American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-02-01
FOUR PIT SILOS INSURE
WINTER INCOME FROM CREAM
Practical Work Being Done on a Plains
Experiment Farm.

as the problem of the farm in a humid
country, namely: What plan of farm
ing must be followed to bring a salts
factory return on the investment. r o
vide a living for the farm family and
at least keep up if not increase the
fertility of the soil? There is only one
true answer everywhere, UNDER every
condition of general farming and that
is-livestock.
The farmer in a country of ample
rainfall finds it less urgent, though al
ways as wise, to make stock farming
or dairying his chief business. rather
than the sale Of grain or other food or
fiber products. But the farmer in a
region where the average rainfall is
scant and varying, where one season
he may have almost humid and the
next practically arid conditions, must
of necessity place his main reliance
upon livestock of some or all sorts if
he expects permanent success.
Prevention of runoff, full use by
plants of all available moisture and in
creaafe in water holding capacity of the
SOFAS well as increase in fertility by
the'Nse Of manure are the essentials
on t~heAdry-land farm. These are to be
achieved only through a cropping sys-
tenn that include drouth-resistant
plants and stock to consume the bulk
OF them, the finished product of such
a farm being stock on the hoof and
milk or cream.
Having set down these principles,
we now come to a place where they
are being carried out under easily OBJ
servable conditions as an object les
son that is worth careful study.
y At Cheyenne Wells, Colo, near the
Kansas border, altitude 1900 feet. av-
erage annual rainfall. based on a
t~wenty-year record, 16A inches, is To-
catel the Plains sub-station of the
Colorado state experiment station. J..
W. Adams is superintendent. The
farm comprises 100 acres, owned by
the state and donated by the Union Pa
cifc railroad with the proviso that the
land must always be used for the pur-
pose of an experimental farm. How
ever, b state contributes nothing to
the support of the station except farm
buildings and the superintendent re-
ceives no salary, but must get his re-
Enumeration from the profitable work.
ing OF the farm. He has the place rent
free and he furnishes livestock, imple-
ments and labor in return for use of
the land aDd buildings.
Elf Under Cultivation.
one-hayf the farm is under cultiva-
ton andfupon this eighty acres is Dro-
duced the feed for a herd of grade
Holsteins numbering about twenty
milk COWS and other stock to the total
OF forty head. The stock has the run
Of considerable free range on I'M
fenced lands adjoining, for summer
pasture. but this range is not depend
ed on for keeping up milk flow.
Cream sales on the farm during De-
cember just past amounted to over
500. with about eighteen cows pro-
ducing, and the indications we're that
January would be even better. When
most of the cows in the Plains coun-
try we're at minimum production those
on the station farm are producing as
well or better than IN summer, and it
is being done on feeds grown on the
farm, with the addition Of a small
quantity of concentrates in the shape
OF ~cottonseed cake meal.
The herd is an interesting one from
the bres4er's standpoint. Its founda-
ton canJffssS-a Homestead in Chey-
enne coSpty on which Mr.. Adams To-
eatd after he finished his course at
Kansas agricultural college. They
were scrubs-just ordinary Hereford
stock such as many prairie farmers
milk for a little while each year. He
picked out the fifteen most likely heif-
ers and brought them to the station
when he took charge. first on a salary,
as the state had made an appropriation
for support of the station. However,
when the succeeding legislature failed
to provide Mr.. Adams agreed to carry
on the work under the present ar
rangement, which forces the farm to be
self-supporting.
Bought Registered Stock.
At the end of the first year Mr.,
Adams went to eastern Kansas and
bought a registered Holstein bull and
COW and calf. This was the founda-
ton stock for the present herd, which
now comprises about half grades and
half purebreds. The milk is weighed
and tested and close record is kept Of
evert animals performance, this rec.
ord being a part of the demonstration
work required by the state.
A milking machine is used, with
81 horsepower gasoline engine fur
nishing the power. The engine alsC
runs the separator and the washing
machine. One and a half horse woulC
be sufficient, but the superintendent
believes in being prepared for emer
gencies.