THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



39 



money and that he does not take the interest in 

 building up a herd such as does the owner who is 

 located on and working the farm himself. 



The fact remains, however, that with the in- 

 creasing value of dairy cows, the owner will find it 

 necessary to insist on the tenant raising the better 

 heifer calves, in order to get the best returns from 

 his investment. Thousands of calves are being sold 

 in our central markets daily which would, if raised 

 on the plan outlined, materially reduce the cost of 

 dairy catle and it is our impression that this plan 

 would also tend to reduce the present price of beef. 



We are publishing in this issue an 

 Dynamite article on subsoiling with dynamite 



For by J. M. Smith of Fort Gibson, Ok- 



Sub- lahoma, which contains some very 



Soiling good suggestions for farmers who 



are troubled with hard-pan and who 

 have difficulty in breaking up the subsoil with the 

 ordinary plow. Mr. Smith states that there is no 

 question but that dynamite has solved the farmers' 

 problem of how to plow deeply and get all the benefit 

 therefrom while in time they escape the bad effect 

 arising from the use of deep tilling machines, which 

 he thinks, are the cause of blending the subsoil with 

 the top soil and in that way prove ruinous to the 

 field for years. We are inclined to take exception to 

 this 'statement of Mr. Smith, in view of the experi- 

 ence of those who have used such machines as the 

 Spalding Deep Tilling Machine and other plows of 

 that character. It is a well known fact that where- 

 ever a plow such as the Spalding has been used, 

 the crops have been materially increased and there 

 has been much less trouble in the way of holding 

 moisture in the lower soils for the plant roots during 

 the dry season. While there is no doubt that plows, 

 such as the Spalding. bring the subsoil to the sur- 

 face, if the plowing is done before the Fall rains 

 the hard-pan and other hard soils disintegrate 

 and mingle with the soil in such proportions as not 

 to prove deleterious to crops. It is, of course, ac- 

 knowledged that where large quantities of hard-pan 

 or the harder subsoils are brought to the surface, 

 that unless this soil is fined by rain or atmospheric 

 action, the seeds as they germinate find difficulty 

 in taking root, but where the plowing is done prior 

 to the Fall or Winter rains, this trouble would be 

 almost if not entirely eliminated. We would like to 

 have an expression of opinion from others who are 

 acquainted with this subject, for publication. Any 

 of our readers who are familiar with the use of 

 deep tilling outfits and the results obtained there- 

 from, are asked to correspond with us so that we 

 may give the information to our readers throughout 

 the country. 



Our article on the Big Lost River 

 Idaho project of Idaho by Mr. Bohm, and 



In his open letter addressed to Gover- 



Lime nor Haines in our October number. 



Light which was replied to in our issue of 



November, by Governor Haines, 

 stirred up much controversy throughout Idaho and 

 the West, and has resulted in Governor Haines 

 making a special trip over the Big Lost River Irri- 

 gation Company's project, accompanied by mem- 

 bers of the State Land Board, when a research and 

 study of the problem was made. We note by a 

 Twin Falls exchange that Governor Haines has 

 addressed a letter to J. E. Clinton, receiver of the 

 Big Lost River Irrigation Company, and has made it 

 clear to Mr. Clinton and others that it must now be 

 apparent to all that further delay is not to be looked 

 upon with favor from any source. The Governor 

 states that the members of the present Land Board 

 hope that the expected decision will be accepted as 

 final by all concerned, and he states further that him- 

 self and the Board realize that because of the legal diffi- 

 culties which have heretofore stood in the way, it 

 has doubtless been impossible for the receiver or 

 anyone else to effect a reorganization of the Com- 

 pany, and to proceed- with the work of supplying 

 water to the settlers on the project; this delay the 

 Governor states has resulted in great suffering and 

 hardships to many of the entrymen, particularly 

 those who have moved to the project and begun the 

 improvement of their entries, and it is stated that 

 this condition must not be allowed to continue a 

 moment longer than is absolutely necessary. The 

 Land Board, the Governor states, stands ready to 

 lend any reasonable and proper aid in the matter of 

 the reorganization, which should be proceeded with 

 at once. 



In this connection our attention has been called 

 to a publication under the title, The Carey Act 

 Farmer, with publication office at Jerome, Idaho. 

 Officers of this organization are W. P. Stafford, 

 president, Gooding; S. S. King, first vice president, 

 Deitrich ; A. R. Wells, second vice president, King 

 Hill ; and L. T. Alexander, secretary-treasurer, Je- 

 rome. Nothing appears in the editorial head of this 

 publication to indicate which one of the gentle- 

 men fills the position of editor, it is presumed, how- 

 ever, that Mr. Alexander of Jerome, the point from 

 which the paper is issued, is the responsible party. 



In an issue of this publication for October 

 under the heading, The Lost River Controversy, it 

 is stated that it has been decided to try The Lost 

 River case in the newspapers instead of the courts. 

 The Farmer goes on to say that "THE IRRIGATION 

 AGE, a paper published in Chicago a thousand miles 

 from the project, has taken it upon themselves to 



