The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-07-09
IDDINGS FINDS
CROPS BEST EVER
DEAN OF AG. COLLEGE MAKES
STATE TOUR-FARMERS ARE
IN HOPEFUL MOOD

With reasonable price for farm
products, the large crop which will
be harvested in all parts of Idaho
this season should result in marked
improvement in financial conditions,
according to Dean E. j. Iddings of
the college of agriculture at the Uni
versity of Idaho, who has arrived at
home from q two weeks trip, during
which he travelled 800 miles by auto
mobile, visiting the prairie district
and the cut-over district in north
Idaho and the dry farming and irri-
gated sections in the south and
southeast. He states that throughout
the state the general agricultural
situation is the best he has ever
known it. The only discouraging fea-
ture is some damage to the hay,
caused by the rains, which have been
pretty general throughout the state,
and the lodging of wheat in the north
and barley in the irrigated districts.
The loss from this source, however,
will not be great, he states.
One of the noticeable features of
agriculture in Idaho this year, Dean
Idd1ngs says, is the increase in di-
versification and the growing of le-
gume crops more extensively in north
Idaho and in the cut-over districts
In the south there is an increase in
special crops. In the Twin Falls dis
tr1ct there is return to beans and
an increase in the sugar beet acre
age, and an even greater increase in
the acreage of corn. In the Twin
Falls territory alone, it is estimated
that there is $4,000 acres in corn
and 10000 acres in beans.
A new venture, which is attracting /
much attention, is to be found on
nT yhoy r4Nfh of
Wilder Dean Iddings said The |
Peckhams have As acres in cauli- I
flower, head lettuce, and celery, |
which they are growing in co-opera-
tion with the university extension
service, through e. r. Bennett exten-
sion horticulturist.
Growing Sweet Clover
Dean Iddings attended the field day
on the sub-station farm at Standpoint,
July 1, and said that many repre-
sentative farmers, together with
number Of the members of the legis-
lature from the northern counties,
were present. He said that one of
the especially promising things on
the farm is the success with which
sweet clover and Grimm alfalfa are
being grown on the cut-over lands,
with certain cultural practices and
dates of seeding and with the app1i-
cation of gypsum to the soil.
It is planned to hold field days on /
the Aberdeen sub-station farm and
on the high altitude sub-station at ,
Felt. The Aberdeen meeting will be
held July FL.
The Alfalfa Weevil
Zone of the serious problems in
the south,'' Dean Iddings said, " is the :
alfalfa weevil The weevil has been
1u NV 9tiVQS
the extension service in counties
which had heretofore been considered =
'ree from this menace. In some sec
lions the weeil is sufficiently abun- q
liant to cause great damage to the :,
crop and to seriously alarm the far :,
ners. Experimental work on the part y v
If the extension service with various q
methods of control has been quite ~
successful and it is our belief that we =
will be able to recommend definite .
control measures that will be made
generally effective by another year. y
EARN labor is scarce in almost - -
,yery section of the state and the * *
armers are extremely busy cultivat- ~ !.
ng and harvesting their crops. With -
he excellent prospect for crop,
lowever, they are feeling hopeful. In
act, compared with a year or IL
months ago, they are in an optimistic =
rame of mind" s'
Dean Iddings spent two days with .
he Wisconsin dairy special, which is ~
curing the southern part of the state, 9
With a train furnished by the Union u
Pacific system. The train carries 20 ~
ead Of cattle, representing the varl- u
us breeds of dairy cows. There is uf
corps of speakers, who explain the a.
nerits Of the various breeds, and who
re carrying to the south Idaho far
,ers valuable information regarding "
ne dairy industry. Practically every ea as
tation along the Union Pacific sys- u
EN- is being visited. The object or
he trip is to promote interest In a.
airying and in improved dairy types ~ ~
cattle. ~ ~
1p