Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume], September 17, 1907, Image 5

About Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916

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Mfia.ii
SOIL IS FARMER'S BANK
Its Capacity to Produce 6904 Crops
More Important Than Anything
Else.
"M
4
JLt ,1''v•
(By Prof. A. M. Soule, Director Vlr
ginla Experiment Station.)
farmer's capital does not con
"gslst in his grounds and build
ings, but in the capacity of his
joit to produce profitable crops. The
loll fir not only a medium In which
plants grow, but it Is a storehouse of
plant, food. A great variety of ele
ments are found In the soli and each
of these doubtless has a duty to per
form, but only three or four are of
Immediate* concern to the farmer, be
cause if they are there In an available
form he can be assured of profitable
erops for ah Indefinite period, pro
vided he cultivates his land intelli
gently and turns back to the, soli a
portion of what he takes from it.
How many farmers appreciate that
the plant food in the soil is limited In
unqulit that the total amount is
small, and the amount in an available
rorm, that is, soluble in water so it
can be utilized immediately by the
plants is exceedingly small. How
many farmers appreciate that they
are yearly drawing on their principal
through a failure to rotate crops, and
that it Is. only a matter of a little
while until the farm that was once so
profitable and such a source of pleas
ure will become a useless incubus.
fblS'ls indeed a sad picture, but it Is
one riot infrequently met with in this
country, although It is so young. What
does It mean? Can it be that a large
per cent of the cultivated lands must
be abandoned and that this condition
has been brought about through a
reckless, squandering of the farmer's
capital .that is, the stores of plant
food with which nature placed the
soil.
It has' been found that the soil is
ost'likely to become deficient in four
Elements, namely, nitrogen, phos
phates, potash and lime. It has also
\been found that by asking the soil a
few simply, questions the need of any
one".or all of these elements can be
easily determined. Let us see, there
fore. vwhat the functions of these dif
ferent elements are and then the in
dividual farmer can ask the needed
questions Of his soil and so determine
jwhat he npeds in order to secure bet
ter crops, and possessed of this
(owledgrf it will be a simple matter
'or tUm to purchase the needed arti
"tclaJ^forins of plant food and so again
revivify his soil.
jU'
Nitrogen may be suppled to the
[soil through the use of nitrate of soda,
icotton seed. meal, or the plowing down
of some green, leguminous crop such
as clovei-, cowpeas, etc, A small
spindling growth and-a yellow appear
ance Indicate the need of nitrogen In
the toll, and as It can be supplied so
cheaply and will do so much to in
jcreate the size and vigor of the plants
(which simply means increasing the
lyi^d* of the crop, the farmer should
\t0ee tao time in feeding his soil suffi
cient nitrogen in one of the forms
suggested 'tof- bring about this very
^eslrable result.
Another element in which the soil
i|B likely to be deficient is phosphoric
jCid,. which has to do largely with
fruitage of plants.. In other
ords, if "the plant makes plenty of
ifrow-th, but fails to produce fruit
i'reely, it is evident that the soil is
deficient In phosphoric acid, for its
Special function is to aid in the for
mation of fruit. The duty of the far
mer In this case is plain. The soil
lust be supplied with phosphoric
ly., from 200 to 600 pounds per acre,
V-pending- on its ,natural fertility. Ap
ftly -200 pounds of acid phosphate con
alning 14 to 16 per cent of available
'plant food. If the crop responds to
1 use try more the next season and
oil until the point is reached where
profitable increase is no longer ob
ained from the application. Phos
phoric acid is such an important and
sential element of plant growth that
farmer cannot afford to neglect
1 use. In fact,'most of the soils are
eflclerit in this very essential element
plant food, and if it were used more
lerall^lt would increase the yield
grain to. a surprising extent and
d,largely to the profits of the far-
4er
jiThe third very Important element
li plant food Is potash, which helps
'J build the frame work of the plant,
/Ivirig it size and substance, as it
'i'ere. It also has important functions
perform in relation to the develop
«ht and transition of starch from
vp part of the plant to another. It
|&thus a vital element so far as as the
Pjowth and development of the plant
concerned, and it has an influence
the fruitage of. the crop, though it
I1) not such an important element in
respect as phosphoric add.
Potash should be applied liberally
all sandy soils and to all legu
minous crops. It also frequently gives
ncceirent results when uoed on trmw
WdB. ab sucn a large per cant of
Ijrtain lorms ot nntp.sh consists of
mailable plant food, such heavy ap
picatlons as In the case of phosphoric
id are not needed, and so it is one
If the most economical and valuable
lirms df plant food the farmer can
I
By utilizing these three primary
ementB so necessary to the growth
development of farm crops, de
leted soils can be built up through
intelligent rotation of crops and
riade highly profitable in the course
a few years. There is much en
:uragement in these discoveries to
te farmer. All he needs is to lntelll
"ntly utilize the valuable Informa
relatlve to commercial fertilizers
hlch the agricultural chemists have
carefully and accurately worked
at for ilia Information and guidance.
.jaw
24
ifSUirVM^
(ft-Wis ^3-
GREEN ALFALFA DANGEROUS.
A short time since I saw in a farm
paper a communication from a farmer'
in Indiana in regard to alfalfa. He
said it was a good pasture for cows
when green and growing. Such is not
the case. It Is the best hay In the
worl& when properly cured, for stock,
hors* or cattle. Horses will get fat
on it as a green pasture, but cows will
bloat and die in a very few minutes.
Even with horses care should be
taken and frost-bitten alfalfa should
never be allowed them as a food,
either green or cured, But frost-bit
ten alfalfa does not hurt cows When
properly cured. But I have known
cows to bloat on third cutting alfalfa,
even when properly cured. Of course,,
that is somewhat unusual though not
rare.
For fear some farmers In the Bast,
who have not had experience with al
falfa, and who have a small patch,
should have a cow bloat, I will give
you a few simple remedies, ibr quick
action is absolutely vital to save the
animal.
Take a round Btlck about 214 Inches
thick and tie a rope, around either
end, place the stick in the mouth and
rope over the head behind the horns
and fasten so that the cow can't re
move it. That will hold the mouth
open and allow the gas to escape from
the stomach.
You can also give the cow about
one pint of kerosene, which will cause
her to belch. Also pour cold water
on back just in front of hips. If the
cow is too far gone for these reme
dies to avail, then "stick-" That is
done with a common pocket knife on
the. left side .about seven inches in
front of the point of the hip-bone and
about seven Inches down from tho
back-bone. You should not have
your face In direct line while making
cut.
Horses also should be closely
watched who are not used to it as a
green pasture, as ift some it causes
kidney trouble and death in a few
minutes, at least that is our experi
ence with Eastern, horses here—
"Colorado."
TOLLED AWAY HIS GEESE.
A Virginia farmer lost a flock of
sixteen geese In a peculiar manner.
The geese were confined in a large lot
containing a pond and were appar
ently happy and contented until one
day two wild geese appeared and spent
several hours apparently in earnest
conversation with the tame ones. This
performance was repeated for two or
three days, the tame geese showing
great
uneasiness. The two wild geese
would stand on the banks of the pond,
flap their wings and utter loud cries.
Finally, one evening just at dusk, the
farmer saw the entire flock rise from
the pond and start northward, led by
the wild geese, all uttering loud cries.
The farmers believed that the wild
.geese were flying delegates from some
wild goose union that was opposed to
restrictions.
GOLDEN PHEASANTS.
REEVES' PHEASANTS.
PROFIT IN RAISING PHEASANTS,
The agricultural department of the
Government says that pheasants can
o: laiseQ witii comparative ease, and
tilat mere Is a groat profit in the
business if properly conducted.
The demand for these birds is con
stantly on the Increase and the rear
ing of pheasants Is an occupation that
can be followed by women on farms
where there Is plenty of free range.
A brushy hill side makes an ideal
place for pheasant raising. The
ground must be dry and the sitting
nests must be well protected and the
temperature kept even.
The staple diet for pheasants is
cracked cprn, whole wheat and small
seeds, such as pilllet. They are also
fond of carrots, onions, lettuce and
the other greens.
The average price per pair Is as
follows: English and Mongolian, $5
to IJOi Golden, $18 tp J25 Reeves.
420 to
Z3& AiMk
r-N.ih 1 ujin i-.iii.iWL-
COMFORT OF THE GOWS
On Winter Care Depends Output of
Butter'and Milk and Loss
or Profit.
(By Cena S. Cornman.)
many farms where the pro
duction of milk and butter is
only a side issue, too little pro­
0N
vision is made for the comfort of the
cows. Comfort makes profit, and one
way to secure It is to furnish good,
warln shelter.
This shelter need not mean expen
sive barns equipped with all modern
improvements, but it does mean a
place where the cows may be dry and
warm when the weather is inclement.
It may be ever so rudely constructed
of any. material at hand, but It must
keep out the wet and wind. It is an
insult to a cow to expect milk of her
when her only refuge In bad weather
Is In the lee of some building, and her
only resting place is the damp or
frozen ground.
Take two cows, whose producing
capacity Is the same, feed them alike,
but while one shifts for herself, give
the other such attention as is due
her, viz: a dry, warm shelter and
plenty of good bedding, and then com
pare the value of their products, and
if figures do not lie, the merciful man
who is merciful to his beast, will find
his "mercy" a paying investment.
Moderate exercise is necessary to
health, and dairy cows should be free
to take as much as they please, but
no more, when the weather Is bright
and warm. A "sunbath" is a benefit
at any time and it is pleasant to see
the enjoyment animals get from it
An open, dry yard, with tight fence,
hedges or out-buildings to break the
wind, makes an ideal place for the
cows to move about in through the
warmest parts of the day. This gentle
exercise is essential to all of them,
but more especially to those that are
to be fresh before spring for without
it, one Is not sure of strong, healthy
calves. And parturition, always a try
ing ordeal, becomes more trying still
when it occurs under the unfavorable
conditions which lack of exercise pro
duces.
It is the boast of some farmers that
their cows mlllc right up to calving
time, but there is a question whether
there is any special merit in that.
Personally, we made a practice of
letting the cows-go dry from a month
to six weeks. With heifers we formed
this habit with the older cows it was
more difficult' to establish a fixed rule,
but by persevering -from one season to
another, we succeeded. Some cows
were Inclined to dry up as soon as
pregnancy was at all advanced. These
were encouraged to go on producing
milk by feeding so as to excite the
flow of milk. With others, an oppo
site course was pursued so that the
production of milk was limited as
much as possible until it could be
wholly checked,
Our aim was to give nature a
chance to make ready for the change
soon to come and the result was
strong, Iiealthy calves and cows that
quickly did their best, and no milk
fever or other kindred troubles.
It is a mistake to think that the
daily rations of a cow should be limi
ted by anything but her capacity. Give
her all she will eat and not of bulky
matter alone. See that she gets plenty
of concentrated grain foods so that
her milk production is up to her limit.
One cow, fed in this manner is more
profitable than two or three poorly
fed, for food, first of all, must sustain
life and only the surplus beyond this
first want, goes to milk production.
So it becomes an easy calculation to
determine whether a given quantity
of grain and fodder becomes most
profitable when- fed to one cow or
two, when It is only as much or a
little more than one alone could con
sume.
HORSES AND MULES.
The iflg demand in Europe for army
horses has developed in certain parts
of this country a hunter type of horse
that-has good size ajid conformation
and great endurance, with more sub
stance than a thoroughbred. Such
horses readily bring from $300 to
$500.
The German Government has re
cently bought a number of fine horses
for the army and' has established a
stock farm in Kentucky where an ef
fort will be made to breed an all
around cavalry horse that will meet
the German standard.
The farmer who fools around with
trotting horses makes a mistake.
Breeding trotters is a distinct branch
of the business and a man must spend
years in learning It.
Stick to drafters and heavy carriage
horses on the farm. They are always
salable and bring good prices.
Unthreshed oats cut Just before the
grains are hard make the finest feed
Imaginable for horses.
Numerous attempts have been made
to' use heavy mules for trucking pur
poses large cities, but without
success. Their fe^t are not built to
stand the rough usage *they get from
the cobblestones.
Trotting horse breeding is like fancy
farming, a gentleman's game.
The Morgan horse Is slowly coming
into his own again. As a breed he
has more brains and bottom than any
other horse.
Bad digestion, a rough coat and a
poorly nourished body are always the
result of Improperly balanced food.
The all-corn horse Is sure to get out
of condition sooner or later.
Ground barley, wheat, and oats, a
quart at a time, is to a horse what
pudding Is to a boy.
The advent of auto trucks in big
cities has not hurt the demand for
heavy draft horsea In the slightest
degree
•iwrNSS sis-
NEWS andVI ewS OF FARMERS
COPYRIGHTED 1907, BY ASSOCIATED FARM PRESS.
COVER BETTER THAN TILLAGE.
The effects of tillage and cover
crops on the orchard are similar In
some respects, but tillage adds nothing
to the amount of plant food In the
soJJ, though it influences the fertility
of the land so that more food is made
available for the growing trees. A
well-managed system of cover crops
will accomplish all that tillage cqn
and at the same time add to the store
of plant food that will be available
for the trees.
Fruit trees are often injured by
root freezing during the winters. In
the northern latitudes this is one of
the most important reasons for keep
ing the soil covered in the winter.
Tfre influence of a cover crop In pro
tecting the roots from frost is very
Important.
On soil that Is rolling, or on hill
sides it will be found almost Impos
sible to maintain any degree of fer
tility In the orchard without th£ UBC
of cover crops. It will not only pre
vent the soil from washing away, but
will also hold the fertilizers from
washing and prevent the leaves from
blowing away.
The saving of plant food is also an
important function of a cover crop.
T^hen the cold weather arrests the
growth of trees there is considerable
available plant food that may be
wasted on account of the trees not
being able to consume it at that time.
ThlS may be saved by the cOver crop
and held until such a time as it Is
desired to have it give it up or when
the cover crop decays In the following
spring.
The Ideal system of managing or
chard lands In the Northern and
Middle States Is perhaps most nearly
approached when the soil Is stirred
In the spring as early as practicable
and as deep as It can be and not In
jure the roots, cultivated In this man
ner until the trees are budded, then
seeded with a cover crop which will
grow until autumn and be turned un
der the following spring and the same
method practiced again.
This milk pall has the opening half
covered to prevent dirt from falling
into the milk. It is highly recom
mended by experiment stations.
In some sections of the apple coun
try a cover crop is used the year that
the trees are due to produce a large
crop, so as to form a bed for the
apples to fall upon and keep them
clean and free from mud. The next
year when the trees are not expected
to produce a large crop the orchard Is
manured or fertilized and kept clean
and free from weeds until fall, and
rye sowed for a cover crop, and the
fcllowlng spring It is plowed and re
seeded to a cover crop that Is 'eft on
the ground until the next spring, 5 other crop that would pay
CHICKENS BY THE ACRE
Amateurs Who Dream of Big Profits
Must Consider Some Cold,
Essential Ftocts.
(By Prof. H. B. Greer.)
S*
C)ME enthusiastic persons dream
of chicken farms of forty 'or
fifty acres—alive with chickens—
thickens by" the hundreds arid the
thousands—great, rambling flocks of
fowls all dwelling together In peace
and happiness and as prolific In eggs
as trees are in leaves—all one glad
summer day of gathering in the eggs,
sending them to market and bringing
home the dollars, How nice, how
pretty on paper] But the cold, cheer
less fact is, that it will not pan out
that way.
And yet, chickens may be kept by
the acre, and managed so as to be
healthy and profitable but first there
must be -some well-defined plan—a
system outlined, and s6me money and
skilled labor expended1 before a single
chicken Is turned out to graze.
An acre of ground, with suitable
houses ajjd properly fenced, will ac
commodate between five and six hun
dred fowls—that is, it will afford them
PROFITABLE HORSE.
This is a good picture of one of the horses used by the mounted police
of Chicago. About 150 horses are now used by the department and they
were all selected from the farms of the middle West. They brought from
$150 to $250 each, many of them being entirely unbroken. Farmers who
raise all around utility horses, such as these, can always obtain a good
price for them.
v.
space for exercising, for sunshine and
air but their feed would have to be
obtained from some other source, for
they would scarcely let a spring of
grass grow within the acre limit. The
ground would, Of necessity, have to be
fenced and sub-fenced and houses
erected at certain distances apart.
An acre of ground Is about two
hundred feet square, and In preparing
it for the fowls it should be divided
into thirty-two yards, each twenty-five
feet wide by fifty feet In length. This
would make four rows of yards, and
necessitate two rows of houses. Each
house should be at a junction point of
four yards, which would call for but
eight houses for the thirty-two yards—
four compartments in each house. An
open pass way should extend from end
to end of the grounds, in line with
each row of houses, and another pass
way midway from the upper to lower
center of the yarded space, so as to
make all of the houses easy of ap
proach.
In each yard of twenty-five by fifty,
twenty hens and a cock should be
placed, which would give a total of
640 females, to the acre, and some
thirty odd roosters. In connection
with each house there should be an
open shed for the purpofie of feeding
and scratching, so that the fowls
could exercise according to their nat
ural instincts.
Hens so yarded, with their grain
thrown In straw and leaves, to work
out, and fed a green cut bone ration
three times weekly, should average a
dozen and a half eggs a month per
hen during the first six months of the
year.
•rnis average in laying would make
a total yield of 960 dozen of eggs a
month, worth at least 10 cents
dozen, or $96.00. From this gross In
come we would average 7 cents per
hen each month—or a total of $45.00
which would leavO a net profit per
acre for the hens enclosed of $51.00.
If one should start early In.the year
and become established by the middle
of April, It should be possible to get a
good revenue for three months, or un
til the middle of July. After that date
the yarded hens should cease to lay
profitably, and should be sold.
With experience, and sufficient help
several acres of hens might be kept In
this way. and a much larger revenue
derived than Is possible from only one
acre. Fifty dollars a month Income
for six months would mean $800.00
per acre for the season. Is there any
as
well?
0^ A
The price of eggs is way up. and
will remain so during '.he next six
months. Next spring we presume that
people will begin to wonder whether
it will not pay better to sell the eggs
at market prices rather than go to
the trouble of hatching and rearing
the chicks from them.
INTENSIVE FRUIT CULTURE.
In the West five acres of orchard,
without small fruit or vegetables', are
considered enough to call for all of
one man's activity.
Intensive fruit growing means the
cultivation of comparatively .small
areas and the application of such
labor as will produce a maximum of
fruit by the exercise of scientific meth
ods and careful attention to details.
It is a system much more satisfactory
and profitable to the grower than the
old extensive one,
Dwarf pears may be set quite close
together. They can be planted even
In hedge rows, not over three feet
apart, with advantage, and profit.
Such a row presents a "beautiful sight
when in full bloom and the close
planting. With Its consequent check to
a too rapid growth, is a preventive of
blight.
Currants are appropriate in tree
rows because they ratWer like a partial
shade, and the strawberries receive
enough sun while the trees are young
to not be injured.
There are two essentials in this sys
tem of thick planting: One is efficient
labor intelligently directed, and the
other is heavy fertilizing. A grower
In the east Is said to produce $8,000
worth of fruit on five acres of. ground,
but these acres are so well kept that
they have the appearance of a huge
garden. More hand labor is called
because the horse cannot be employed
so generally and because more atten
tion must be paid to particulars.
Weeds must be crowded out there
is literally no room for them. There
are rows of trees and between them
In the row are the smaller fruits of
all kinds. The middles between the
trees are closely occupied by grapes
and pther fruits, and to sustain this
dense growth the soil must be highly
enriched with fertilizers expressly
adapted to the fruit and to the soli.
GRASS PAYS FOR MANURING.
At the present time when stock
farming Is the main- source ot profit
to the farmer there Is no crop that
the farmer grows whicb will pay him
better for manuring than his grass.
Now that artificial manures are so
common and their use* better under
stood, there is no reason for the old
supposition that It took a generation
to make a permanent grass field.
We frequently come across farms
where, by the judicious use of arti
ficial and farmyard manure, pastures
in their third, fourth "and fifth years,
look like the most luxuriant and
ancient pastures. No one would ex
pect his barley to grow year after year
on the same land without manure.
Why, therefore,' should he expect his
camvm
grass to do this, especially as It Is not
unlikely to be mown, once or twice
and the hay removed?
The poorness of the land does not
seem to be In any way a sufficient
reason why a good pasture cannot be
obtained if treated with care and skill,
for we have repeatedly seen exceed
ingly fine grass fields upon land which
could have made but miserable arable
land and around which were numer
ous fields as poor as it was possible to
see.
The secret of success has been a ju
dicious manuring which was not in any
way extravagant, and It will always be
found where artificial and
.._-J
The runt may be so from different
causes. If it is from a lack of vitality
the pig is pretty sure to be a source
of loss to his owner, but if it Is from
a disposition to eat slowly and thus
not get a full share of the feed. If he
Is separated from the others and given
a chance the runt often outgrows the
rest of the litter.
A few years ago I took the runt
pig of a litter of full-blooded Chester
White pigs and put It by itself.
Weight, June 1, when separated was
twenty pounds. When slaughtered on
the 21st of the next November the
dressed weight was 197 pounds.
This pig was fed buttermilk and
middlings until corn was ready to feed
and then It war fed corn, three ears
at a feed, three times a day at first,
gradually Increasing to eight ears at
a feed. It was fed eights ears at a
fc ?d only a short time before alau0h
terlng.—A. 3. Legs-
ODD TALES OF FARMIN'
Yarns That Mislead City People an-J
Cause Tliem to Make Serious
is a
SOME
SORTING TABLE FOR PACKING FRUIT,
This table can easily be made from the drawing from any light ma
terial and Is adapted to picking and sorting of peaches, apples or potatoes.
farmyard1''""K
manures are used with judgment that
the quantity of the herbage is not only
Increased, but greatly Improved in its
feeding quality.
THE RUNT PIG.
It used to be a saying that the runt
pig would make the largest hog, and
yet if a person would be given the
choice of the litter he always rejected
the runt.
1 JiJ{f
f!
of the big dally papers or!
magazines are trying to inalo (&&
sensations out of plain farmln",
and some of the stories printed ar
not only misleading, but absolutely
harmful.
Farming 1s not governed by any
fairy wand. Comfortable living and
even moderate profits are of course to
be mado In any branch of agriculture,
but experience, patience, a love of
nature and some capital are requisites
that cannot be Ignored If success Is to
bo attained.
Such misleading stories arJ bad
enough when printed In dally news
pfcpers,- but when agricultural magn
Bines regale their readers with such
stuff It Is Infinitely worse. In a yebent
number of an Eastern magazlno,
which lays claim to being prime au« *i
thorlty on all subjects relating to high- is^j!
class agriculture, there was printed a
four-page article .......
,A|
A'
describing "Wh?t
Harrison Did," In which the Chlcaco
reporter Is laid In the shade. ^&•»
In all soberness and with numeroui
beautiful Illustrations this magazlr.o f,.
tells a story of how a New York -,
lawyer made $7,500 a year on a ten
acre farm In Eastern New York. He
lea'sed the place, which had been lm-1'^
proved by a wealthy faddist at
expense of thousands of dollars, for
$800 a year. Qn this bit of ground, ^,
us experience as a far
mer, Harrison performed some mlrac» 'f "d
ulous feats. Here are his operation
for the first year:
Potatoes and cabbage $1,100.03
Rye and corn 880.00
Strawberries, 667.0ft
Vegetables 2,481.10 1
Dairy 4«».0»
Hogs 858.00
Poultry 1,787.00
Pigeons 1,205.00
Dogs 565.00
Horses 220.00
Miscellaneous 80.00
Total ..$0,209.90
"Harrison's" expenses were onl?' rj
$1,815, leaving him a net profit ov
$7,884.90.
New York state—they could' exist in,
no other—the old-fashioned farmers
who have been plodding along, earn
ing net profits of from $20 to $50 per
acre, would be compelled to take, to
the woods.
1n
As this la set out It) minute detail.
and with a tone of absolute truthful*
ness it would be Impolite perhaps to
express a doubt as to the reliability^'//, "-..1,5*
of the story. But if it Is true, then^'\S, ^©1
"Harrison" is the greatest marvel In-,
the way of a green farmer that the'\.
world has ever seen. With a few,
more "Harrisons" of this stripe in
1
vi'. i.
KEEP A TALLY SHEET.
On our farm place there was hiing
In a convenient passageway a larg«
slate for the only purpose of hastily
jotting down any notable happening
occurring during the day, the word!
serving as a lasting reminder of thai
particular day's doings.
Each evening the accounts were
permanently tabulated and kept for
any later day references which mlghl
occur, assisting In making a decided
point.
In this simple way a great deal c1
orfni^to °f ®ndeav"
t0
recollect his or that happen
Ing on the farm was removed and thi
tomorrow begun afresh—every day la
reality a new beginning with the pre
ceding day's hard work forgotten,
cleaned off the slate and the minds 01
proprietor and helpers.
One has no Idea how often such a
slate will prove. the many Instance)
and transactions taking place In
year on a farm of only ten acres,
though at the time they seem of verj
trifling account, but later are worth
recalling for some purpose to someone
who wishes data.
This kind of a written record rss
freshes and proves Interesting to loc
over at any time it tells of a certn'
amount of labor that has been pass"'!
over, of blunders, successes, failure.,
that have been entirely forgotten.
It also gives a history of the .he's
employed, which Is of Importance la
recommending them to others.
In the various industries of stoc'i
raising, poultry work, fruit growln-,
dairying, hay and grain raising. I.i
erecting buildings, the whole story
may be given from oft the "slate tally"'
day by day by those most Interests
on the farm.—F. L. Risley.
A Florida farmer who has a largd
crop of Angora goats says that when
ho drives among them with a load
2?
tp
$
''3
$
I'
V-ftj
fl
II
flw
oi
fodder the soats climb Into the wagon
in such numbor3 as to make It difficult
to koaOl* 1U.