Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 188, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 August 1915 — RECLAIMING ABANDONED FARMS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

RECLAIMING ABANDONED FARMS.

By H.A.C TAYLOR

HHE name or “rundown,” farm conjures w the imagination visions of many a dear old place peopled with the memories of days gone by, with large room, beam ceiling, wide, comfortable, open fireplacek, the well of pure water, fruit trees very much neg l lected but quickly brought back to productive vigor, the barn green with age and many storms, sound in its original timbers as of ypre, fence corners ov.ergrown to bush and shrubs, a general air of sad neglect, yet having the appearance of having once been a productive and carefullywtended farm. To others' they signify all that the name im-plies—run-down places abandoned by owners who could no longer make them pay or even furnish enough money to keep them up In repair; places with old, dilapidated houses, disused wells, tumble-down barns and unproductive lands. There are many farms to fit both descriptions, those of the latter description being the true “abandoned” farms, while there are many of the former which, while run down, can be brought back eventually to the “hear” equivalent of their onetime value. These old houses have that peculiarly disagreeable smell of aged wood, and if very old will have those fireplaces of antique pattern, entirely unsuited to present-day needs, but perfect distributors of soot; In most places where these old fireplaces and chimneys exist, It were better far to have pulled down and replaced with chimneys built on approved modern lines, which would be not only safer, more sanitary and more pleasing In appearance, but probably add room to the house to be utilized as a hallway or vestibule, gaining a two-fold advantage. These old chimneys harbor rats and mice, and prove delightfully convenient for these pests to travel at will over the entire structure. I am convinced that the man of moderate means buying a farm should not move dn to the place until early in the spring, for these reasons: The cost of living through the winter with a comparatively small Income, buying vegetables which the land should supply another year, keeping up the payments on insurance, taxes, interest, etc., becomes a serious drain on a small capital, and should be very seriously considered. In my ignorance I thought living on a farm • would be cheap, as compared to that of the city, but 1 found I paid higher prices for all commodities, owing to there being no competition, and'no chance to study bargains. One’s neighbors demand market prices for produce and one pays top prices for all farm stock purchased. The main question was to obtain a monthly Income wherewith to meet expenses through the winter, and my thoughts Iqrned to cows. Here again I lost out. Buying five head of cows for $3lO, I spent con-' slderable money for expensive feed before I saw

any returns at all from the sale of the milk. One cow was fresh when purchased, two were to calve the following month, the fourth in two months, and the fifth In four months, though at that time she was giving about eight quarts of milk per day. As a matter of fact, two were fed two months and ten days before calving, the fourth, a heifer, was fed three months, and the fifth six months before freshening. The man I bought from gave me a square deal, as far as he could, but he was uncertain of his freshening dates. The cows were fed liberally, a well-balanced ration, and -three months after purchase milk was sold to the town creamery on contract at 32 cents per can of eight and one-half quarts, and as the maximum of milk production was five cans, the profits, If the five-can production could be maintained, was largely mythical. Had I bought ten t or twelve cows as good as those I did buy, my promts would have been more* tangible, and had I bought cows just fresh, even paying $lO more per cow, I should have sustained no loss. About fifteen tons of hay had been cut the previous summer, which, being stored in the barn, went with the farm, so that only the cornmeal, bran, linseed meal and roots used were paid for in cash. Figuring the feed at the market prices, there was a possible profit of $3 per month per cow during the period of greatest lactation. This is not taking into consideration the cost of the ice during the summer or the labor of caring for even so small a herd as five cows.

Where the arrangements for feeding and watering are inconvenient, but little time is left during winter days for any other work, as the milk must be carried to the creamery; the barn and cows thoroughly cleaned every day, feed and roots cut up,' milk cans scalded, and many other small chores to be done. One could handle twice the number of cows with little more work. One must be pre-

pared to feed full rations up to June, or after, and as hay becomes more expensive just before grass time, it is advisable to buy such additional hay as may be needed while the price is low. Bear in mind that a cow needs to be fed liberally of milk-forming foods. Meager feeding will very materially reduce the milkflow and make it difficult, perhaps impossible, to bring the cow back to her former output. • Usually the fences on these old New England farms consist of stone walls considerably out of repair, which afford convenient homes for woodchucks, skunks and rabbits, the lawful prey of the -hunter or trapper. The hunter rarely remembers to rebuild where he has pulled down the stones in his quest for game. These walls are supplemented with one or two strands of wire along the top, fastened to driven posts, and if examined closely will be found to need a great deal of repair before they will effectually turn stock. The walls have such odd lines that they convey the impression of having been the result of a haphazard disposal of the rocks and stones taken from the land, rather than that of a well-defined plan of dividing into meadows and pastures. The wisest plan is to take time enough in the early spring to put the pasture fences in good repair, as at that time one can work to better advantage among bare trees, and can see more clearly where the walls heed extra attention. If this is left until the stock get the lust,” time will have to be taken from planting or haying, and it then becomes more tiresome and expensive.