American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-06-15

plenty Of shade ana "a,er and no stock
that would bother her"
That's a god place. I hadn't
thought Of 1t. M $50 $40 can make a
dem. lIl tel! SOL aiat lHl Do. sam
You seep the 81 aud look after her
ana when tne Mss are old enough you
shiu four Of tleul b. me aud you MAJ
have the sou aLl fhp rest ~ The pigs.
"T1l 30 IL saii -aut. and the bargain
was r.osed
about q month after the 90 SOW was
going about TIE lastIre win tru pretty
black and white IA 20 pigs following
Under Sans care They grow hike weeds
60 wei weather. When they we're old
enough to wean. which was twelve
aerss. as the young farmer learned
FROM his readine. he shipped the four
pi-s 10 their owner. or the six PIGS
left he picked ont three Of the finest.
two gilts and a maize. ~ keep. Tho
other three be advertised for sale in the
county paper. aud OBJ, pigs being OF
good took. liz bad no trouble ia selling
them for SO "a Do. one buyer. coming
after they bad been sold. tried u ger
SHm to put a price GA the three he had
saved Bur tue Toy refused 70 sell. In
deed. he WAS 50 iroud Of his pigs that
an offer Of many times their worth
would not have induced him 10 part
s. ith them. And 90 this he showed that
he was wise.
But, proud as sam Powell was of his
thoroughbreds. there was sOmethiug
else to WHICH ue was giving a lot OF
thought and work. That something
was the acre Of corn that was TO com
pete for prizes offered to the Boys
Corn club.
Miles Pagan had promised his son.
Bob. that be might join the corn club
and enter an acre in the contest if he
would clear the land If stnmps. Bot
did join. but the corn was not planted
this year. For after working with
grubbing hoe and ak from sunup till
shutdown for many days. clearing the
acre Of the biz. deep rooted stumps.
Mt. Pagan told him -uuc0nceruedly
that he'd just have 70 have that patcn
Of ground ii Bob stll wanted % plant
some corn ned have to clear another
acre
III ngs a crlei mean flirs TO play on
a h0y and ENOUGH to gi>aplrag e any
body. but Bob ser to work ia another
acre. 1t was too late, however, 60
plant the corn when ue had finished IT.,
and be had to drop out of the contest
for this year.
But Miles Pagan was beginning to
learn that be didn't know very much
about growing corn. The patch across
the fence from his was teaching him
something.
sam planted his contest acre with
the seed furnished by the agent about
the middle Of March. The rows were
four feet apart and the stalks in the
rows eighteen inches. He cultivated
it the first time when the corn was
just beginning to come mp by going
over it with a harrow. This did not
hurt the plants. except one mere and
there. and it killed all the little weeds
and grass that we're just starting. How
thar corn did grow. 1t sprane up al
most ike mushrooms. 1t seemed to
San that the dark green stalks fairly
laughed in the loose ground that be
had made so rich with manure and
ashes.
The young farmer cultivated the
ground level and never allowed a weed
to take root on that acre. He pulled
the suckers whenever they appeared
and went over it once with a hoe. but
r,.-~ 90 49, --.-I- ~~- 49, -s-h .
plow. The first time or two be plowed
Il tolerably deep. but as the corn grew
larger aud the little roots began to run
out across the middles be pluwed very
shallow to keep from cutting the roots
and iujuring the corn But there wa,
another reason for shallow blowing
Deep blowing in summer causes the
soil 10 lose moisture when the crOT
needs il most.
Sam stirred the top of the ground til
there was a layer II dust t. hold the
moisture below. He wanted to keeI
all the water he could tor tie growing
corn. and he knew that the sun car
draw water Op through a rust in {
hurry. but can't draw it through
layer OF dust or mulch. as Il Is called
He sept the soil this way He never
plowed when it was too wet. for tina
makes clods. But after rains. as sOol
as it was dry enough or When weedi
began 10 appear he went over the patcl
with pillow or harrow and stirred tbs
surface till it was ain broken up anC
loose
Bill Googe and Miles Pagan had qui
laughing Mt sam They aud others il
the neighbOrhood often stepped il
passing and looked at the corn anC
wondered.
Il reckon its jes' an accident Bill
remarked to Mr. Pagan one day. 'bu
that boys kinder got one on us, Miles
| told i'm before ne come out here tina
he couldn't grow peas on thar ground
But. dog my cats. II that amt as tint