Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Lexington wheatfield. (Lexington, Or.) 1905-19?? | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 1906)
y 4 ' -' t v , LEXINGTON GROWS WITHOUT WATCHING 0 VOL. I " LEXINGTON, OREGON, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 1906 NO. 52 LfXINGTON W EAT DRY FARMING THE HOPE OF THE WEST A METHOD OF PRODUCING BOUNTIFUL CROPS, WITHOUT IRRIGATION, IN SEMI-ARID REGIONS BY JOHN L. COWAN (JULY NUMBER CENTURY MAGAZINE) (Continued from last week) under the management of Superinten dent W. P. Snycter. He has proved not only that as good crops can be grown on those parched and wind swept lands as In the irrigated valleys, but also that perhaps the most profita ble way of utilizing those crops Is In the raising and fattening of hogs and cattle. The extension of dry farming therefore, will not mean the extinction of the great stock raising Industry of the Western public land states, but It will mean its cotlnued growth, with the distribution of the profits among many thousand's of small farmers, Instead of among the comparatively small num ber of wealthy and arrogant cattle owners. When the arid lands have been reclaimed, they 'will support many times the number of cattle that now I raze 'upon them, although the open range will no longer exist, and the great cattle ranches that now cover areas as large as Eastern counties will be cut up Into multitudes of small farms. At the North Platte agricul tural sub station, brome-grass, Kaffir corn, Kherson oats, emmer, and cane yield abundantly, and alfalfa is consid ered one of the most profitable of all crops. Durum wheat is there shown to yield three times as much per acre as the common varieties. An attempt is now being made to develop a winter ' variety of durum. If this Is accom iplished, Western wheat growers will have nothing to fear from the compe tition of Canadian or Argentine har vest fields. At the Fort Hays experimental sub station of the Kansas State Agricul tural College, four cuttings 'of alfalfa were obtained without irrigation last year; and, although corn is regarded as particularly unsuited to that locality, yet last year's crop averaged forty-five bushels to the acre. At this station it has also been demonstrated that sugar beets can be grown as successfully and as profitably In arid as in irrigated lands. The yield In tons per acre is smaller, but this is fully compensated for by the greater sugar contents. Ap ples, peaches, pears, plums, cherries, and a great variety of forest trees thrive upon the simplest application of dry-farming principles upon these plain lands, which are naturally treeless and devoid of other vegetation than bunch grass and sage-brush. . The most surprising thing connected with the subject of dry-farming Is the unwillingness of the average Western farmer to give it a fair trial. It would naturally be supposed that men whose utmost labors barely suffice to wrest a livelihood from the parched and unwill ing acres they own would be eager to adopt any method that gave promise of better results, or at least to Imitate the methods of their neighbors, who with no better land, yet tobtaln results many times greater. Before the Pomeroy model farm was started at Hill City It was adver tised for six weeks that Mr. Campbell would explain his methods of soil cul ture at a free public meeting In the court-house. The hall was crowded with farmers, some of whom traveled for many miles in order to attend. Of the whole assemblage, only two adopt ed the lecturer's recommendations. These have been fully as successful as he has been, raising good crops every year. The others listened, shook their heads, and went their way unconvinced They still cling to old fashioned Tneth- ods, such as have wicked tens of thousands of farmers in every locality between central Kansas and California, and have never yet given satisfactory results west of the Missouri River. As a class, farmers are the most conservative men In the world. Most of those who left Eastern farms to build new homes in the Western land of promise argue that the methods their fathers and grandfathes employ ed must neccessarlly be the best methods, regardless of conditions that differ as widely as the antipodes. Full of bigotry and prejudice, they set their faces like flint against what they term "new fangled notions." A good many of them, it Is feared, shrink from the unceasing toil and unremitting watch fullness demanded by the new system. In any event, it has been observed that those who have been in the West for many years can only rarely be persuad ed to give dry farming a fair trial. They will not even read dry farming; literature, or visit a model farm or anr agricultural experiment station to in spect the results attained by rational methods. Newcomers in the West, however. are nearly always willing to learn and profit by the experience of others, and . the younger element among the farm ers hail dry farming as the dawning of a new era. It is the young men who have given to scientific soil culture the. impetus It has received at Cheyenne, Julesburg, Limon, and other places. It Is the young men, also, that are re sponsible for the aggressive campaign being conducted by the Campbell Dry- Farming Association, organized last October, with headquarters in Denwri. Its object is to spread the dry-farming- propaganda until every acre of arable- (Continued on page 4.), TOKTURK BY MVAGK3 "Speaking of the torture to which some of the savage tribes in the Philippines subject their captives, re minds me of the intense suffering I endured for 3 months from inflamma tion of the kidneys," says W. M. Sher man, of Cushing, Me., "Nothing help ed me until 1 tried Electric Bitters, three bottles of which completely cured me." Cures Liver Complaint, Dyspep- sla.Blood disorders and Malaria; and restores the weak and nervous to ro- bust health. Guaranteed by W. P, McMillan, druggist. Price 50c. WAS A VtfP.Y SICK BOY" But Cured by Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera and Diarrhoea Remedy "When my boy was two years old he had a very severe attack of bowel complaint, but by the use of Chamber-' Iain's Colic, Cholera and Diarrhoea Remedy we brought him out "all right," says Maggie Hickox, of Midland,- Mich This remedy can be depended upon in the most severe cases. Even cholera infantum is cured by it, Follow the plain printed directions and a1 cure is certain. For sale by W. P.'-McMillan, Drug Store. LEACH BROTHERS GREAT SEPTEMBER i ARGAIN SALESBETTER TAKE ADVANTAGE c3 8 Special sale on Cotton Blankets. We offer you a fine double Cotton Blanket for 75 cents. A little wider and heavier Blanket for 85 cents. 4 and 5 pound Blankets from $1.25 to $1.75. Special fine lot of Ladies Rain Coats fust arrived. Value from $12.50 to $20.00. We are offering on account of short crops at prices that will simply astonish you, from $5. to $12.50. Special on Ladies 15 cent black cotton hose, per pair, ' 10 cents Wall Paper stock is complete and prices are correct. We can save you money on your fall order for groceries. Call d- and see and take advantage. Hardware? Yes, we sell a little hardware too. In Paints and Oils we can furnish you anything you want at close figures. Don't averlook us when you want Implements and Vehicles, remembering that we sell everything you use, eat and wear. CLOTHING PRICE TO MOVE THEM 5.00 Suits for - -;,'. 3.75 6.00 . " " - : - - - - 4.50 7.00 , " " . - - - - 5.25 9.00 " " - - - - 6.75 10.00 " .... 8.50 12.00 . . . . 9.00 14.00 " " - - - - 10.50 15.00 " " - - - 11.25 16.00 " " - - - - 12.00 17.00 " " - - - - 12.75 18.00 " " ' - - - 13.50 20.00 " " - - - 15.00 Stwm's All. Boys and Children s clothing 1-4 off. "For cash of course" The Famous Blue Ribbon Shoes for Girls and Boys included in this sale. ALL SHOES REDUCED All $1.00 Shoes go at ' - 1.25 1.35 1.50 1.75 2.00 2,25 2.50 2.75 3.00 3.25 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00 5.50 6.00 (( a it a tt a t n tt n a tt (( tt tt it ii tt ( ii it a 11 u it a tt a a Above Prices are for "Cash Only." eaci 3$roti ers J he 9$ia vSi ore