Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1921-11-03

has profited by the experience of 9TH
ers and he is getting ahead of the
game. In a recent issue of the North
ern Idaho News, of Standpoint this
farmer writes a letter which shows
that he knows what he is talking
about and has some practical ideas.
In hopes that his ideas may be of in
terest to Boundary county farmers, it
is published below:
Another year has rolled by and,
compared with reports from other dis
tricts, the farmers of Bonner county
can be satisfied with crop results, es-
pecially those farmers who could do
their work without hired help and
those who had foresight enough to
study conditions ahead and arrange
their farming operations accordingly.
We have men from all walks Of life
and almost every state in the Union
buying land here. They all have a pet
idea as to how this stump land can
be made into a farm, but many throw
up the sponge in few years and at
the present rate it will take about
a dozen owners for most farms as |
predicted years ago. But should that
be so? Is it not possible to fix things
so that the man who puts in real hard
work also gets the benefit the i'm
proved farm may give? l will stick
to my guess and say it is. | have sug-
gested several schemes of cooperation.
either amongst the farmers on a small
scale or by the country on a larger
scale. 1t is not necessary to write
these schemes down here as I have
brought them cut in farm bureau
meetings and otherwise But it is
always the same old story: 1t can't
be done Whenever you get the cant
be done idea in your head you may
consider yourself a failure. | have
not heard of any one in the last two
years of giving any better suggestion
than mine as to the best method of
clearing land.
Il have always noticed that every
body higher up sidesteps everything
pertaining to land clearing. Why?
Because they don't teach such things
in colleges. Instead of talking siIo
and such things the farmers here will
only be dreaming about for a long
time, things will come up which really
Will help solve our big problems.
Why not give the new settler some
idea how to start so he can have a
reasonable income from the begin
ming? Give the settler some idea how
to start, how to go on and what his
farm will produce when fully i'm
proved; the making and supplying of
building plans which should be ar
ranged in such a measure so one can
add on as his farm gets bigger with
out having the whole farm full of
sheds. 1t is easier to get a man on a
farm that it is to keep him there: it
gives a goal to work to and most will
get there.
Crop rotation is another thing that
should be worked out but that is
lob the experiment farm should solve
| remember of once mentioning that
rotation of say clover, potatoes, wheat,
and then oats or barley or such, and
then return to clover would probably
be good rotation, and a certain party
said it would not work. Well, / won
der If such party has started to ex-
pertinent on it yet If so, by all means
let us hear the results.
When my wife and / moved on our
farm we had everything pretty we'll
worked out as to how we would go at
the clearing and what kind of farm
ing we would do, and we have stuck
to our program with but few minor
changes Our idea was not only to
have a diversified farm, but also in
Lensified, and that we found to be the
best way, and in our opinion this
country is not adapted to big ranching
and will never pay to farm on a large
scale
We had a very good year last year
crops were good and our stock did
we'll. There is not an animal on the
place but what pays we'll We sell
our hogs to private customers in the
form of smoked hams, bacon sausage,
etc. We get top prices and our stuff
Is in great demand. For all the things
we sold off our farm we never had
any complaint from anyone and con-
sequently our reputation is such that
Il we say certain thing is good, peo-
pie will bank on our word, and YOU
may be sure we are taking great pains
not to lose this reputation
81 remember the first year I was
here. A farmer told me that if one
brought a couple of sacks of spuds
a few pounds of butter and a few
iOHSH GIBBS " OdHupOluL ne WOULD
flood the market Now we had an idea
that there should be a good market
for everything in such a place as this.
so we were quite surprised at these
but after seeing that mans
farm l knew why he could flood the
market so easily. Farmers, there is
market for everything here, bur YOU
must produce what the people want
and sell it to them the way they want
It. Place yourself in the customers
position and see what and how YOU
would want it; first be clean: that's
why you all could not sell potatoes
at the market last fall until was
sold out. Because did not think ally
one would want to carry meat etc.
and dirty potatoes in the same basket.
took a few minutes time and
cleaned my pOtatoes-see tbs point.
Second, be honest; never, for instance.
tell a customer that those apples in
that sack are all just like the ones
on top when you know blamed we'll
that most of them are frozen and not
fit to eat. If man does not consider
his reputation worth more than that
he sure is cheap. Don't get discour-