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Show Future Farmers Projet Story By Jay Winkleman My experience with projects has taught me many things. It has proven to me that something does not come from nothing; that unless an effort is put forth it will be impossible im-possible to get results. However, if the things learned in class are put into practice and the work done earnestly, with good management, manage-ment, something must happen. In choosing my project I did not have much diffliculty: I simply de cided to continue my old project of seven and one-half acres of land adjoining the Spring City road near Mount Pleasant. Father and I decided de-cided on one hundred dollars rent on the whole piece. Just what to grow on the land was another question. Through past experience I found that wheat was not profitable. Oats does not pay very well unless you have an xtra heavy crop. I had learned from pea growers that if peas were handled well some profit could be derived from them. I decided to plant five and one-half acres of peas, and, as they would be ready for harvest early, I could use the late irrigation water to grow some potatoes; because they seem to be my favorite crop, as I won a metal growing them iu my other project. I figured there would be enough late water for about one and a half acres of potatoes. In my last project I used seed which I purchased from my father, but this year I wanted to plant some New York Rural certified seed which Lyman Beck raised at Spring City. As the inspector will not inspect a patch much under an acre, I purchased enough of the seed to plant .94 of an acre. In the remaining re-maining .57 of an acre of my field, I planted some of my fathers Tda-h.i Tda-h.i Russet seed. Then just as a little experiment T planted three different kinds of wheat, about a quart of each. One of these was Early Bart, another certified Dickelow grown by Leo Larsen, and the third was some of the new kind grown - at the U. A. C. called Utac, produced especially tor wet or swampy grounds because it has such a stiff stem. This experiment ex-periment was quie interesting, as all three of them were growing side by side. It was hard to get any definite facts as to which one yielded yield-ed the best. However, there was not much difference between the Dickelow and the Utac. Both of which were better than the Early Bart. In order to make land produce the very best it must have fertilizer, but as potatoes need more of It than ceas, I put a heavy coaing on the potato ground and then put a light coating on the pea ground. The expense amounted to about $25.00 for the peas and about $25.00 between be-tween the two patches of potatoes. After I had plowed, harrowed, and levelled the land, which was completed about May 4, it was quite early to plant potatoes, but I planted plant-ed them in order to give them time to mature. Abou six weeks later the peas were large enough to irrigate. They were irrigated three times after this with intervals of about, twenty days. After the last of htese, or about the middle of July, they were ready for harvest. All of them were not ready at the same time, but were about three days apart. However, they were planted ten days apart, due to weather conditions. condi-tions. After harvest my records on the p?as showed that I had worked 95 hours, had hired 152 hours of man labor and 341 hours of horse and machine labor. I would receive an income of $395.84 from the 5.61 acres ac-res of peas, steel tape measure. After paying all of my expenses (in which there seemed to be no end I had a labor income of $120.89. Then, after paying myself for my labor which was 35 cents an hour, I had a net profit oi $87.84. Even that was better than nothing. As I stated before, potato growing grow-ing is my fancy, for it seems a pleasure pleas-ure to watch them through their different stages all during the summer, sum-mer, and then to go along in the fall and gather an extra good crop As one always likes to work with the best of thing'.', I thought it would be more interesting to grow certified seed. We decided this seed was too expensive to plant an acre and a half, and, as we needed some potatoes for home use I figured fig-ured the certified potatoes were too good to eat. I planted .57 of an acre of Idaho Russets, which 1 purchased from my father. These two classes of potatoes furnished fur-nished an extra good experiment. During the planting of the Rur-als, Rur-als, the last row lacked enough seed to complete it, so I finished the row with the Russet seed. This made a direct comparison of good and bad seed. Mr. Barrett, the-State the-State Inspector, said, "This is th-.. best comparison of good and bad seed I have ever seen." Both grades had the very same care, and if there was any choice of land, the Idaho Russets were in it. As the potatoes of both patches came up, it seemed that the Russets Rus-sets were quite a lot better. They seemed to outgrow the others until after all of them had blossomed. Then it seemed that the Russets did not grow so fa;, and some of them even started to change color a little, while the Rurrals just kept (Continued on page 5) Future Farmers Project Siory (Continued from page one) on growing. They became so tail that they started to full over aim spread out In the furrows, which made it Impossible to cullvatc. Still they kept growing and they were Just as green as ever. July the first time I roguod them. I found a vine here and there which did not look Just rigt, and I went down past the row which was finished' fin-ished' with Russets. I decided that it would be too extravagent to pull all the diseased ones, as it seemed that they were all diseased. There was Jus as much difference between the two classes of potatoes as there Is between day and night, to snve the good ones from getting the disease, I dug that row out before be-fore they were of any harm or value either. After all the diseases had time to show on the vines, I went through them again, but I never did rogue the Idaho Russets. When It came time to dig them 1 was afraid the Rurrals were going to yield poorly, because they looked as If they had all gone to vine, and forgot to grow any potatoes. I dug the Russets first and sold most of thtm for food, as I did not wan: :o keep any of them for seed. It was really surprising to see how well th?y hod yielded, aftor being without a lot of their vines a good ';ir!. cf the season. After they wore sacked and each sack weighed as were all of my potatoes. I had 100 bushels. I sold some for $1.20 per bushel and some for $1.00 per bu-h"l. bu-h"l. After my book was finished, my records showed I hod worked '26 hnurs. had hired 24 hours of man labor and 18 hours of horse labor. I sold $122.73 worth of potatoes. One week later I dug the Rurrab, as the first dozen vines were plowed up, we were all surprised to see so many potatoes. It seemed a pleasure pleas-ure to pick up potatoes that were o smooth and plentiful. After '.hey wire all picked and sorted, I had reeeeipts for 350 bushels. I had worked 51 hours, had hired 99 hours of man labor and 100 hours of horse and machine labor. As I stored the whole crop in cellars I estimated them, considering different differ-ent grades. I had a total amount of $513.75. After paying expenses and myself wages, I had a net profit prof-it of $383.28. (It seems the best mu't ccme from the best.) I will store these potatoes the best I can until spring and if the oass the inspection In the cellar as hey did the three in the field. I will have plenty of certified s-;ej for s:Ue next spring. At the close it my project. I had a totol amcunt Df products sold of $1,032.32 with H total expense of $488.36 and a labor la-bor income of $004.15, and a net profit of $543.95. Jay Winkelman Mt. Pleasant, Utah. Chad Cox of Fairview is going to ;end his ton litter of pigs to the Ogdcn Livestock Show where they will be sold at auction after the show to the highest bidder. He will take them up this weekend. |