Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 November 1893 — FARMS AND FARMERS. [ARTICLE]

FARMS AND FARMERS.

The Next Wheat Crop. Present conditions do not offer much encouragement for the production of large quantities of wheat, says the American Farmer. While it is probable that prices will advance considerably before another crop is ready for market, it does not seem reasonable to suppose that a very high rate will be attained Until prices advance there will be comparatively little money made by farmers in growing wheat, but the man who is willing to give care and skill to the work and be satisfied with only moderate returns may safely give part of his land to the production of wheat. There will be certain indirect benefits that will help to make the crop profitable. In order to meet low prices a large yield is needed. This can only be secured by means of good management in everything pertaining to the crop. Improved culture increases the yield per acre and reduces the cost per bushel. If the quantity of wheat produced in this country in a year were produced on two-thirds of the land that is now used for the purpose (and it might easily be done), about 13,000,000 acres could be given to other crops and there would be a saving of seed grain amounting to not less than 15,000,000 bushels. Besides, land that is properly fitted and fertilized for the production of a large crop of wheat will be in a much better condition for growing Me succeeding crop than land on which the work of preparation was slighted. So, while at first glance the low price of wheat, both present and prospective, may seem too small to warrant very careful preparation of the soil and the liberal use of fertilizers. it is the one thing that makes it essential that they should not be slighted. If land for whejt is poor, Or is poorly prepared, it will not be well stocked, and what plants there are will make only a slow growth and give but an indifferent yield. Such results are never pleasant, but they can be endured better when there is a larger margin between the cost and the market price of the grain than there is at the present time. It is certain that the farmer who is to grow wheat under the conditions which now prevail should take every known precaution to avoid even a partial failure of the crop. The choice of seed should also receive careful attention. Upon this the success or failure of the crop will largely depend. The choice should have respect not only to the quality of the seed, which should be the best obtainable, but should also include the variety. The best sort for one locality may not be the best for another section. Therefore, while it is well to experiment on a small scale with new kinds, it will be best to make the main sowing with a variety that is known to be pretty well adapted to the soil and climate in which it is to be grown, and for which there is a ready market It is also important to choose the best land that is available for the crop and make it ready in time to admit of reasonably early sowing. Late sowing would endanger the crop and involve a risk which under the conditions that now exist ought not to be incurred.

Small Potatoes for Pigs. Pigs should be taught to eat well from the trough before they are weaned. If this is done, and a proper course of feeding pursued, a good degree of health will be maintained and there will be a steady and rapid growth. Like all other animals, pigs need a variety of food. They like milk, and if they could have only one kind ol food this would be much the best kind that could be given. But it is not desirable to restrict them to milk, and on the great majority of farms the pigs could not be kept on milk alone, or, chiefly, because, whatever might be thought of the quality, the quantity of this kind of food would be insufficient It is well to give them all the milk that can be spared, but this must be supplemented by other kinds of food. An excellent addition to the milk given to young pigs—and the mixture is also valuable for pigs of a larger growth—will be found in the potatoes that are too small for the market. Even where the largest varieties are grown, and good cultivation is given, there will be some potatoes which are not large enough to sell and which are not desirable for seed. The great majority of kinds, especially when not highly cultivated, have quite a proportion of unmarketable tubers. It pays well to save these small potatoes and feed them to the pigs. Before being offered to the pigs the potatoes should be washed and boiled. The washing can be quickly done in an old basket, or in a goodsized tub. All decayed specimens should be thrown out. Some people claim that such potatoes will not injure pigs, but it is hardly possible that they can be wholesome. It is certain that they are not very prom ising material from which to make good pork. After the sound potatoes have been washed they should be boiled until they are cooked through. Before they become cold they should bo put into a barrel and mashed. When fed to small pigs they ought to be mixed with milk. For large pigs, swill, or even cold water , will do to feed with them, though milk is a great deal better. The quantity of potatoes ought to be small at first, and be gradually increased. A little bJan can soon be given in connection with the potatoes and milk, and other and more

fattening materials can be added or substituted as the pigs increase in size and age. World's Fair Dairy Teats. Philadelphia Record. '• The tests of dairy cows at Chicago show that there is no temperature as “fixed.” At the beginning the temperature of the cream from the milk of the Jersey cows varied from 44 to 52 degrees, that from the Guernseys varied from 42 to 46 degrees, and that from the shorthorns from 40 to 44 degrees. At the ending of the week the cream from the Jersey herd varied from 51 to 58 degrees, that from the Guernseys from 47 to 54 degrees, and that from the shorthorns from 45 to 52 degrees. The average rise of temperature during churning of the Jersey cream was 7.5 degrees, with an average of 6 degrees from the Guernseys and 4.5 degrees from the shorthorns. The shortest time of churning Jersey cream was 70. minutes and the longest 120 minutes. The shortest time in churning the Guernsey cream was 49 minutes and the longest 130 minutes, while the shortest time for the shorthorns was 4Q' minutes and the longest 95 minutes. It will be noticed that the temperature of the cream varied during churning, and that the time required for “making the butter come” varied widely also. The three breeds varied greatly in the amount of cream contained in the milk, and the individual cows of the breeds differed also in quantity arid quality of product. As no two cows are alike in any respect, and as the milk and butter differ not only in quality, but also in the time required for churning, no fixed rule can be sett led upon in the matter of churning. All depends on the cow herself, and the requirements in her case will riot fit her companions in the herd. It is incumbent upon farmers, in the face of these tests,to give the ’greater attention to the cows they use, for not only is the 'care and attention, as well as the feed, potent factors with the breed, but the labor of churning is also dependent on the cows more than on the kind of churn. Dairying is a science, and the more it is investigated the greater it is made apparent that the heaviest loss on the farm comes from the use of scrub cows.

Co-Operative Dairying. Correspondence Ohio Farmer. I believe the solution of the dairy question lies in co-operation. The advantages of uniformity of product, of excellence unvarying, of a sure and profitable market for creamery butter, have been set forth time and again, but there is one thing that has not been properly emphasized. That is the saving in apparatus, machinery and labor. If forty farmers can have their butter made with one or two churns, why go to the expense of forty churns? If one set of apparatus will do better than forty, why buy the thirty-nine? The dairymen who co-operate, in creamery or factory, can make a handsome profit in this saving alone. The extra labor in a private dairy of twenty cows is worth at least 1300 a year, and this is saved by co-operation. What we want is to have our creameries built at a fair price, and then educate ourselves up to the plane of profitable working. The farmers don’t know enough to run it. They won’t keep cows enough, won’t keep them right, won’t take care of their milk, and are obstreperous generally, Another thing: We want to teach our young men to run these co-operative creameries, and put them there at a fair salary. It is not necessary to pay strangers a thousand dollars a year, when we can put one of our own men in at SSOO, who is capable, honest and trustworthy. The right man, with the right kind of patrons, will make money for all concerned. Dairy writers and authorities should encourage this kind of dairying, instead of devoting so much time to teaching farmers how to make butter, etc. Making butter is an art as well as a science. It should be no part of a farmer’s business. His part is to supply the milk. Let him be educated to do this, and send it to a factory or creamery.

S«U the Sarplun. The farmer or breeder who keeps culls through the winter is feeding off his profits, for frequently a lot of fowls will bring more in the fall than they will after being kept all winter. The farmer should dispose of all his surplus cockerels early and save feeding them at a loss, besides by doing this he will find that his pullets do better. The breeder should pick out all cockerels that show defects that will interfere with their value as breeders and sell them for what they will bring, as fast as such defects show themselves. Any more fowls than can be kept to the best advantage are a damage and should be disposed of. If you have room for fifty do not try to crowd one hundred through the winter, for the fifty with enough room will pay better than twice that many that have not room enough.