Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 January 1889 — FARM AND GARDEN. [ARTICLE]

FARM AND GARDEN.

* The simplest form of a farm account, and on which every farmer can and shonid practice, is the taking of an annual inventory. Let this be done at any convenient time, preferably the Ist of of January. Let the inventory include a fair valuation, not only of the farm and live stock, hut of all crops, implements, and all other forms of property on hand. It should also include a sta.ement of any debts that are owed, or of money due from others. When the inventory is completed, it will show just how you stand with the world. It should be careiully entered in a blank book, and laid away until the end of the year. TMen take another inventory January 1, 1890, post it np in the same book, and you will have in a nutshell a comparison of your condition and a showing of what you have gained or lost during the year. Every farmer or business m n should take such an inventory whether he keeps detailed accounts during; the year or not. If you do not wish to undertake regular accounts, a similar inventory taken quarterly or. even monthly will keep you well posted. A simple record of daily receipts and expenses, however, should be .kept by all fanners. Don’t bother about “boubleentry” book-keeping or other technical terms, but buy a good sized blank book with the columns ruled on the sides for dollars and cents. . Have it large enough to permit plenty of room for writing the items. Put on the heading of one page. “Received,” and head the page facing it, “Paid Out.” On the formes page enter under the proper date all money you receive and what for, and under the head of “Paid Out” keep a memorandum of all things you pay fox. When a page is full, add them both, subtract the total expended from the total received, and the balance is the cash you have on hand. The Breeder’s Gazette says that one thousand bushels of corn will yield something like 12,00.1 pounds of dry cobs, which if burned will give somewhat over 200 pounds of pure ashes. Of course, if the cobs are not completely burned the charcoal in the ashes will increase the weight a little above the figures here given. Of these 200 pounds of ashes about three-fifths of the total weight is potash and five per cent, phosphoric acid. The common belief that the ashes of corn-cobs are very rich and valuable is warranted by chemical analysis. Now, since corn, which lacks ash elements, is the common food for hogs in the West ought it not naturally to follow that the prudent farmer should carefully save all the ashes accumulating at this season and hold them in readiness to be fed to his swine? The alkali of ashes proves most valuable with fattening hogs in correcting acidity of the stomach, and no one can doubt their value who will take pains tq feed them to such animals and observe the avidity with which they are consumed, This intense deßire of growing and fattening pigs for ashes will be promptly gratified by the careful feeder, who knows that ail parts of the animal frame must he built up equally and simultaneously if the best growth and gain are to be secured. There can hardly any longer be" a doubt that some kinds of easily soluble fertilizers, when fitly applied, may do excellent service by clearing the land oi creatures injurious to vegetation; and several observers have insisted that it is best to apply salt for the purpose as a solution rather than to >trdw dry salt upon the land, for brine will quickly soak into the soil and so find opportunity to act as an insecticide before it has become to much diluted by the' soil water, whereas, any particles of solid salt would be apt to dissolve but slowly and the solution thus gradually formed would naturally be diluded by the Boil water to such an extent that only an extremely dilute liquor would ; pass down into the earth. But there is no reason for- supposing that common salt has any particular merit in this regard. On the contrary, when salt is spoken of as* a germicide, or as an insectitude, the question immediately arises, why not use a real fertilizer instead of salt, and so kill two 'birds with one stone? For example, there is every reason to believe that muriate of potash would | serve as well as common salt to kill the pest.->, while it would act as a fertilizer into the bargain; and charge the land with potash for the use of future crops. Better yet, a true superphosphate, rich in soluable phosphoric acid, migtu clear the land of grubs as a mere incident to its use as a fertilizer.

He must not confine himself to the growing of certain crops and the rearist of certain stock merely because his fore-fathers did so, or because he himself found them profitable in times gone by. He must cultivate an‘open mird.’ be ready and willing to avail himself of any new system dr modification of practice calculated to benefit him n being careful, of course, not to attempt upon a large Beale of.practices that are xisky or have not been proved, by actual test. He must not be giving his attention to little points ot detail, or to tiny driblets of income, for in agriculture the 'day of small things’ has assuredly come. Method, precision,* industry, forethought, economy, spued and , ready judgment and intelligence^- these are the elements of successful business. They are as esßential to the farmer of today as to the busiest business man in our greatest commercial Center. Conducted by a race ot farmers thus qualified, there need be no fear as to the future of farming.”