Weekly miners' express. (DuBuque, Iowa) 184?-1849, 1849-01-23
AGRICULTURAL.
IMPROPER TREATMENT OF STOCK.
TO the Editor Of the Valley Farmer:
DEvR S1R,-I wish our western farmers
To he awara Tint

To the Editor Of the Valley Farmer:
DEvR S1R,-I wish our western farmers
to be aware that
"A chiefs amang them takn' sotcs-
And faith, he'll print EN-"
And one of the most prominent subjects
Of an,nadversion in western farming is tn,
neglect of stock in winter, which prevails
throughout the west to degree that is very
discreditable 70 the sagacity of an American
farmer. My attention was called to this
subject the very day first set foot in Iowa,
on nv late journey from St Louis to this
county. At the very first farm house
passed, near the Dcsmoincs ferry, saw the
entire stock of the place, among which were
several mich cows and two or three pairs
Of noble oxen, standing directly in front Of
the house, in the open road without shell
ter of any kind, and thut this was their only
winter quarters was evident from the fact
that the feeding racks we're before them,
partly filled with refuse straw, and this COW
cred with frozen slect. The same eviden-
ccs Of misnanag ement, with very few ex-
ceptions, met my view along the entire
road to Burlington. 1t is very true every
man mar claim the right to do as he pleas
es with what is his own, but as men gcner-
ally engage in farming Gs in other pursuits,
for the profit thereof ! hope TO be able 10
convince them that in addition TO the duty
they owe their beasts of burden, to protect
them from the rigors Of winter, IN return
for the services they almost daily require Of
them during the whole year, it is also very
much to their interest to provide comtorta-
Bile shelter for eli their stock in winter. l
speak from experience. 1have been in the
same predicament. The FIRST year spent
on 4 western farm, | commenced like most
others by planting many acres. 1t took all
my time 10 tend my crops; winter set in be-
r fore 1 had even gathered all planted.
had no barns nor other out-buldings. My
entire time had been spent in growing crops
;; one fourth of which were lost during the
winter, for want Of proper place. to store
! them; another fourth was necessarily lost in
o extra allowance to my stock, because their
c exposure made it necessary that they should
c consume an additional quantity offoddcr, to
sustain them against the cold. Now, had
n one-third of the time and expense devoted
to my crops been given to the preparation
. Of out houses for my stock, | should have
:. saved much by the operation. should al
9 so have saved much wear and tear Of con
$ science, fer rever retired to my bed at
night without feeling guilty Of neglect to
the brItcs around my premises.
Occasionally, cs came along the road .
noble barn hove in sight. O,e Of the first
in remember was that of Mr.. Abraham Hy-
s. ter, near Skunk river. the dividing line be-
- tween Lee and Desmoines counties. This
10 barn is probably the best one on tho road
: from Kcokuk to Burlington, and earnest.
n ly solicited young Mr. Hyter I had not the
q pleasure to find his father ct honey to send
l. =. I,- ~, II
y nor. Mr.. ilyte: has only been or the pre-
il misses four years, yet every thing aroun,
8, him. so far as the pelting storm would per
y nit observation, vas evidence of thrifty
- farmer. And why was he more thrifty thar
10 his neignbors! Not because he had more
~ money, but that he went the RICH. way L
~ work. He lees in u small house by the sid
of a great barn, and where did any readc
t, of your paper see farmer in this situation
who was not thrifty one? 1t is not thu
thrift that builds the barn, but the barn tina
- contributes to the thrift.
he I, nuld do OH good. Messrs. Editors, t
n. zee the inside OF MT. lly.e,.s hv.s.-...;
he small house by the side eff the large barn.
III. 1t was Leat It's pm. l took dinner Their
ng and while it was in preparation had tim
cy. to look about, and was not slow in discover
+. ing abundant evidences that ORDER and in
tc!'igcnce reigned in the house as we'll a
G1n ont Of it and no small proportion of th
H. may be set down as the result not the caus
Of that great barn-a barn tina, cos, its owl
er over seven hundred dollars, and whc
- he would consider q profitable inyestmer
nd had it cost him double that sum, for it ann.
ally saves him twenty per cent. on its cos
:. And so will good barns save to any o,lle
Su farmer who kecSs stock, or has crops to saw,
re The truth Of this remark was exempltied
. scveral other instances which l noticed o
- my way. Judge Walker, Of Sandridge
~ whose premises passed soon after crossin
ole Skunk river, has u tremendous barn.; conse
ICE quently good and profit able stock; aud as
ale further consequence, he lives in fine brio
:. house built several years after the barn, or
might with more proprety say. built by tn
barn, for it is an old saying With Pennsylva
j. nia & erman farmers: .'You pild ter par
L. and ter parn will pild ter house." os.t
. Iyy a Mr.. NeaIley, who resides near Burline
-. ton, has 4, village Of barns and sheds on hi
T. farm, more ;han he has stock for ut presen
=. Mr.. Nealley has the reputation of being
~ shrewd Yankee farmer. and yet yon woul
~ find it hard matter to convince him tia
ies his barns are atwaste Of money, no matte
ers how much they may have cost. :, 1'@0. @a
III lDut- cUNS VI tVuE 'tPCI
- thing cannot be done at once. We have OF
!. houses to build and our fences to build On
% our crops to tend and 60 on. These me
- had money to build barns with; we hay
OK none" All true, perhaps, and equally tru
'0 no doubt, that so long as you GO withol
burns Of some sort you never will have NOR
ID ey TO build better ones. have travele
is much, Messrs. Editors, and have inya
n ably observed, as the first evidences Of goo
and successful farming, great soicitud
on the part Of the farmer, for the welfar
Is and comfort of his stock.giIt is tie fir.
.n thing, anew England farmer looks afte
and, travel here you will east of the mour
u tains, and north Of Maryland, you will fin
the care Of stock and the thrift of the own,
,ill ore in equal rutio to each other. From til
. southern line Of Pennsylyanja to- the pin
- woods Of, Maine.-the. very same that job
nj Bull and Uncle Jonathan, had we'll mig
come TO blows about not many years ago