfa seed.
In one field they have a very heavy
crop of wheat and a crop Of Grimm's
alfalfa seed with it. They are oper-
ating with less expense this year and
are making better improvements. 1t
is their aim to ooerate in such a
way that every acre will pay profits,
way they will study to keep down
expenses and hold up the yield.
George Y. Pugmire lives on what
was the Herman ranch in the long
ago.. He used to say that nothing
but wild grass would grow on the
land, but in later years he finds that
he can raise many other things which
he thinks is due partly to the better
drainage of the land. Before Snake
river was tapped so heavily for ir-
rigation it used to overflow the bot
toms and keep them Doggy. Now
that there is better drainage and
where the sods are destroyed and
the crops cultivated there is usually
a heavy yield. Last spring Mr..
Pugmire had a patch of oats that
.,a ,n.,, +b;yo 0yl uyhnn ~ rro ohnIIt
six inches high he decided to har-
row it to make it thicker. He did
so until he thought it was enough
to kill it, but it stooled and make
a good crop. Mr.. Pugmire has n
and a half acres of potatoes that look
like they will make a heavy yield.
H. K. Wiley, who lives north Of
Sterling, mas, for the past few years,
been making good profits raising al
falfa seed. He is the man that in
PRODUCED Grimm's alfalfa in this part
of the world and he nearly went
broke before he could raise it sue
.cessfully. His neighbor, A. J. Snyder,
had been making money on growing
alfalfa seed and altho Mr.. Wiley
studied Mr.. Snyder's method, for
yielding crops, it was several years
before he could get the seed to de-
velop right. Mr.. Wiley says 1t is a
very complicated affair to raise al
falfa seed, yet very simple. He
says every man has to study the con-
ditions existing or his W farm and
that if a man raised seed all his life
he would still have something to
learn. 1t is necessary to study to
adapt water and the time of water
ing to the condition of the plants
in the various seasons and during
the various stages of growth. AL
Italia seed grows best on. sloping
land that drains we'll and wherever
it is soaked very long it ~interferes
with the development of the seed or
rather it develops a larger plant
and the seed ripens later. In order
to raise good seed, of uniform size
and color, the water has to be ap-
piled evenly.
G. A. Line, who has also raised
alfalfa seed in the same locality, has
the same difficulty about the water
ing. Each of these men have such
spotted alfalfa this year that it has
to be cut in patches. A spot that
ripens a few days ahead of the rest
is cut by itself. They have humid
reds of acres of very fine seed and
hay and the spots that are cut by
themselves give the field the appear
ance of a vast rug decorated with
conventional figures. Each man is
giving good are to alfalfa to keep
the seed pure and give it perfect
development and to have it as nearly
in the proper condition, when it is
cut. as is possible. If weeds, or any
foreign substances, appear in the
field they are taken out by any meth
cd that will accomplish the purpose,
no matter how expensive or tedious
It may be.
w. G. Haycock and o. c. Hender-
son, who have 240 acres of land
rented Just north of Sterling, are
both studying farming methods in
The Republican with the view OF
farming as prosperously as possible.
Mr.. Haycock is very enthusiastic
about the rich soil and good climate
about Sterling.
]. H. Hutchinson is operating the
old Hutchinson ranch, just northeast
of Sterling. He is putting forth a
strong fight for high yield in crops
and to subdue the ground of weeds
that have been threatening to take
the place.
Edward Hutchison, who has a
farm on the big bottoms just east
of Sterling, has eight acres of very
fine sugar beets, seven acres of seed
alfalfa, six acres of oats, five acres
of sweet clover and 10 to Is acres
of wild hay. Mr.. Hutchinson is get
ting into the game of farming in a
small way and is studying to get
crops that pay big profits.
Ralph DAMS, who lives north of
Sterlin :, has IA acres of Grimm's