Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 April 1895 — FARMS AND FARMERS. [ARTICLE]

FARMS AND FARMERS.

A PROFITABLE ROTATION. The following is the first prize ®S ‘ say- 7 an The Pract.ichT Farmer, George Baylor, Jefferson countv, W. AX; - :■ My land is limestone and clay. Farm contains 236 acres, divided as follows: One hundred and forty acres in cultivation, 20 in timothy grass.6s bluegrass—permanent pasture six acres in-experiment lots,and residue in orchard, yard garden, and barnyard. The 140 acres in cultivation and the 20 acres of timothy are in one inclosure; no middle fences and not pastured. The cultivated partisjnthree.„fields 4 -Tetween.T6: and 47 acres ;each, and each year one is in clover, one in corn and one in wheat. These fields are long and one end is near the barn,causing but small loss of time in going to and from th e fields. All rocks, stumps and trees have beehxremoved so that all improved machinery can easily and Drofitably be used. - My rotation .is clover, 'corn and wheat. All barnyard manure in fall and winter is put on clover sod prior to breaking in corn in the spring. Corn being a gross feeder, can gather nutriment from gross manure better than wheat. The ground is carefully plowed in the spring, when sufficiently dry, harrowed, and corn planted with Hoosier planter in rows three feet six inches apart.. No commercial fertilizer is used, for none is needed. The Pennsylvania cultivator is used in cultivation. In September corn is cut and put in shock rows 35 yards apart. The land between rows is fined and leveled by cultivator and harrow and wheat drilled in latter part of September, without fertilizer, at the rate of six pecks per acre. As soon as corn is dry it is husked and stored in corn house, the fodder haujed off and stacked near barn, convenient for feeding. As soon as fodder is removed from corn rows the cultivator and harrow are run over to fine And level them. In the latter part of February or the first of March following clover seed at the rate of half peck per acre is sown in growing wheat and on shock rows. The wheat is cut in June and as soon as practicable hauled off and stored in barracks, so as to prevent the killing of the young clover underthe wheat shocks. In August the mower is run over the field, clipping the stubble, rag weed and tops of the clover. These clippings are left on the ground and act as a mulch for the young clover. Clipping the young clover makes it spread out and thicken. The early part of June following this field is cut for hay, making about 100 tons, and in the early part of September is cut again for clover seed. ' . \

My binder shed is within the 100acre inclosure, and all implements are stored convenient to work. A preat deal of time and expense is saved by doing-away with middle fences, and the land can be more easily keptcleah. ~ The timothy field is permanent: cut each year for hay, and hay sold in our county town, which is close at hand. This field is helped by manure from town and an occasional sowing of plaster. , All fodder, straw, clover hay and about half of the corn crop is fed on farm to stock, keeping generally on hand seven head of horses, four cows, sixteen steersand thirty hogs. The other half of>corn, the wheat, timothy hay and large part of clover seed is sold, as also the steers and hogs. My reasons for this rotation are as follows: 1. It eliminates commercial fertilizers and this expense and trouble, while at the same time the fertility of the land is being increased. 2. It obviates the necessity for summer plowing, produces wheat at the lowest possible cost, and allows a large acreage of corn, a more profitable crop. My large permanent pasture field, containing thirty-five acres, and in which is fine spring and running water, is used for grazing steers, generally sixteen each year. These cattle are bought in early winter in Chicago or southwestern Virginia, fed fodder, straw and clover hay during the winter, grazed during spring, summer and fall, stabled and fed corn and clover hay in late •fall and early winter, and put on the market in January, netting a fair profit to me. The other permanent pasture field containing thirty acres is convenient to barn and wind pump, and is used for grazing cows and horses. The two lots are used for wheat and corn experiments and for pasture. My hogs are confined in apple orchard, and make themselves useful there as cultivators and as grub and insect destroyers. My wheat crop the present year averaged over thirty bushels, and corn nine barrels per acre, though the latter was somewhat injured by drougth. Expect to reach forty bushels of wheat and fifteen barrels of corn. APRIL FARM WORK. There is a large field for the farmer to work over in order to find out what his receipts and expenses are. The farmer knows the price he received for his butter, but may not know what the cost was. It is not difficult to arrive at an estimate of the dost of any article if accounts are kept. Progressive farmers keep an account with each animal, weighing the food and charging therefor. Even the fields are entered in the book and accounts kent with them. It is extra work, but it is the only way to know what the farm is doing. Reports from the several stations where dairy schools have been established show that the number ofc

applicants exceeds the capacity ol the schools. This is very encouraging, and is the strongest evidence that can be given in favor of the fact that farmers are progressive and that they are endeavoring to give their sons a scientific knowledge of dairying. - • .■ - - • Sell the poor cows and buy no others u n lossy du kno w all abo u t them . Farmers lose more money by buying fresh cows than from any other source. They cannot judge of the capacity or disposition of the animal until it has been tested: and disease may be brought in a herd unknowingly. When the foundation of a herd rests upon breeding, and the farmer patiently waits until he has secured cows of his own breeding, the road to success will then be easier. Good roads will lessen the number of foundered horses, ' will save time in delivery, lessen the exertion of the stock and also eventually decrease taxes, by being more durable and permanent. Money spent for wood ashes will always be well invested. They are suitable for all classes of soils, do not injure the land or the crops, and supply both lime and potash as plant food. Over 600 bushels of onions have been grown on an acre of land, yet 300 bushels make a good crop. They require work from the start, and the cost of labor will be quite an item. They entail tod'Tnuch expense for ordinary farmers. Yet, when we look at the receipts, an acre ol onions will produce more in bushels than ten or fifteen acres of wheat, and sell for twice as much per bushel. Corn blades, stripped from the stalk, make clean food, that is freer from dust than hay. Horses fed on corn fodder are said never to have heaves. Race horses were given bladed fodder in preference to hay half a century ago, and Boston, Lexington, Planet and other noted thoroughbreds received but little of any kind of bulky food.