The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1923-02-15
THE IMPORTANCE OF SEEDS

} products. They sell by the pound
not by the bushel or ton, and virtu
} ally laugh at freight rates. Tn,
: freight from Idaho to Chicago OF
. alfalfa or clover seed grown on al
acre ranges from 81 to 50, as com
, pared to 800 for an average yield O.
/ potatoes; and the seed will ordin
arily sell 1T destination for as mucf
as the potatoes, thus converting the
saving in freight into a handsome
profit.
Seed growing in a commercial way
in Idaho dates back only about i've
years. Our production of grass
seeds approximates 100000
pounds, and of seed peas, 10000, 00O
pounds.
The development of our seed pea
industry Is an interesting story. A
few years ago seedmen of the central
west induced few farmers in the
upper Snake river valley to plant a
few peas as an experiment. From
that small beginning an industry has
grown until it now pays the farmers
more than a million dollars a year
and an additional half million to
labor in growing, sorting and pack
ing the seed for shipment.
Idaho has had splendid develop
ment during the past decade.
Among all the states she ranked
third in increase in number of
farms. Her cultivated area in
creased 81 per cent, her irrigated
area "A per cent and capital invested
in irrigation works 1913 per cent
Her two and half million acres of
irrigated lands can be increased to
four million by conserving the
waters that now run to waste, and
big irrigation developments are fore
casted for the future.
Progress is not dependent, how
ever, upon new construction. We
are even now rapidly developing
along lines that are full of pormise.
Several factors combined to usher in
this new era, chief among which
were imitation and defation. Infla-
ton was a pleasant process. A de-
mand for more than we could pro-
duce, at prices virtually Of our own
asking, brought temporary prices be-
yOnd our dreams. The things we
coveted were within our reach. We
began counting dollars, but failed to
note their decline in purchasing
power. We quite largely stopped do
ing the things that required constant
attention in order to have more
pleasures. We went into the hay
and grain business on a large scale
because they gave us more leisure,
with potatoes and fruit as important
side lines. AS people we went joy
riding. The number of our auto
mobiles increased 1900 per cent in
seven years and the number of our
live stock decreased a third of mill |
lion in one year.
Then something happened that
was not pleasant. The things that |
had caused our prosperity failed us. !
Our automobiles could not eat hay
and we were forced to find a market
for the 100000 tons of surplus we
annually produced Not joyously,
but reluctantly, we turned to dairy
ing for relief
To fairly appraise our dairying op-
portunities ten nationally known
men representing the teaching, man
ufacturing, advertising, investiga-
tional, breeding and breed-promoting
activities of dairying, were invited to
spend a week in Idaho as guests of
IhO hCJ Cdll1C anu uul lbs
the week of August 7 travelled $50
miles thru the irrigated districts of
the Snake river valley, going from
'arm to farm and looking upon field
after field. They we're surprised at
what they saw and soon convinced
themselves that Idaho was overlook
ng great asset. In their enthus-
asm they made the best claims of
dahoans appear conservative. In
he words of one of their number
hey saw farms where cattle grazed
uxuriant pastures nine months of
he year; where alfalfa yielded from
our to seven tons per acre; where
orn made growth so great that
me of their party examined it to
make certain it was not spliced;
orn that would produce fifteen to
wenty tons of silage per acre and
nearly double that ton
age; wheat fields threshing sixty to
lightly bushels per acre, and barley
0 add carbohydrates to the alfalfa
illage ration"
The visitors we're unanimous in
that Idaho has the largest
dairy possibilities OF
ny state and the lowest production
osts. AS if this were not enough
ne Of them, member of the great L
st cheese distributing firm in the S
orld, agreed to purchase 200, 000,- 2
90 pounds of Idaho cheese annually f
| carload lots, f. o. b. nearest ship q
ing points, at the same price as paid h
t Wisconsin. 1t is estimated that
lis market, coupled with our lower
reduction costs, gives the Idaho II
rmer as much as 25 per cent adj
lntage over the cheese producer of
e middle west.
Among other surprising things |
ey told us that dairymen of the u
ntral west, after shipping hay from
aho at cost for freight of from
o to SIS ton, were feeding it to b.
TRY cows at profit Of $50 per ton.
'asping the Importance of this
atement, Idahoans saw that in .,
der to have permanent prosperity
ey had only to feed our great crops
hay to dairy cows and ship the
product. For average III
lie price plus saving of freight 1t