The Mellette County pioneer. [volume], June 22, 1923, Image 1

About The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971

Image provided by: South Dakota State Historical Society – State Archives

                
fjhe Atldlritc County pioneer
Join The First Alfalfa Tour Ever Held In the State, Next Tuesday and Wednesday
volume mi
ALFALFA TOUR GETS
STATE-WIDE PUBLICITY
The State col Kuo at Brookings is
rcspolisihh for the following .special
article which \va .sent out 1»v them to
the press ol the stat* telling about
Mellette coynt\ ’s aliaita tour. 1 his
story appeal !<1 in tije dail\ press ot
the state and a number ol the week
ly papers a-> well, la. t week:
MELLETTE COUNTS HAS
ALFALI'A TOUR, JUNE 26-27
“Know \our own country” seems
to be the slogan ot \ielU.lte county
tanners and Inis me men who are
boosting lor the pro pent\ ot that
section ol South Dakota by holding
the first alt all a tour ever organized
in tiiis state on June 26 and 27.
Again a business man i proving that
the farmer's intere N are Ids own
interests. Fred U. Kirch, editor ol
the Mellette <\mnD Uu ucr at Wood
originated tin* ail.iiia t ur idea when
he suggested it m ln> pap r ol Febru
ary 2J, l!' 1 -*.'!, that farmers and busi
ness men should get together and in
spect the alfalfa aerea e ot Mellette
county. With the cooperation of
County Agent 1.. (1. Rudolph, those
ill charge of t!ii> tour expert to make
June 26 and 2< two o! the biggest
days Mellette county lias ever ex
perienced.
In 1912, Mellette eounty was first
Opened to white settlers, and since
then homesteaders ha\c taken up
practically all ol the land. Ten years
after this eounty was organized, al
falfa valued at $I I ”>,OOO was grown
there. In 1922, ful'y >,7>■»l acves of
land were put into alfalfa, and a
Farm Bureau survey showed that at
least 1,006 bushels of all all a seed
alone were produced by Mellette
county growers.
Besides the seed trown, about two
crops of bay were harvested from
each field, bringing in an average ot
$33 per acre foi I be entire alfalfa
acreage raised by those growers.
However, farmers there |<< I that the
leal value of the alfalfa amounted to
more than the dollars and cents esti
mated because it tvas u < d to produce
more wealth in tin* form of beef, milk
and pork, which have already brought
prosperity to Mellette county.
Although alia)l a has become one ot
tlie most pi’ofitahle crops in that sec
tion, growers feel that it can become
even a greater factor in adding to
1 lie county’s wealth if farmers will
increase hay and seed acreage. Al
falfa is the best single forage feed
and therefore more hay means more
dairying; more pasture means rent
er livestock production for the mar
kets.
If farmers are to have greater al
falfa production, they want to learn
more about raising the crop, and in
order to put Indore them methods ot
alfalfa culture for seed production
and for hay, the Mellette county toiu
has been arranged. Editor Kirch Inn
called this tour “a picnic on wheels;’
visits will be made to alfalfa fields ir
the east end of the county on June 20.
and the west part will he visited tin
second day. Special attention will b<
given to certain outstanding field:
where definite, practical methods ol
HARVESTING ALFAtFA IN MELI.ETTE COUNTY
Our picture shows an alfalfa hav harvest on the Danker ranch
just ncrth of Wood. This was formerly the A. K. Wood ranch,
and in 1910 Mr. Wood seeded what was perhaps the first field of
alfalfa in this county. Tips was two tears before the county was
opened to settlement to the white man. The original field of ten
acres is to this day producing iro >d hav crops, even though it is
now thirteen years ago since it Was* originally seeded. Mr. Wood
added to his alfalfa acreage from yeai to year, until now the ranch
has a field of sixty acres that produce abundant hav crops every
year. P. F. Danker purchased.this ranch about three years ago,
and while lie has not added to the alfalfa acreage since die became
its owner, yet be is putting mor * and more of the land under cul
tivation, ami this year be had 140 acres of new land broken out
and added to the cultivated area of the ranch. Mr. Brown, who
is operating the ranch .this year, is cultivating 315 acres of corn,
besides other crops.
culture have been used successfully.
The ideas carried out by certain
growers in getting greater acreage
will be discussed, and the work al
ready accomplished will be pointed
out to visitors by County Agent Ru
dolph.
Twelve years ago Mellette county
was covered with buffalo grass, which
furnished most of the feed for pigs,
calves and horses. Ten years later,
more than 3,000 of these acres are
covered with alfalfa, and Mellette
glowers will show farmers from other
counties how these results have been
accomplished.
In connection with the hour, several
programs have been arranged, in
cluding prominent speakers. Nick
( asper ol Rapid City, president of
the South Dakota Seed Growers’ asso
ciation, will give the members of the
tour *some pointers on producing good
seed. Ralph E. Johnson, State college
extension agronomist, and secretary
of the South Dakota Experiment asso
ciation will have a part on the pro
gram. The party will also include
\V. 0. Allen, manager of the Dakota
Farmer, and W. J. Arnold, secretary
of the South Dakota Development
issoeiat ion.
Add res es will be given during de
monstration visits at the various
farms, and the Mellette county farm
ers promise plenty of hospitality.
The White River band will accompany
the tour, and a “trouble car” with
in expert mechanic will be in the
mtomobile procession to take care of
anv mechanical delays. At the end
OFFICIAL RARER OR MELLETTE COUNTY
WOOD, MELLETTE COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA, JUNE 1923.
Tuesday, t Tune 26
8:00 a. m. Start at Wood and proceed to S. A. Hill farm where first meet
ing will be held at 8:45 a. m. Returning visit Sinclair, Krieger
and Rankin farms.
10:15 a. m. Short stop at Danker ranch to inspect oldest alfalfa field in the
county.
12:00 noon. Cody Sinning farm. Cody community will serve lunch to the
tourists. Short meeting wll he held after lunch.
1:30 p. m. Visit alfalfa fields in Cody community.
3:30 p. m. S. R. Langley ranch. Inspect alfalfa and herd of thoroughbred
Angus cattle and Chester White hogs.
5:30 p. m. Visit Butterfield ranch, in pect alfalfa and largest Duroc Jersey
hog ranch in county, visiting J. E. Moore and J. A. Sicginund
farms on return to Wood.
7:30 p. m. Alfalfa Tourist party will be guests of the Editor of the Pioneer
and wife at a lawn supper, to be followed by the biggest meeting
of the day, with talks by seveial of the distinguished visitors.
Wednesday, June 27
7:30 a. m. Start at White River.
8:30 a. m. Cedarbutte, inspect field of Cossack alfalfa. First meeting.
10:00 a. m. Alex Peterson’s. Inspect field of Grimm alfalfa.
12:30 p. m. Chas. Smith and Albert Arp ranch. Tourist party will be
served a barbecued dinner Second meeting of the day and in
spection of field of 400 acres of alfalfa.
3:00 p. m. Arrive at Frank Day ranch for tour of inspection.
6:00 p. m. Arrive at White River. At this time the acre orchard offered
by the Humphrey Nurseries will be given to some member of
the Alfalfa Tourist party who is a member in good standing of
The Mellette County Farm Bureau. After a few short talks
this will officially end the First Alfalfa Tour ever held in this
county and state.
Those who cannot make the tour should arrange to attend some one or more
of the meetings. If possible, make the tour—if not for both days, at least
attend one day. It will be time well spent.
ALFALFA TOUR SPEAKERS
NICK CASPER, Rapid City, President Western South Dakota Alfalfa
Seed Growers Association.
RALPH JOHNSON, Agronomist, State Agricultural College, Brookings.
W. J. KENNEDY, Animal Husbandry, lowa State College, Ames, lowa.
W. J. ARNOLD, Sioux Falls. Secretary South Dakota Development Asso
ciation. “Sunshine Specialist.”
W. C. ALLEN, Aberdeen, S. D. Editor Dakota Farmer.
IRWIN D. ALDRICH, Pierre, S. D. State Immigration Commissioner.
W. H. JONES, Omaha, Nebraska, Division Freight and Passenger Agent,
C. & N. W. Railroad.
H. C. MUCKLER, representing the Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul R. R.
A representative of the State College will accompany the tour with a motion
picture camera to take some pictures.
A representative of the International Harvester Company will also make
the tour.
The White River Cowboy Band will make the entire tour and will furnish
plenty of good music for both days.
Chris Anders, the Ford salesman for Mellette county, will have a trouble
car make the entire tour, s) as to render first aid to any car that
may have trouble enroute.
CAUTION—It is earnestly requested that cars stay in line. That they ob
serve a clearance between cars of least 100 feet.’ Keep your car
under control at all times. “Safety First.”
SPECIAL NOTICE:—AII parties making this tour are earnestly requested
to provide themselves with drinking cups before statring.
ALI, RIGHT! LET’S GO!
of the tour, on the evening of the
June 27, a banquet will be served by
White Kiver boosters.
Mellette county’s alfalfu tour is the
first of its kind in South Dakota. It
was organized to develop greater in
terest in increased alfalfa seed and
hay acreage. Its purpose probably
will be accomplished most successfully
because of the cooperation existing
Another June Wedding
ALFALFA TOUR ITINERARY
between business man and farmer
and a genuine desire to make their
count v one of the largst alfalfa, dairy,
and livestock producers in South
Dakota.
Subscribe for the Pioneer.
Advertise in the Pioneer.
HOW I PLANT ALFALFA
E. G. Rudolph
Several weeks ago llie county agent
got out letters asking tor your ex
periences in planting allalla. Follow
ing are some of the lev**’"' tmd I be
lieve that lots of good can cor e 1 roin
these letters if more ol )t>u would
write a letter telling of your experi
ence in handling the alfalfa.
llow do you prepare the seed bed?
How do you plant the seed, and
amount used per acre?
How do you use the crop?
How much is alfalfa worth to you /
Let \s have more letters. Send them
in to the county agent.
Riverview Ranch
May 20, 1923.
Mr. E. G. Rudolph,
White River, S. 1).
Dear Sir:
Your leter of the 10th received, re
garding my experience in planting al
falfa seed.
My experience has been on the hot
tom land of White River only, but
I should think that conditions are
about the same as on the upland.
I have tried plowing the ground
and working up a good seed bed be
lore sowing, and just harrowing tin*
seed in, but my best stands of alfalfa
are where I plant corn on tin ground
for about three years in succession
with good cultivation, and then just
sow the alfalfa with about half as
much oats as I sow when sowing oats
FORD LEADS HARDING
More Than 55,000 Ballots Received in First Week of Nation-wide
Presidential Voting Test Conducted by The Pioneer.
SMITH RUNNING STRONG IN NEW YORK
Political Leaders Interested in The Pioneer Toll as it Indicates
Small Town Sentiment. Have You Voted Yet?
Some mighty startling figures are
presented as ballots of the first week
of voting in the Pioneer’s nation-wide
Presidential Voting Test are tabulat
ed. ifliese early returns are from
fourteen states and are authoritative
indications of eastern, il\ id western
and southern state presidential choico
in small towns and rural America.
A total of 55,591 votes had been re*
alone, and disc both in together, and
harrow afterwards, once or twice.
1 know that this method is not ad
si ed by our best authorities, hut [
base never tailed to get a good stand
ol alfalfa and a fair crop of hay from
the oats the first year. 1 never let
the oats ripen hut cut them for hay.
1 have 7d acres of alfalfa and 40
acres of sweet clover.
I would like to go on the alfalfa
tour, hut cannot promise ahead, as it
might he impossible to go at that time,
hut I think it will he a good tiling
lor the county.
Respectfully,
Paul P. MeDill.
Mr. Ik G. Rudolph,
White River, S. I). i
Dear Sir:
I sowed my lir*>t piece of alfalfa
in the spring of 1010, of only four
acre-; the following spring thirteen
acres more. Last spring sowed ten
acres more and this spring have twen
ty acres more. 1 usually sow as soon
as for frost are over, the
latter part ol April or any time in
May. 1 have always found that the
1 11 ->t crop of alfalfa will produce more
hay than three or four times that
much land in tin* native sod, and it is
the best feed I know of. Even the
chickens liked it. Then the seed eVop
is very profitable. I got twenty-live
bushels of seed I torn seventeen acres.
I am, going to have more til it each
year. Alex Peterson.
llelvidere, S. 1).
Carter, S,-I).
May 1!),' 11)23. -
K. C. Rudolph, County Agent,
I tear Sir: ■ ..
1 have sixty acres of alfalfa, forty *
a< re - ol old seeding and twenty seed
ed t his spring. \ '*
Have ha I good luck seeding on-new
breaking as vs. da ** s»**•-* "> 1 her Uto «■
first year on v *>d. llp alv the ground ‘
.just as soon as grass starts in the'
spring, about three inches deep, then *
weight a disc ami press soil down flut.-
I do not cut sod, run disc straight,
then sow and harrow, the rain will
do the rest.
• *
Alt alt a can’t he heat for hogs, 4 as
my one hundred 1 lamp.-d.ires cost me
1.00 per hundred for coni, when they
weighed one hundred twenty-five
pounds, when I turned them in tho
corn field, and they averaged three
hundred pounds at six iiimn oul.
Yours,
.1. If. llnvercroft.
llow I Raise Alfalfa
I plow my land live or six inches
deep, then dis«* and drag several times
just so I have it packed firm and have
a nice dust muhii on top. Then 1 use
for seeding a 7 loot grass drill, seed*
mg about ten pounds per acre, about
one halt inch deep. I use no nurse
crop neither do I clip the weeds—•
when using a nurse crop or clipping
the weeds you expose the tender alful
fu plant to tin* hot sun too suddenly
and it burns up. I find that the weeds
protect it both in summer and in win
ter. For getting rid of the weeds in
(< ’ontinued on page 5)
ceived as this paper goes to press.
Henry Ford is lending the field with
1ti,788. And here is the surprising
angle to the first returns. (iovernor
AI Smith of New York, who last week
signed Ihe state prohibition repealer
is running ahead of President Hard
ing and second to Ford with a total
ot 14,4*16. Harding is lead by Ford
in,,,,1
NUMBER 21.
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