The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-05-22
DEVELOPMENT OF
|DAHO'S FARMS


TRAYED in LECTURE BY
DEAN E. j. IDDINGS
lecture by Dean e. j. Iddings of
the college of agriculture at the I'm
iversity Of Idaho, completed the SER
les of discussions on Idaho's three
basic mining forestry and
agriculture, planned by Professor G.
j. Brosnan, instructor in Idaho and
Inland Empire history at the uni
versity, at the beginning of the pres
ent semester. The purpose Of the
lectures was to reinforce the regular
class work with three authoritative,
f1rst-hand messages by three deans
directing university instruction in
mining, forestry and agriculture
The lectures proved most illumin-
ating to many of the students who,
though somewhat familiar with the
industries of their home localities,
through observation, yet lacked an
appreciation of Idahos mhny-sided
economic greatness The first of the
idaho Basic Industries" lectures,
.'The Mining Industry in Idaho,' was
delivered by Dean Francis A. Thorn
son, of the school Of mines, April
~. 1Ccu L VI. l011lCl, VI IAC oCuOOl
of forestry, followed, with "Idaho's
Forestry Wealth, on April 27. Dean
iddings' lecture on Agriculture in
Idaho," completed the series.
summary of the interesting and
comprehensive presentation of the
subject by Dean Iddings follows:
THAT Idaho is largely an agricul-
tural state is indicated by the pre-
dominence of rural population as
shown by the returns of the 1920 CEN
sus. OF the total of 431 $50, approx
imately 20 per cent or 312,829 live in
the open country.
"The progress of Idaho's agricul-
ture has been rapid. The first set
Elements were the Hudson's Bay
settlement at Old Fort Boise in 1884,
the settlement OF Old Fort Hall un-
der Captain N. J. Weyth in 1884 and
the settlement of the Lapwai Mission
by the Rev. Henry Spalding in 1886.
1t is probable that the first agricul-
ture dates back to these settlements.
1t is certain that the Reverend H.
H. Spalding was the first to practice
horticulture The earlier agricnl-
ture developed as a source of supply
OF vegetables and other agricultural
products that were needed for the
influx of miners following the dis
covery of gold in the early sixties.
The greatest development in Idaho's
agriculture has come within the past
thirty years.
"Idaho's irrigated area has fncreas-
ed more than ten fold in the period
1890 to 1920 or from 217,005 acres
to 2,488,806 acres. The number of
irrigated farms has increased from
6,603 to 42,1O6 farms. The total val
ue of farm products on the farm, in
Guiding all crops, fruit and livestock
have increased in this thirty-year
period from $3,848,930 to s126,492,-
AL, which was the total value of
farm poducts in 1919. During the
past ten years the number of Idaho
farms increased 36.7 per cent or H.
299 farms Land in farms increased
581a per cent, irrigated land increas-
ed in acreage 1873 per cent. The to-
tai value of all farm property, by the
last census, including land, build
ing, machinery and livestock, was
$716, 6,137,9 $40 The state, therefore, de-
veloping very rapidly There are
still large areas capable of irrigation
to be had at a reasonable cost per
acre, and by the construction of great
storage reservoirs, principally to con-
troll the flood waters Of the Snake
river, there will be found an ample
supply of water for a great acreage
of fertile land that is awaiting de-
velopment.
"The greater portion of the cut-ov-
er area in the northern part Of the
state will be developed in the years
that are ahead Of us and will make
excellent farming land, since the ma
tural precipitation ranges from az
inches to an excess of 80 inches. Ida
no ranks specially high in acre yields
and in the quality of farm products
Some Of the leading crops of Idaho
soils yield as follows:
Alfalfa seed 511s bushels per acre:
Clover seed 513 bushels per acre;
Potatoes 18O bushels per acre;
Barley, 38 bushels to the acre;
Wheat 221a bushels per acre;
Beans liz bushels per acre;
Oats 38 bushels per acre.
These are the figures shown by the
1920 census.
s'The crops ordinarily grown
Idaho numbers fifteen. The leading
crops are wheat and hay, with Lib
900 acres devoted to wheat and L.
05O,0 acres to hay Enterprises that
have shown remarkably rapid growth |
are the growing of sugar beets, le-
gume seed crops, potato seed, live
stock, fruit and vegetables. The SUI
ar beet industry had its beginning in
two factories in 1904, which ground
75,500 tons of beets. The factories
now number eight, and ground 4l3,-
1878 tons of beets in 1920. The in
dustry represents an investment of
ten and one-half million dollars, and
gives employment to $500 people I
during the grinding campaigns and
paid to the frmers in 1920 approx
mately five million dollars.
"The seed potato business has
grown very rapidly and is now an i'm
portant industry in the cut-ovor re-
gions of Bonner and other northern
counties and in the higher elevations
of the upper Snake river valley. The
seed crops, particularly clover seed