Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-12-29
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.

DIToHING AND DRAINING. These i'm
portant items in farm management cannot
be too frequently placed before the;farning
community. Many are deferred from un-
derdraining on account of the heavy ex-
pense, although it may be safely affirmed
that the entire expense of undertaking
land is always returned to the farmer in
the three following crops, and often in the
first.
Tiles are, of course, the best means with
which to form the water way, but tiles are
so expensive that they are comparatively
little used. Good serviceable drains can
be made either with lumber, sawed for the
purpose, into five or six inch widths or
even with brush and poles; in either case.
however, the expenses of the drains are
heavy, and what has its effects also, the
work is hard and disagreeable, and where
the labor of a farm depends on the farmer
himself or on the members of his family,
it is difficult to get work of that nature per
formed; then again, to dig drains properly
is trade, and requires considerable ex-
perience and special tools, the farmer
often loses ten times the value of them in
single season.
Draining cannot be recommended too
strongly, but where draining cannot be
done, ditching can, and this is the second
best thing. Few farms require bitches of
more than two feet deep from the adjoining
level, and where bitches are not deeper
than that, the entire work can be done
with the pillow and the road scraper, thus
putting the hard labor on the horses and
not on the men, and rendering the task an
easy one.
If water is got off the land quickly in
the spring when the SHOWS melt, the land
is never wet during the subsequent season;
whereas, If the winters rain and snow are
allowed to lodge on the ground, and soak
away it puts the crop back for considera-
ble time, renders the land cold and sour,
ard throws the earliest and best sown fall
wheat into the midge season. Where
field is wet or fiat there ought to be ditch
all around it, the earth thrown out by The
plow IN forming it on one side being made
up into bank for the fence, and on the
other, spread out on the adjoining land as
evenly as possible, and so as to prevent the
water from forming a lodgment. For form
ing such bitches as these nothing can be
better than the pillow; nothing moves earth
SO fast or so cheaply, and by proper man
agement the greatest portion of the earth
in the future ditch never requires touching
with any other implement When the
out of the ditch with the pillow, that imple-
ment should be used, without mold-board
to loosen the soil, and the earth SO moved
carried out of the ditch on the adjoining
land with the road scraper No ditch ought
to be of less width at the bottom than the
ordinary road scraper; if it is, the poach-
ing of cattle searching for water and tread
ing down the banks, soon fills it up Ian
ada Farmer.
FARM WAGES MUST COME Down.
''The laborer is worthy of his hire" and
we are decidedly in favor of paying all
good, faithful workers the highest wages
that can possibly be afforded The farm
cannot pay beyond reasonable per cent
age of its products for workmen. The cost
for freig ghtage and other marketing expenses
is about the same for wheat at 75c per
bushel as for that sold at 81. so. But MAX
ing no allowance for this, let US reckon the
wages of laborers in wheat or other pro-
duce which he must buy for his family.
! Suppose We put the wages of good work.
men at four bushels of wheat per week
with board, or five aud a half without
| board. This, with wheat at g. so per
bushel, is $500 or $34.37 per month, if
the employer sells his wheat and pays
money. Is it just that he should pay tie
same money wages when his wheat brings
only rs? The plain truth is he cannot
afford it. He cannot give eight or eleven
bushels of wheat for o weeks work.
| If the laborer could feed his family two
years ago on four bushels of wheat per
week, he can get along on less than double
the quantity now, while the employer is
Strengthened for the means to pay interest,
purchase machinery or implements, stock,
etc. 1t laborers do not appreciate these
acts, and moderate their demands ac-
cordingiy, farmers will, from absolute neces-
sity, be compelled to shorten sail, and q
large number of laborers will be thrown
out of employment. Evcry farmer will,
of course, do the best he can to retain his
well-tried men, and to keep some improve.
ments going on. By the way, we would
like to receive from our readers in differ.
ent parts of the country, statements as to
the number of bushels of wheat, and OF
corn also, that have been equivalent to the
average wages of farm lands, with and
without board, during each of the years
1860, 1867 and 1863; we refer to men EN-
I pioyed by the month during the entire
year.-Anaericdn A1ricuHuriSt.
BEET SUGAR IN WIsCoNsIN. FonG
du Lac, Wis, Coinmo- wealth gives des
eription of the Beet Sugar Mandatory o.
Messrs. Bonesteel Il otto, in that city. L
appears that Mr.. Otto has been foreman o.
such factories in Europe for 20 years. Ir
1868 he hired few acres of land near FonC
du Lac and from the heets raised made
some satisfactory experiments in beet sugar
making. In the spring of 1869 Mr.. Bone
steel entered the firm A farm was rented
and 80 acres planted to beets. Ten tons
per acre was the lowest product. All the
beets were secured, and recently the pro
cess OF manufacture was commenced. The
machinery is said to be of the best. Tht
factory has a capacity for making 100(
pounds of sug gar daily, and has materia
enough to keep it employed until Apri
next. Lit is now run night and day "a per
sons being employed. Next year the pro
prietors expect to plant 160 acres of beets
and to enlarge their establishment.
! ABUsHEL OF WHEAT FOR POUND OF Bur
TER.-In some Of the interior places of ou
state We learn that wheat is down to forty
} five cents per bushel, while in st. Paul
} good article of butter sells readily at retail
for the same price. After paying harves
hands from two to three dollars a day Their
is but little left Tor the farmer who raise
the great staple, after deducting price 0
seed threshlng, &c. The expense of mar
keting is decidedly in favor of dairy pro
ducts, since the forty-fve cents worth o
wheat weighs some sixty times as much a
the butter. Here is another argument il
favor of mixed husbandry, instead of al
gong into one kind of crop until the mar
ket Is completely over-stocked. If ou
farmers had raised only half as much whea
/ and a gooo clop of butter, cheese, pork
j and beef, to say nothing of the great varie
+ ty OF little things that bring the cash, ther
would have been four times the none
saved this year, as the wheat would hav
brought double the price, with one-half tn
cost.-& Paul Press.
For SPRAINs OR BRUISES. Stake one pin
7 of lard-oil; half pound of stone-pitch
I half pound of resin; half pound O
beeswax and half a pound of beef-tallow
J Boil together for half an hour, skim off tn
scum and pour the liquid into cups. Whe1
, needed it must be poured upon eoars
cotton cloth or kid (the latter the best
and applied to the sprain or bruise Itwi
give quick relief, as it entirely excludes tn
: ! air One two 1,lactarc of If will on