The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1923-01-11
WENT, SAW AND RETURNED

M. N. Austin. proprietor Of Black
foot's green house has just made q
tour and study of agriculture in
southern California and is back
home preparing for big things in
Idaho. He says the trip and the
things he saw and learned about
down there make him appreciate
Idaho and fill him with confidence
for the future.
Mr.. Austin went there expecting
| to spend several weeks working on
the farms where they raise lettuce,
caulifiowers and celery, to learn all
he could of their cultural methods,
and bring it back to Idaho to apply
1t here, but when he got to Los
Angeles and got his bearings he soon
found himself working on a new
plan. He fell into unusual oppor-
tunities of seeing the country and of
meeting those who are engaged in
raising these crops, and he went
right on from day to day until he
had seen everything he wanted to
from the San Fernando valley above
Los Angeles, down to the Mexican
border. He mingled with the grow
ers and shippers and everywhere
AOuhO ShOhl WiiiihS " OiiOV hAAA ci1o
tell him all they could of raising,
packing and marketing their pro-
ducts.
He visited one ranch Of 116, 1000
acres near Santa Anna, where they
had $50 acres planted to celery.
They raise a crop of potatoes and
then crop of lettuce the same year.
They raise crop of celery and fol-
low with crop of barley the same
year. They raise great deal of
caulif1owers, and all Of these things
that are not consumed in their local
cities are shipped east in refrigera-
ter cars, using about eight tons of
ice per car enroute. The farmers
are getting about so cents a crate
for their head lettuce, each crate
containing four and a half to five
dozen heads, and they get about $50
to $50 crates per acre.
Lettuce shipped from Idaho has
been bringing several times that
much to the grower and Mr.. Austin's |
experience with lettuce last year
made him sorry for the California
farmers who have to sell it at SO
cents crate.
Mr.. Austin says he knows of no
place where they can raise lettuce
and have it mature for shipment
during the hot months Of summer.
1t goes to seed at that time, and that
leaves only the cool months Of
spring and fall to mature it. Then
the race resolves itself in seeing who
can produce it earliest and latest in
the spring and fall. Mr.. Austin
planted a small tract in November
and hopes to get it matured very
early this spring. He is wondering
If some of our Idaho men cannot go
into the business in the Island Park
country and mature it in the sum-
mer months and have their choice of
markets with no competition. He
thinks it would bring almost any
price up to S. or Sc crate.
Mr.. Austin will report to people
here and give any aid he can to
hose who are interested in any of
,heSe crops. He thinks cauliflowers
md celery will yield good returns to
he men who will go about it care
July and put their ground in proper
condition and not plant too large (
racts while learning how. He wants {
20 get good many careful farmers
% raise small tracts and market it
ogetheE. People with small lots of '
and and plenty of water and no big {
ields to look after will have a bet I
er chance to succeed with these ]
,rops.
The California farmers use COM {
nercial fertilizers that have no {
lumus in them, and the land does t
lot hold up, but remains too much a
ike an ash heap. During the cool
st part of December and January
hey have slight frosts and heavy t
aims and winds that are hard on t
he tender crops.