The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-07-21
The COW, The Pig,
The HEN and SHEEP
FARM BUREAU MAN SAYS THESE
WILL BRING PROSPERITY TO
IDAHO FARMERS

The COW, the pig and the hen," or
in other words, diversified farming,
will make Latah county and all of
the agricultural districts in Idaho
prosperous, according to G. B. Ross,
of Pocatello, secretary of the Idaho
state farm bureau, who has been
spending most of the week in Latah
county. When seen by Star Mirror
representative Mr.. Ross said that di-
versified farming is his hobby and
that he is convinced, after spending
several days in Latah county, that,
while this is a wonderfully produc-
tive and prosperous county, there is
i very great need for diversified
farming, not only because of the
greater immediate profit it would
bring to the farmer and the business
man, but also because of the need of
conserving the fertility of the soil,
which will gradually become depleted
under the present plan of wheat farm
ing. Mr.. Ross said that the first
thing he looked for in driving through
a country, is milk COWS, poultry, pigs
and sheep. A few sheep, he said, are
especially valuable to keep the land
cleaned up. He advocates the grow
ing of sweet clover, red clover and
alfalfa, and in rotation of crops. Red
clover seed, he states, can be grown
profitably here.
What Two Sows Will Do
Mr.. Ross gave some interesting
figures on what two sOWS on each of
Latah county's 1875 farms would
mean. Two sows, each raising two
broods per year of five pigs each,
which is conservative, would bring to
the farmer at least $500, or would
bring to the 1875 farmers, $562,O00.
This, he said, would pay the total tax
of the farmers in the county
Six COWS on each farm, figuring the
minimum sum of $100 in returns from
each COW, would bring each Of the
1875 farmers $500 and would bring to
the county $1,115,OOO annually.
Two hundred hens on the farm
would bring, according to Mr.. Ross
figures, $1,000, which would only be
IS per hen, and would bring to the
county $1,875,OO0.
The average farm in Latah county
is 800 acres, and Mr.. Ross asserts
that the pigs, the cows and the chick
ems could be maintained on 40 acres,
leaving the rest of the farm for
growing wheat, or other such product
as might seem best. The aggregate
receipts from "the COW, the pig and
the hen,'' would be $3,552,000 per
year, according to the figures above,
while the soil would be built up to
point where the yield of grain and
other products would be larger than
now. He believes that, under diversi-
fled farming, more wheat would be
grown in the county than there is now,
in addition to the feed necessary for
the livestock.
"Your town of Moscow" said Mr..
Ross, would double in population
within a few years, if diversified
farming were carried on in the coun-
ty, and the entire county would pros
per and grow in population as never
before. The twelve principal crops of
the state brought in last year $67,-
100000. Under our program of di-
versified farming, this would be cas-
lily doubled, while the amount paid
out in taxes would be but little more
than it is now"
Mr.. Ross is an ardent advocate of
cooperative marketing of farm pro-
ducts and of cooperation between the
country and the town, so that both
the farmer and the business man may
prosper He says that the farm
bureau is accomplishing much in
Idaho and Latah county and that it
is destined to grow in membership
and usefulness.