Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1892 — HOME AND THE FARM. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOME AND THE FARM.

A DEPARTMENT MADE UP FOR OUR RURAL FRIENDS. Dlar dvnntage ot Trying to A coompiuh Too Much—Device tor Loading and Unloading; Crain—Stunted pig* Not Worth Feeding—Orchard and Garden. Too Many Irons In the Fire.

Galling at the farm of a resident in one of the towns in Central jk Maine recently and, while much interested at the j.-X"? evident signs of f good farming ■{ that were every- - where apparent, —dr 1 could not help J 7 being impressed Jg • with the idea that the farmer was making a vital mistake in the course he is following, writes

Webb Donnell, in the American Agriculturist. The farm was taken in a run-down condition, with buildings small and poor, and fields so poor that they only yielded some twentyfive tons of hay. At the preseut time the place cuts about one hundred and twenty-five tons of firstclass hay. The fields are a delight, to the eye in their fertility and smoothness. The barn has been enlarge to probably four times its former size, with comfortable and convenient quarters for about thirty to forty hsgs and nigs, twenty cows, and eight or ten horses. A silo cf eighty tons capacity was put in last year. Butter is made from the herd of grade and full-blood Jerseys, which sells .at quite an advance on market rate. A large orchard has been planted, which calls for a great expenditure of care and time. Quitea large area is sowed to grain which, with the other crops that are raised, calls for a -Still further expenditure ol 'abor. A sawmill near .at hand his been leased, and business is being (jirried on here. A beginning has been made in raising heavy draft horses, by crossing a pure-bred SBercheron ok heavy mares. I found the propriety in a very gloomy frame of mi id, but hard at work. He had about : come to the conclusion that farming does not pay —that he-had to work like a slave, but received nothing f{r it. Even as be spoke, however, he kould sandwich in the remark, as tip conversation turned to various that he intended soon to build a siew barn, and go into sheep-raising, or that he should soon build another silo. It was easy to understand why the man was discouraged. I wonder that he did not see it himself. He has too many Irons in the fire, and is trying to do too much on a small capital. His dairy product m.ust pay well, but every cent that comes from it as profit is put into some new scheme, or spent In enlarging an old one. This keeps the farmer cramped for money all the time, and also'keeps him worked to the verge of desperation. There Is something very attractive about doing business on a large scale, and it may he profitable in certain cases where capital is abundant so that advantage can be taken in buying and selling, but it is siiiiply suicide for the average farmer, of limited means, to spread himself all ■over a 400-acre farm htfe in the East. The man of whom I write could probably make a good thing by dairying if he would attend to that solely, and he would moreover then have time to breathe and tb inquire of himself whether it pays to make a beast of burden of one’s self through life, getting only a living out ot it, ■simply for the sake of doing a large business. He would much better mark out ;a particular line of work for which hi 6 farm is suited, and which be knows will pay a fair profit.,and let his work all count for something. The merchant who, with limited means, tries to run a dry goods store, a grocery stand, a booli store, and a hoot aud shoe emporium, usually goes into bankruptcy. Farming will stand a pretty serious kind of mismanagement, and still give a family a living, such as it is, but the business won’t admit too much foolishness. The man who tries to carry on sheep-rais-ing, horse-raising, orcharding, hograising, cafctle-raisihg, dairying, and the growing of field crops, in addition to various outside schemes of moneymaking, .attempting to do a large part of the actual work by employing his own waking hours and those of his wife and children, is making a serious mistake. He may keep from going under with all his schemes, and in some cases may even increase the value of his stock, farm, and buildings, hut he does it at the expense of his own and his family’s well-being. No man has a right, unless he is peculiarly situated so that be is forced by necessity, to work to such an extent as to deprive himself of so many of the civilizing enjovmentsbf life, much less has he the right to deprive his family of them.

Of all people in the world the farmer and his family ought to lead comfortable lives, but a good many come far short of it, and too often through their own folly. They either farm ignorantly, or are striving all the time to do more than their capital, or their strength, will admit. It would be a good deal better in such cases as the last mentioned to take in some of the sail and pay more at tentibn to the steering apparatus, so that the craft won’t “wobble” about , so, and thus lose headway, to use a figurative expression. Attention to details is a matter of very great; importance in agriculture as well as elsewhere, and this cannot be given when one has too many irons in the fire. Spont for Hnntlling Grain. Take a board 10 inches wide and four feet long for bottom of spout and part of hopper; also, two pieces, 10 inches wide and 18 inches long, to

complete bottom o f hoppe r . Then fasten together i well by

nailing cross-pieces to bottom. This

leaves 1} feet for hopper, and 2J feet for spout. Put on end piece, then side piece, 3 inches wide at small end, then 7 inches wide at large endJ The middle piece to which spout is fastened, is 14 by 30 inches. For unloading, fasten chains to hopper, 8 inches from end, and drive nails to hook upper end to. As bin fills up, move up' by putting boards in place under the hopper, and shortening chains. For loading wagon, put hopper inside of bin and fasten up with stick or hoard. Use heavy tin pail instead of scoop and you will find that you can handle a load of grain in less time, with less waste and less muscle than any way you ever tried. Hopper can be used at any ordinary granary door. —Will Zimmerman, in Practical Farmer.