The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1918-04-09
The Kimberly Advance
Carrie T. Backman, Editer
THE SIXFORTY ACRE
HOMESTEAD TRACT

That article, How Shall We Have
Meat?' by George Frederic Stratton.
in The Country Gentleman of March
8 is simply brim full of facts. Facts
that need to be known too. Facts
that are vital to industry, vital to the
comfort and happiness of millions,
vital to warfare and to government.
1t starts something as follows:
1T is fairly we'll known that the
second crop of alfalfa is under nor
NAL conditions, of considerably more
value than the first. And that pecul-
iarity is also seen in many conven-
tions-political, religious, or cow"
Well the scene of Mr. Stratton' S
story was laid at COW convention,
that is, the recent great live stock
convention in Salt Lake City; and it
has to do with such interesting and
intensely patriotic subjects as COWS,
calves, pork, mutton, beef, wool, and
the six hundred forty acre stock
homestead law. throwing open more
than 20,000,000 acres of land to entry
and providing $150,000 appropriation
for this purpose. Already $4,000 ap-
plications are in for such homestead
entries.
This matter particularly interests
us, for 1t means many things and its
effects are numerous There is a
lot of land in the western states ly-
ing idle and most of the particular
kind of land open for entry under the
640-acre law is practically useless
for any other purpose than grazing.
The government, hoping to facilitate
the production of meat, decided that
if this land was taken in large enough
quantities to be serviceable for graz
ing many men, inclined toward the
cattle business, but obliged to work
on small scale, would be let into
the game.
AS matters stand today, many men
of lesser means, would enjoy raising
cattle, if they had the range to raise
a sufficient quantity to justify them in
going into the business. They can
hardly see where it pays, when they
must pay heavy rent for pasture and
high prices for hay
Therefore, the government would
open way to accommodate their am
billions. They throw open large tracts
of grazing land to be dished off in
considerable quantities to enable their
utilization for stock raising by the
little cattleman.
But what do they do to the big cat
tleman, who has been depending up
on this waste land for grazing his
large herds?
Only two things are left for him to
! choose from He must take one or
the other. Either he must 20 out of
the cattle business on a large scale,
or he must follow the plan laid down
by cattleman of Portland. Oregon.
Here are his statements made at the
livestock convention at Salt Lake
City, according to Mr.. Stratton's story.
IN tell you how it is hitting me,
right nowl I've got $4,000 acres, full
title or lease, running cows, horses,
and sheep. Last spring soon after
that stock homestead law passed, a
fellow came to me and told me he
was going to enter a section just north
of my line. l knew the section well.
He can't raise ton of hay to the
acre on it and l told him l was sorry
for him, but he only grinned and said
I'D like to get job from you, herd
ing.
What's the gamer" l asked
ii nero TOT yOu-regular pay" he
came back, 'aand clean up some on
that section and raise what grass ]
can for you. Then when l prove up
I'll sell you the section"
well l made the deal with him
fixing a price right then, and I've
done the same thing with three other
fellows alongside of him l want all
the land l can get and l can't buy a
tenth of an acre from the government
or lease it, so | took those fellows up
Just had to. That's what the 640-acre
law is going to do, and about all il
will do"
Well, there are two sides to this
question. There is an advantage foI
the little man and disadvantage foI
the big man, which he can, evidently
get around if he is willing to pay the
price.