Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-12-14

The humble sunflower which Is ma :
tive to this state and grows Wild In
many secttoney may, with little at
tention. be turned into a very profit
able seed crop for stock Of all kinds,
IN the opinion OF ex-Governor McCon-
nell OF Moscow, who has prepared q
special article on the subject. In do-
ing 20 he has requested the .experi-
mental stations in Idaho to investigate
the aituation W
Speaking OF the sunflower ana his
experience with it in Boise county
while farming years ago Mr.. Mcconnell
said:
Has providence endeavored to point
out way by which the arid lands
west of the Missouri river, such a. are
not susceptible OF irrigation, may be
made to contribute directly or indirect
ly to the support OF the human family !?
am impressed with the belief that
such an endeavor has been plainly in
evidence for more than 50 years; and
yet we have. each and all OF us, pur-
sued our respective callings and blind
ly ignored the writing on a thousand
hillsides which he who runs may read
FIFTY-sEvEN WEARS AGO
1T will be 81 years next April since
] located ON a tributary of the Pay
cite river in Boise county, Idaho and
peSdn ldfuIuB OpeIAtiOHS, having as
sociated with me a young man named
John Porter. after whom the streamlet
upon which we located derived its
name and is still known. Our ven
ture was successful; although we were
handicapped by crickets, which in
creased each year in numbers until in
the summer of 1855 the country on the
east Of the Payette river for several
miles above Horseshoe Bend, including
Do L. lr~f%l <&<,A n.
literally DEVASTATED by them.
I'VE suffered the loss OF all our oats,
wheat and barley and among our gar
den products field set OF onions, and
as we had no seed of any kind to re-
plant the ground it was permitted to
grow such products as are native to
that locality, which proved to be sum
flowers Of the tail and branching va-
riety.
"They volunteered in great profu-
sion, and although they were not irri-
gated and there was no rain during
the entire summer, they made rank
growth and in due time were laden
with blossoms, which eventually were
transformed into ripened sunflower
seed. which was considered luxury
by our poultry as well as our horses.
We had no use for any considerable
quantity of the seed and there being no
market for It we did not harvest it,
but allowed it to go to waste; although
we estimated that the yield. II 1t had
been garnered, would have approx
mated rs bushels per acre.
4 PASSED FROM HIS MIND
I'VE were young then and like young
men Of the present day gave but little
thought to future possibilities; hence
the incident passed from my mind, as
It doubtless did from the minds of
those who were associated with me.
Old age has its compensations; not the
least of which is to live over again in
memory the adventures and pleasure
OF former days.
"A few nights since, while counting
sleep in vain. l fell into reminis-
cent mood in which passed in review
my experience as farmer in Boise
county, Idaho. more than SO years ago (;
again / surveyed with triangle our
irrigating ditch: again I saw the first
water flowing through it; again ] saw
the promise of a bQuntiful yield OF all
Kinds of garden truck and while
thanking God for the blessing of men,
orY my mind reverted to the crickets
and the fact that they ate off the tops
OF our onions and then stood on their
heads and devoured the pith; thus
giving nature an opportunity to dem
onstrate that even the arid plains with
out the use of water, where it is NOT
obtainable, may be made to produce a
bountiful harvest.
NATURAL PRODUCT
THAT the tall branching sunflower
il q natural product of our arid pla-
teAus may be verified by the testimony