Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 August 1891 — REAL RURAL READING [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

REAL RURAL READING

WILL BE FOUND IN THIS DEPARTMENT. lupaKM«a of Small Farms—An Important Subject for Farmers to Discuss— Bow to Make a DrlnlKtng Fountain tor JPoultrjr—Live-Stock Notes—The Dairy. Household, and Kitchen. THE FARM. Roads.

ONE of the most important subjects that farmers can . discuss at their in--Btitutes is the improv eme n t of country roads. ) Within the last 4 K V quarter of a centu- / ry marvelous Imf! provements have i ' )cen ma< * e * n ra *l’ way and ocean J 7 transportation, but Jy within that time y thero has been littie or no progress fjjgk in the making or improving of common country

roads. Railroad transportation rates have been reduced until it costs no more to carry a bushel of grain to the seaboard than It docs to haul it the average distance from the farm to the railroad. It does not look very well, then, to be grumbling' about freight rates when thero is such an enormous waste of power dragging loads of grain from the farm to town over bad roads. Good roads would greatly lower the cost of transportation, and bring the farmer nearer the market. In no better way can the selling value of the average farm be Increased than by good roads. The popular way to make any expense abhorred is to show it up as a tax. A very good application of tfris can bp made to bad roads. Some of tho Taxes about which the farmer is urged to grumble are utterly insignificant in comparison with the indirect taxation of the bad road over — and often through—which he hauls his products to market. It costs money to build good roads, but they are worth all they cost, It costs a good deal more to travel over bad ones than it does to build good ones. One of the best things the farmers of any community could do for themselves and the common welfare is to unite and thoroughly improve the highways. The best methods of doing this should be discussed and decided upon at the Institutes, and organized efforts made to carry Qut the improvements.— Farm and Fireside.

Importance or Small Farm*. The most successful farming I havo ever seen has been on small farms, says Waldo F. Brown in Country Gentleman, and in my own practice the most profitable and pleasant farming I ever did was on a farm of forty acrey. jority of farmer!, f think havetoo’many acres, and would make more money and do less hard work If a part of their land were sold and the money invested in improving the acres left. Many farmers act as though they considered the great object in life to die possessed of many acres, while undoubtedly it ought to be to enjoy comfort as they pass along their journey. I have had a chance to contrast the large and small farms to some extent the past winter, and I have been confirmed in the opinion that as a rule the man with a small farm has less care and a larger per cent of profit than one with a large farm. On a large farm there Is a loss of timo in drawing tho crops, taking out manure, and in getting around to feed stock, and tho owner cannot give that personal attention to which the owner of a small farm can, and as a consequence there must be innumerable small losses which aggregate a large sum. The man who manages a small farm, first to supply h!6 family all that ho possibly can for their support and comfort, and then chooises wisely some specialty for a money product, will, as a rule, be found prosperous even in hard times. I hav_e not met a butter specialist at tho institutes the past winter who was complaining of hard times. I have known poultry farms run at a handsome prolit, and various specialties which have brought comfort and competence to their owners. The family with a full supply of fruit, vegetables, poultry and dairy products, meats and breadstuffs supplied by the farm, and which has a surplus of each to dispose of to pay bills, can live easily and comforably on a small farm, and will not need to cultivate a great breadth to meet expenses, for these can be kept down to a low limit It i 3 not the acres wo cultivate, nor even the bushels of grain produced, that determine the profit of farming, but the most important factor of all is the art of production, and next to that is the wisdom with which we feed and sell the products of the farm. A common mistake and one which often means lifelong bondage for the farmer and his wife is to buy a second farm after they reach middle life and ran in debt for a part of it and increase their cares and labor without increasing their net profits. Ditcher for Snriacw Drainage in Wheat. ■ The generally accepted opinion among leading farmers is that land for winter wheat should not bo plowed near the time of sowing, but should receive frequent shallow cultivation and -be compacted as much as possible. This top

cultivation naturally fills up the furrows. To rc-epen these use a ditcher. Easily made and costs little. This Implement used before—not after—the drill will lift the soil out of the furrows and the wings will spread it back evenly, leaving the land nicely rounded to be crossed at right angles by the drill, and the little channels made by the feet of the drill should be left unmolested to form a ready exit for superfluous water. Description: A—polo 7 feet long, 10 inches in diameter. ll—wings 4 feet |ong and 4 inches by /hchcs, screwed io the upper part of A with one or two braces further back. O—point, the foot of an old cultivator will do. D—about 2% feet of old sleigh shoeing attached to A ar.d C by the same two bolts. E—piece of old saw }or sharp edged tool projecting downward through A to act as a rudder. Total cost: A little Ingenuity,one and onebalf hours’ *nrk <*•*! a blacksmith’s bill

of 48 cents.— J. JI. Cannon, in Practiced Farmer. " ‘ Livestock Notes. The following notes on stock are from the columns of the Northwestern Farmer. In the Summer at least, mill feeds can be purchased and fed to pigs with profit. If you are breeding pigs to sell young raise the ones most sought for in your vicinity.' Wheat middlings is a good material for growth, and corn oue of the very best to fatten. Pigs naturally have a strong, quick digestion when it is not over crowded or clogged. Improper feeding of the dam often causes serious disorders with the pigs. Use care in this respect With pigs, young animals give a better return for the food given than those that aro more matured. Breed, feed, fatten, and market the hogs young. This is tho surest way of clearing tho most profit If you are feeding for profit see that the pigs have a good pasture, fresh water, and a comfortable shade. Properly fed out a ton of wheat middlings will go farther in making growth with pigs than a ton of corn. One advantage in letting pigs have the run of a good pasture is that they will usually take all needed exercise. When they can be secured at a reasonable cost threshed oats make a splendid feed for a young growing pigs. The secret of good breeding is that the extra food digested goes to profit while if thero is no gain it is wasted. It is poor economy to keep a pig poor and lean all summer in order to give him a good appetite for corn in the fall. Young growing pigs crave a variety of food, and it can bo given in their slops to a better advantage than in any other way. The sow or boar that has nothing to recommend it but pedigree, should be fattened and marketed as soon as possible.