American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-09-21
ALTITUDE NO BAR
TO SUCCESSFUL FARMING
Crystal Farmers, With Places Near
the Sun, Are Producing Fine Crops

Crystal Farmers, With Places Near
the Sun, Are Producing Fine Crops
Six thousand feet of altitude, short
growing seasons and long winters
have no terrors for Curtis Gabbert.
because he adopts his methods to
meet conditions. Spring seeding ex-
clusively on fall blowing, rolling the
plowed fields to pack them to secure
solid seed beds to give the plants a
fair chance, and deep fall blowing,
thorough spring narrowing before
seeding, are factors that bring him
success. The growing of wild rye hay,
immune to frost, a splendid feed and
relished by stock, is an evidence that
he takes nature into consideration in
making his plans. A few dairy cattle
and a few hogs and sheep, are prov
ing to be profitable forms of diversi-
fication.
Mr.. Gabbert's farm of 159 acres is
five miles northeast of Crystal, adj
joining the Pocatello national forest.
Originally the homestead consisted of
100 acres, but a school house IA
needed in that district and Mr.. Gabbert
donated an acre for that purpose. The
homestead was filed on in November,
1909, and in the following spring the
clearing away of the %sagebrush and
jungle growth began. Part of the
time Mr.. Gabbert worked for the Ore
gon Short Line company while his
family lived on the homestead. At the
present time about 70 acres are in
cultivation, grain being the principal
crop. The farm is just below the
divide and the government geological
survey monument says that the sum-
nit of the divide is COLL feet above
the level of the sea. This year 20
acres of Marquis wheat and II acres
of Sonora wheat were grown-both
spring grains-and about 10 acres of
Swedish Select and Big Four oats.
1t is the first trial of Marquis wheat
on this place, and if it gives a better
yield than the Sonora the area devoted
to it will be increased. The soil is a
very rich black mountain loan, char
acteristic of the Crystal country, and
is sub-irrigated to a more or less ex-
tent from the little streams flowing
through the gulches on the farm. At
one point, near a Sonora wheat field,
a handful of soil picked up some
twelve feet from the little creek and
fully five feet higher than the stream
was compressed into a mud ball, so
full of moisture was it. This was
done before the recent rains came
and there had been no rain. This par
ticular field of Sonora wheat stood
between four and five feet high with
extremely prolific foliage. 1t is ex-
pected that the threshing records will
show an average of 25 bushels per
acre. The time was short for seed
ing this Sonora and it was not put in
to the ground until after June 8. The
spring was extremely late and the
ground was not plowed, but double
disced. The snow fall last winter ex-
ceeded all records of recent years and
fingered late in the spring, giving
plenty of moisture.
The Marquis wheat was seeded from
June 2 to s, yet it showed a stand OF
more than four feet in height with
heads from four to five inches long
well filled with berries. 1t shows a
uniform growth throughout the field
and should go better than 25 bushels
per acre.
Sunshine and Soil Push Forage Into
Sky.
The oats are not as tall as the wheat
but they also promise a fine yield TO
an off year. They carry the same re.
markable amount of foliage as does
the wheat, and hay on this ranch vii
not be a minus quantity this fall. II
1913 a field of oats on this ranch grew
to such an extreme height that the
team of horses pulling the mowins
machine at times was not in sight
The same belt of mountain loan tina.
extends over into the j.. C. Davis
ranch country forms the soil on Mr.
Gabbert's farm, and above the HON,
ranch of Mr.. Davis the Pilgrim saw
and measured some oats in a field O