The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1924-01-18
Idaho Makes
Big Advance
Dairy and Poultry Products
Are Financial Salvation
for Our State

A letter received yesterday from
Joel L. Priest of Boise, general agent
OF the Union Pacific system, says in
part:
"a few days before Christms |
went to our Boise depot to board an
eastbound train. Just back of the
locomotive l noticed an express re-
fYigerator car. This aroused my Gu
riosity, 80 / proceeded to investigate
That car was loaded with turkeys
and it was billed to Providence, r.
l.. three thousand miles away.
"At many a Christmas dinner in
Providence an Idaho turkey glad
dened the eyes and appeased the ap-
actites OF Christmas reveleTs, young
and old And Providence was not
the only favored eastern city. We
shipped turkeys by express to Cos
ton, to New York, TO New Haven,
Conn, and to many other points
where people were hungry for the
real bird.
"A story went the rounds of the
Idaho newspapers recently about a
farmer whose crops were invaded
by grasshoppers His wife had in
vested her savings in a flock of tur-
keys. When the grasshoppers ate
the crops, she turned the turkeys
loose in the fields and they promptly
ate the grasshoppers. The turkeys,
fattened on the grasshoppers that
had eaten the crops, were sold at
profit sufficient to save the farm.
A sort of House That Jack Built
story and true one.
Now, all this is by way of prelim-
mary to a little story of a transfor-
nation that is going on today IN
many an Idaho farm home. 1t is
the story of the beginnings, at least,
of stable prosperity based on dali
rying and poultry raising, two indus
tries that only a few years ago were
considered unworthy of the atten-
tion of the men on the farm.
During the last three years ap-
proximately five thousand dairy
cows have been imported into Idaho
So rapid has been the growth of the
industry that people in other states
extent for the restocking and re-
Punishment of their own herds. Ida
no cheese and Idaho butter are com
manding premium prices in markets
outside the state and there is every
prospect that the demand will in
crease as time goes on.
'The production of eggs and poul
try in Idaho has been increasing rap
idly. The years shipments show
that we moved $50 cars of eggs.
Each car Of eggs contained folr t'''-
lred crates of thirty dozen. Mini
mum. cars of butter and cheese ~
tain $4,000 pounds. The movement
OF poultry shows 40 cars, but TINS Is
not indicative of the total shipments
because by far the greater part of
the poultry business moves by ex-
press.
81 hope / may be pardoned for
pointing with pride to the Union Pa
cific Systems part in all this deyei
opment. This company has Joined
in movements toward bringing ex-
pert dairymen to the state to inter
est Idaho people in an industry that
we believe is destined to become one
of our greatest assets. We have
kept men in the field helping to es-
tablish markets, advising with those
who contemplated in engaging in
this occupation, and have in all ca
ses given our friendly support to
enterprises having for
their purpose the working out of
dairy problems. We believe the
year upon which we are just enter
ing will witness continuance of the
past progress