| OCR Text |
Show THE UINTAH BASIN FARMER 5 UINTAH COUNTY FARM BUREAU A. THEODORE JOHNSON, F. O. LUNDBERG, Fml -- J. Presjto N. LYBBERT, Secretary J. Production By GEORGE W. CAHOON or thirty years. From information at hand the first alfalfa seed, was raised on Green river at Jensen. In years past small quan- tides of seed 'were raised and hauled out to Provo' and Spanish Fork and other points on the railroad and sold at a very meager price. During this early development there was really no serious effort put into seed raising as an industry but was done more or less haphazardly. Small acreages which, looked premising were left for seed and were used primarily for seeding their own places. If more was raised than local demand required it was hauled outside and marketed for anything which might be offered. In checking up, it is found that in years past some very satisfactory yields were had from! time to time, but as alfalfa seed had not come into prominence, it was not followed up and as a consequence no great amount was ever raised in any one year until later, when attention was drawn here from eastern dealers and the Basin as a whole was exploited. We might look back to 1922 as the beginning of the alfalfa seed industry in the Uintah Basin and likewise in Ashley valley. The progress since that time has been very marked and steady, in both quantity and quality. 1921 saw the Ashley valley producing approximately fifty thousand pounds or less, of alfalfa seed. iNo effort had been extended prior to this time to clean up the impurities in the seed during the growing season and as a whole the farmers were not fully acquainted with many of the noxious weeds which infested their fields and which, materially reduced their net returns when marketed The spring 0f 1922, the J. G. Pep-paSeed company launched out in an endeavor to exploit the Uintah Basin and accordingly, the Ashley valley, as a seed producing section. Other seed companies were turning attention to this section but were passive and very skeptical as to its real possibilities. As one representative of a large seed concern said, twenty-fiv- e low-puri- ty rd kill off the snakes, plant the garden and if you are successful, we will come out and help you buy the harvest. Fortunately, as a matter of fact, things looked very much better from the inside than from the outside. They found cooperation on every hand. They found a sturdy, industrious population, who. were more than willing to launch into anything which looked like a cash return and which might pay off the As a consequence, the mortgage. first year, under the supervision of Alfred Bliss, in the capacity of field man for the company, the valley produced approximately two hundred thousand pounds of seed. This crop, as might have been expected, was foul from clover, large dodder, thistle, millet and other noxious Weeds and impuritiesi; but all things taken into consideration, this was a great stride in the program for deMoreover, the price velopment. reached seventeen cents per pound that year and this was something decidedly unusual as the price had ranged from six to ten cents, with rate exceptions, prior to this time. The Uintah Basin as a whole had sources and not unjustly, until the following year a real effort was made to clean up the fields. The following spring the writer came into the field to succeed Mr. Bliss. He found a big business well begun. The spirit of cooperation was still vigorous and has continued until the present time. The 1923 crop was probably the best crop of any up to date, in many respects. Only two lots of seed from the valley were docked on account of large dodder and the yield Was 550,000 Probably 75 per cent or pounds. this crop made a No. 1 ef better the market still good. and grade, The market reached 16 cents and the majority of the crop sold for 15 cents or better. 1924 saw a substantial increase over 1923, however it was in this year that the greatest setback came learned about seed industry. Alfalfa chalcis fly alfalfa seed raising. General ideas extracted from' the returns of the will apply generally but not speeif- seed growers of the Uintah Basin, ( Continued on Page 7) approximately one hundred thousand dollars. In 1923 the grasshoppers were very bad and did considerable damage. In 1924 they were still bad, but nothing excepting a has done the general hail storm damage which has been wrought by the chalcis fly. Research has accomplished very little with this .pest and we are still suffering from its Alfalfa weevil came to ravages. claim our attention in 1923 but developed very slowly. At the present time there has been very little damage done to crops from this source. Crickets came to Brush creek, and PER POUND a few to the valley but no damage has resulted. In 1925 we expect our banner year. The 1923 crop was taken approximately from 2000 acres, 1924 crop from approximately 3000 acres and the crop in sight is estimated at around 4000 acres with estimated yield oif 750,000 pounds. Much advantage has resulted from the exploitation of the alfalfa seed industry in the Basin as a whole. We have all year service in every branch of the game. Open market and last but not least we have this year a seed plant in Vernal. Now that we have laid the foundation to a great industry what, under our conditions are the advantages of the crop? First, it is lucrative, from every angle; second, it is about the only crop we can export under our present transportation facilities. Third, it is a soil builder and w'ill maintain over long VERNAL, UTAH periods of years without destroying the strength of the soil materially, and last, it is well adapted to our conditions both as regards soil and We are paying You from approximately one advanced million pounds of seed in 1921 to three million in 1922, under supervision of other capable men of experience whom the company had employed to lead the way. There is probably nothing which causes reform quicker or more completely and lastingly than imposed penalty. Seed was docked for Dodder and for low purity from many Vice-Preside- nt to the industry we have encounterclimatic conditions. ed since the advent of the active There is much to be Alfalfa Seed and Its The history of seed production in Ashley valley dates back to the earliest settlement, and although it has only been in recent years that it has gained any importance as a seed producing section, it has raised seed in small quantities over a period of LEROY CARROLL, Second A. CHENEY, Treasurer j j for BUTTERFAT CALDER BROTHERS Creamery myihWMiWTWBBnBfiinBm Announcement I WW- niw niM im Inntur The Vernal Machine Shop IS OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS First Class Machine Work WELDING AND CUTTING Wo have the following machinery: Lathe, Drill Press, Pipe Machine, Emery Wheel, etc. FOR RELIABLE USED CARS Also Tees, Ells, Nipples, Globe Valves, Sea Allan Chevrolet Co. work. Files, Babbit and are prepared to do any kind of machine C. H. BOYLES Proprietor |
