The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1922-08-17

Western Kansas. The trees on the
campus on the Experiment Station
demonstrate very conclusively that
many varieties of hard wood trees as
we'll as pines and cedars can be sue
cessfully grown on the uplands of
this part of the state.
When the Government decided the
old military reservation to the state
one of the stipulations under which
the grant was made provided that a
part of the old reservation must be
set aside for a public park and the
state legislature designated that the
Fort Hays Experiment Station should
plant and care for same. A small ap-
preparation was made to cover the
necessary expenditures connected
with establishing the park, and today
the foundation for one of the most
beautiful parks in Western Kansas is
found on the grounds of the Fort
Hays Experiment Station. Elms,
blackberry, Walnut, Oak, Ash, Red
bud, Cottonwood and many other
varieties Of trees are now growing in
the state park and additional plant
ings of pines and cedars are to be
made as soon as funds become avail
able. Some of the Oldest and largest
native elm trees in the State of Kan
sas are found along the creek on the
Station grounds. The Federal Gov
ernment through its War Department,
left rich heritage to Hays and West
ern Kansas when it safeguarded the
large trees along Big Greek and pre-
vented their destruction by the early
settlers. Under state control these
trees continue to enjoy immunity and
as. if in thankfulness they continue
to lift their heads skyward.
In addition to supplying milk for
the boarding house and the families
on the Station, the Dairy supplies ex-
perimental data on feeds and pastur-
age. The value of cane hay, alfalfa
hay, and sudan hay in the dairy ra-
ton are being compared. Expert
ments in the carrying capacity of
sudan grass pasture are now under
way. Seven cows have been pastur-
ing on SO acres of sudan grass and
three and one-eighth tons of hay have
already been removed from the field
and the cows are still unable to keep
it down. Additional pasturing expert
ments have been planned all looking
towards developing the dairy industry
in the western part of the State.
The Dairy herd is composed of
purebred and high grade Holstein
cows. There are about thirty cows
and heifers in the herd at the pres
ent time of which about half are pure
bred registered Holsteins. The Sta
ton is a source of purebred Holstein
bulls for this part of the State. In
asmuch as the Station is anxious to
see all good purebred males in all
herds the males which they have for
sale are priced to sell quickly.
The Fort Hays Experiment Station
owns one of the best grade Hereford
cow herds in the state embracing
three hundred breeding cows. Selec-
tions from this cow herd and their
calves are used in the experimental
work The outstanding feature of
the beef cattle Investigations has
been the experiments devoted to
developing rations with Western Kan
sas feeds for the winter maintenance
of the breeding herd. Experiments
in the utilization of Western Kansas
feeds have been carried on for the
past ten years, and has embraced all
feed of economic Importance in this
section of the State. Sorghums with
heads on and heads off, sorghum sill
age with heads on and heads off, corn
fodder, corn stover, corn silage,
sudan grass, cane hay, alfalfa hay,
wheat straw, Russian thistle, and
grain feeds such as corn, kafr, cane,
barley, oats and wheat have all enter
ed into the ration combinations fed
breeding cows during this long period
of experimentation. The annual re-
suits of this fundamental work are
made available in printed form and
always create much favorable COM
ment at the Annual Roundup held at
the Experiment Station the latter
part of April. The Annual Roundup
has become an established event in
the service rendered the farmers Of
Western Kansas and good weather
prevailing, hundreds of farmers make
the pilgrimage to Hays. by automobile,
buggy and train to be present at this
inspiring gathering.
The sheep flock of the Fort Hays
Experiment Station now embraces
three hundred seventy-fve head of