Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 February 1895 — FARMS AND FARMERS. [ARTICLE]

FARMS AND FARMERS.

PLAN FOR IMPROVEMENTS. There is no better time for making changes on the farm than at the beginning of the hew year. It is not ' »0w a matter if choice with the farmer whether he will continue the methods in use on the farm that have been practiced by others before him, but’a necessity. Production at the present day must be greater and the cost less. The farmer who adheres to systems of the last decade is sure to fall behind him who is keenly alive to progressive methods. There is more labor performed on farms that yield no return than in any other branch of business, because farmers do not always take advantage of their opportunities, and enter the markets with thelf~goods handicapped with a greater cost for labor than those of other farmers who are more progressive, and who have prod ucc-d articl es at a lower cost an d with larger yields proportionately to the acre of ground cultivated. Increasing the production of crops is necessary as one of the features,of farming, but farmers should not stop there. Where they fail mostly is in not increasing the productive capacity of their stock. No manufacturer would think of going on the market to compete with rivals by the use of machines which produce but half the quantity of goods with the same Care that is performed by a better machine in another establishment, yet the farmer does this very thing every day and complains of a lack of profit. The manufacturer investigates the merits of all machines and selects the best for his purpose, but the farmer takes his machines as he finds , ' , them; that is, his animals are not kept with the view of securing the greatest production, for it may safely be said that there are, unfortunately, a = Tffany = ffaf , mEPs‘ who cannot even distinguish the different breeds. Upon the pure breeds must be established the foundation of success in farming. The farmer of the present era must be progressive. He has now to meet larger production aided by improved implements, and his competitors are resorting to the best stock. Ho cannot longer afford to farm as he has done. He will go deeper iri debt the longer he ignores the fact that the day of scrubs has passed by. He cannot engage in dairying if his neighbor can produce twice as much milk and butter with the same number of animals as he. Scientists may point out to him all the adverse conditions of trade, and legislatures may pass laws for his benefit, but his real oppressors are those who are more progressive and enterprising, ind who can produce at less cost than he. When he awakes to the fact that he must join the frontranks he will begin to prosper, and tlie aew year should mark the beginning as a change.

TO MAKE A FODDER WAGON. To make a fodder wagon, take an old wagon that has its wheels worn out and the wheels of an old mower, and get the axle cut in two in the middle and flattened, and a hole punched in the inner end. Then bolt this to the axle of the wagon by putting a bolt through the hole, and have a large steeple made of onehalf inch rod, with nuts on ends to fasten mower axle to wagon axle □ear the outer end. It is best to take a longer piece ‘than a wagon axle, as it puts the wheels farther Apart and lessen the liability to up,set. This is for the back wheels, although front wheels can be fixed the same way. For ours we used for front wheels our binder trucks, as they were lower and plenty strong enough. Then use common hay ladders or rack, and remove all side pieces and have only corner posjs. At the ends it is well to nail a couple of boards across to pile fodder against. Put this on your wagon and you are ready to go for your fodder and you will not need to be lifting the rack off and on. The best thing about this wagon is that the wheSs are broad and low and do not cut into the ground like an ordinary wagon. Ours is amply strong for this purpose, and we would not be without it for four times its cost.

WHEN TO HATCH CHICKS. The importance of having chickens hatched in good time, whether the object be egg production or table chickens, is apparent, and yet by many poultry keepers no thought whatever is given to it. The breeder of exhibition fowls is wide awake on this point, occasionally too much so, and it will pay those who breed for economic purposes equally well to do so. If fowls are allowed to breed just when they like, the result can never be satisfactory. If we observe other branches of industrialism, market prices are carefully studied, and the attempt is made at least to avoid sending to market when prices are low. But in poultry it is much easier to gauge the ruling rates than in many other kinds of stock. Eggs are always dear in winter, and the chickens commahd the highest prices in the spring months. Consequently, the object should be to place the supplies out during these two Seasons and reserve the strength from the other periods of the year. But to do so is not possible unless thought and care are exercised, and it is essential to take the necessary steps months in advance. For winter eggs there is nothing 'ike commencing to hatch about "ebruary and having a succession of hickens until April. By so doing, it any rate with more rapid growing arieties of poultry, the earliest should commence laying La August,

just when the older hens are goinj into the molt and eggs are falling off, while the succeeding pullets will "take up the tale in proper order, and many of them will continue tc lay throughout the greater portion of the winter. But in the case oi table chickensan earlier startns desirable, and for those who desire tc send a regular' supply to market hatching operations should run through from October to March. In th is way birds should be ready tc kill from February to July, writes an authority on such, matters tc Gauntry Gentleman. He also says: Much, however, perhaps more than we think, depends upon the way in which the young birds are fed during their period of growth. It would be impossible to hatch "birds of the same breed together, and yet by different treatment in feeding one lot would cornmence to lay weeks before the other. A supply of good nitrogenous food, plenty ol grit to digest it and regularity in feeding, with space to develop frame and stamina are all important in this connection.

FEEDING WHEAT TO SHEEP. Writing to the Indiana Farmer a correspondent tells his experience in feeding wheat to sheep. He tried a lot on both ground and unground wheat and weight and age. His first plan was to corn. He selected a few of about equal test wheat feeding, but he thought that a comparative experiment would be more satisfactory, and so included corn feeding also. He had been feeding whole wheat to both sheep and hogs to some extent, but found that in part it was not digested. But to carefully test the matter his experiment included both grains, ground into meal and whole feeding. The sheep fed on whole wheat for ten weeks gained a little less in weight than those fed otf whole corn. Taking the then existing prices of both grains, May and June of last year, the gain per pound on whole wheat feeding was 6 cents, while that of corn was 4t cents. But the proof of the wisdom of feeding both ground into meal he found as follows: The cost per pound of gain on cornmeal was a fraction under 4 cents, while the feeding on ground wheat was a fraction less than 5 cents. VALUABLE EARLY LAMBS. Early lambs will be the next to take up the attention of the as they will begin to come in January. The point is to raise them. Every early lamb lost is worth two that come later, as the first that, reach the market bring the “fancy’’ prices. There should pe a special place for the ewes, and the farmer will find it profitable to watch them both day and night. The first twq or three hours of the life of a lamb are the most important. Under' no condition should the lambs be chilled.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. - All kinds of small fruits and vegetables can be grown under glass. It is much cheaper to fit up two acres of ground for the growing of early fruits and vegetables than to stock a large farm and engage in general farming, while the profits from the small area will be fully as great, or perhaps greater, if skill and judgment are exercised in managing the plot of early produce. There is a large field open for such enterprises. After the ground is thoroughly frozen is an excellent time to cut out the old wood from blackberries. All canes removed should be burnt as a precaution against the borer, which attacks the canes, and especially the Wilson variety. . If the tops of asparagus are left they will scatter seed over bed. -In the spring it will be found that these seeds will germinate and cause annoyance. It will be an advantage to cut down the tops and burn the whole bed over. Farmers should not depend on seedmen for producing new varieties, but should experiment themselves. Some of the best varieties of fruits were originated by farmers. * Io keeping apples the thermometer should be'Used. Heat destroys more than does cold. The cellar should be kept as near thirty degrees as "possible. The object should be to avoid alternate freezing and thawing, as changes cause more damage than anything else.