Farming Equipment and Methods

Photograph of the seeding of a mixture of native grass (100 acres) with one of the special drills constructed under the specifications of Soil Conservation District supervisors of the Central Washita River Valley of Oklahoma to plant small seeds of native and adapted grasses. A local iron works made the drills from second-hand grain drill frames, automobile transmissions, cotton planter boxes, discs and press wheels obtained by supervisors of the Grady Co., Stephens Co., South Caddo Co., and the Canadian-Walnut Soil and Conservation Districts [the last in McClain Co.]. drills were patterned after one constructed by the Woodward, Oklahoma Nursery. The cost of $300 each was shared by the districts. In 1945, 6 SCDs in the Central Washita River Valley seeded 5,161 acres with the aid of 2 small drills, lent by the Soil Conservation Service, compared with 11,000 acres seeded in all previous years. The districts are tackling the job of seeding 500,000 acres with the seven special drills. OK-9141.
Date: March 16, 1946
Creator: Gamble, M. D.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Hereford and Nurse Cows

Photograph of hereford and nurse cows grazing on 60 acres of old 160 acre field seeded spring of 1945 to Kobe and Korean lespedeza and overseeded to big hop and black medic clover. Mr. Cavender bought this 560 acre farm from his father in 1944. With assistance of the Little River Soil Conservation Districkt the farm wa planned as a livestock unit. Sixty acres of native grass went to meadow, 100 acres to sericea lespedesa. In 1946, 40 additional acres were planted to sericea. Old pastures were improved, overseeded to clover mixtures and area now kept mowed. A 60 acre old field, fertilized, limed and planted with Korean laspadeza in 1945 was overseeded to hop & black medic clover shis summer, 600# carpet grass this spring. Weeds were kept mowed & this year Cavender grazed 22 registered polled Herefords, 2 horses & 6 grade cows on the old "field".
Date: October 2, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, Elvin W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Photograph of the Wildlife refuge. Range condition class: Excellent. Boulder ridge and hilly, stony land (very shallow soil). OK-9214.
Date: September 13, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, Elvin W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

John Briscoe Ranch

Photograph of the John Briscoe Ranch, part of the 70 acre old cultivated field retired and planted to little bluestem, buffalo, switch, Indian and blue-green grasses about the 1st of March 1945. Mixture was seeded at a rate of approximately 12 pounds per acre. This 10 acres was seeded for permannet pasture on clean cotton land. Yield is estimated to be 30 to 35 pounds combined material per acre. Briscoe retired 135 acres last year on this farm and 65 acres on another farm he owns. Next year he plans to plant 20 additional acres of bluestem on a field no win rye and vetch. Driving the tractor is Curtis Hudson, coopeator, one mile east of Geary, while his brother, Dillard, rides the combine. OK-9260.
Date: October 13, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, Elvin W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Photograph of Soil Conservation Service personnel and Wichita Wildlife Refuge officials on planning tour in preparation for Soil Conservation Service Range School to be conducted by Mr. B.W. Allred. Front row:, left to right: Marjorie Krelberg, W.A. Watson, Victor Bunderson, Herschel Bell, E.B. Kong, R.H. Marshall and Courtland Tidwell. Back row, left to right: Julian Howard, P.F. Alan, Larry Short, Louis reid, Rudy Peterson, Ervin Schmutz, L.H. Leithead, carl Eminger, Ben Osborn, R.B. Peck, Jack Englemann, B.W. Allred, E.J. Dyksterhuis and Ernest Greenwalt. Greenwalt is refuge Superintendant and Howard is his assistant. OK-9219.
Date: September 13, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, Elvin W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Photograph of buffalo calves (outer) and cow (right) using mesquite trees for rubbing posts. OK-9213.
Date: September 13, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, Elvin W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Photograph of buffalo herd on native grass range. Note calves in center and on right. OK-9210.
Date: September 13, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, Elvin W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Photograph of a fifteen year old longhorn steer. OK-9155.
Date: April 14, 1946
Creator: Allred, B. W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Photograph of a spotted longhorn steer. OK-9192.
Date: September 5, 1946
Creator: Allred, B. W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Photograph of an aged Texan Longhorn Steer. OK-9195.
Date: September 17, 1946
Creator: Allred, B. W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Farming Equipment and Methods

Photograph of three district supervisors discissing the merits of a seed drill with a fertilizer attachment owned by the South Caddo Soil Conservation District. Left to right: E.H. Melencamp, chairman, Anadarko; Louis Clay, member, Binger; and Karl Douglas, member, Anadarko, Oklahoma. OK-9276.
Date: October 30, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, Elvin W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Farming Equipment and Methods

Photograph of three district supervisors discissing the merits of a seed drill with a fertilizer attachment owned by the South Caddo Soil Conservation District. Left to right: E.H. Melencamp, chairman, anadarko; Louis Clay, member, Binger; and Karl Douglas, member, Anadarko, Oklahoma. Okla-9276.
Date: October 30, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, Elvin W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Land Clearance, Cultivation & Brush and Weed Control

Photograph of a part of 12 acres of brushy pasture that has been cleared with a power saw since January 1946. Additional trees will be cut and sprouts will be controlled by mowing. The land has been seeded to carpet grass and will be overseeded to clovers and lespedeza next spring [1947]. The worthless, wooded area in the right background also will be cleared. Camera Station: in the 120 acre pasture. Facing the southeast from the side of the road at point 468 feet south of the farmstead gate. OK-9208.
Date: October 2, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, Elvin W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Grass, Legume and Forb Cultivation

Photograph of the Canant brothers’ farm, Idabel, Oklahoma. Four years ago when the Canant brothers bought a 400 acre farm, most of it was a worthless, wooded area that would not carry more than 25 head of cattle. They cleared 12 acres seeded it to Dallis grass, yellow hop, black medick and white Dutch clover. This improvement increased the land’s carrying capacity to two cows per acre. Additional pasture work has been done and the farm now carries 100 head of cattle. OK-9204.
Date: October 2, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, Elvin W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Livestock

Photograph of an aged, longhorn steer. OK-9154.
Date: April 14, 1946
Creator: Allred, B. W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Grass, Legume, and Forb Cultivation

Photograph of increased yield of wheat following vetch. Left: Wheat following green manure crop of vetch yielded 22 bushels per acre. Right: Without vetch the wheat yielded only 10 bushels per acre. All wheat planted on the same day. OK-9191.
Date: 1946
Creator: unknown
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Water Conservation; Water Erosion; Flooding and Prevention

Photograph of the W.K.Y. watershed. Aerial view of a gullied, natural draw to be controlled by diversion of runoff, sloping and sodding. Field in the lower left will be terraced with outlets onto native grass pasture. The pond is to be constructed near the lower end of the gullied draw. See OK-9112, -9113 and -9119). OK-9114.
Date: February 2, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, Elvin W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Grass, Legume and Forb Cultivation

Photograph of part of a 30 acre field retired from cultivation and seeded in sorghum stubble to weeping lovegrass the last of March 1945. In July of this year Mr. Burt Yowell harvested 100 pounds of seed from part of the field. The lovegrass was grazed in the winter of 1945 and part of the summer of 1946. OK-90908.
Date: September 11, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, E. W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Livestock in Bermuda Pasture

Photograph of several horses, cows, and a pig grazing in a 100 year old Bermuda pasture. The back of the photograph proclaims, "100 year old Bermuda pasture that was disked, limed and phosphate in spring of 1945."
Date: October 3, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, E. W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Aerial Shot of Strait Row Cultivated Field in W. K. Y. Watershed

Photograph of "Aerial view of field planted in straight rows, that is to be terraced, contour tilled and operated under a system of conservation crop rotation. Gullied natural draw (left of center) will be sloped, sodded and protected by a diversion terrace." A UNIDENTIFED town is in the background and Lawson farmstead is on right side of mentioned field.
Date: February 2, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, Elvin W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Aerial Shot of Deep Gully in Natural Draw in W. K. Y. Watershed

Photograph of an aerial shot of "Deep gully in natural draw in pasture that is to be controlled by water diversion, sloping and soddinf [sic]. See Okla-9112, 9113, and 9114."
Date: February 2, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, E. W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Buffalo

Photograph of part of herd of buffalo with calves standing on a native grass range at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. The back of the photograph proclaims, "Part of herd of Buffalo on range at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Buffalo herd on native grass range. Note calves in center and on right."
Date: September 13, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, Elvin W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Harvesting Grasses From 70 Acre Old Cultivated Field on the John Briscoe Ranch

Photograph of Part of seventy-acre old cultivated field retired & planted on the John Briscoe Ranch. Curtis Hudson, Cooperator and on the tractor, and his brother Dillard seen harvesting the little bluestem, buffalo, switch, Indian and Blue grama grasses in this field. People shown in photo go as followed from left to right: 1. Curtis Hudson, 2. Dillard Hudson. The back of the photograph proclaims, "Part of 70 acre old cultivated field retired & planted to little bluestem, buffalo, switch, Indian and Blue grama grasses about the 1st of March 1945. Mixture was seeded at rate of about 12# per acre. This 10 acres was seeded for permanent pasture on clean cotton land. Yield is estimated to be 30 to 35# combined material per ac. Briscoe retired 135 acres last year on this farm & 65 acres on another farm he owns. Next year he plans to plant 20 additional acres of bluestem on a field now in rye & vetch. Driving the tractor is Curtis Hudson, cooperator, 1 mi. east of Geary, while his brother Dillard, rides the combine."
Date: October 30, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, Elvin W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History

Livestock in Bermuda Pasture

Photograph of several horses, cows, and a pig grazing in a 100 year old Bermuda pasture. The back of the photograph proclaims, "100 year old Bermuda pasture that was disked, limed and phosphate in spring of 1945."
Date: October 3, 1946
Creator: Jenkins, E. W.
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History