Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-04-21
new PROJECTS
|NNORTHWEST
ARE ASSURED
Oregon, Washington, Idaho to
Benefit by Secretary Lanes
Plan to Provide Farms for
Soldiers.
Capital News Special service>

Capital News Special Service)
Washington, April 21.--It is believed
that Oergon, Idaho and Washington
will each benefit to the extent of two
new reclamation projects should Sec
rotary of Interior Lanes plan for pro-
viding farms for soldiers, sailors and
marines on arid, swamp and cutover
lands be enacted into law.
Secretary Lane hopes to have the
plan ready to submit to congress on
the opening day of the extra session
yet to be called Senator McNary of
Oregon, who will have an active part
In the management of this measure
in the senate, has decided to go home
during the vacation because he has
been invited to aid in framing the
proposed legislation. Senator McNary
has held number of conferences with
Secretary Lane and from time to time
has been putting his suggestions into
writing in the form of letters to the
secretary.
McNARY STATES VIEWS
In his most recent letter to Secretary
Lane, Senator McNary says:
experimenting our conversation of
moro than day ago concerning some
suitable legislation in the rural settle
and to promote the reclamation of
land, 1 have this observation to make.
1t is quite likely that the American
soldiers who have served in France
have learned of the possibilities of a
small farm unit. In our discussion one
of the plans proposed and submitted
for your consideration was a farm of
so acres of which total acreage 20
acres was to be placed in tillable con-
dition, 20 made suitable for grazing,
and the physical condition Of the re-
naming 40 acres to be worked out ac-
cording to the best judgment OF the
purhcascr.
Il know this plan is only before you
for dissection and it may be in many
instances, considering soil, climate and
adaptable products, the most feasible.
However, ] am impressed with the no.
ton that it is not practicable by law
to establish any one arbitrary unit of
acreage. In the arid and semi arid
states in the west where wheat is
largely grown the size of the farm must
necessarily be larger than in the fer !
tile valleys along the rivers and creeks. |
Consideration should be given to soil
fertility and character of products |
best adapted to its use
SMALL FARMS PAY
"A farm of 20 acres, n portion of
which is planted in berries and vege- |
tables may be quite as remunerative |
as a ranch several times larger de- |
voted to the production of cereals or
hay. Proximity of markets, thickness |
of adjoining settlements, and hard sur
face roads, are factors that must be
taken into consideration in determin
ing the size OF a farm. Consideration |
of this kind enable a farmer readily |
to dispose of all that he can produce. |
II think no one can be found who !
will dispute the general statement that !
one of the principal reasons that has
contributed to failure of many of the |
actual settlers on the public domain |
and which also has prevented consid-
cradle settlement on public lands. is
the want of capital with which to pre-
pare the land for crop reception and to
purchase the necessary implements |
add to construct essential buildings
This condition could be corrected by
the government supplying the needed |
funds revolving in character. and re-
imbursable by the settler upon some
amortization plan that will permit the
absorption of the purchase price out
of the net profits of the venture.
10 ACRES SUFFICIENT
IT have some knowledge and have
had considerable experience in horti-
cultural farming in the western part
OF Oregon where there is great area
of logged-over and burned over lands.
A 10-acre farm, five of which is plant
ed to loganberries, or red raspberries,
properly farmed and cultured is of suf-
ficient size to produce a very decent
income. A farm twice the size can be
farmed with success by planting one
half fruit trees and the owner there
of can succeed by raising corn or vege-
tables between the trees until they are