Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-07-26
The Harvest.

indications are that farmers COM
planned q little more than the merits
of the case required. 1t is true that
the hay crop on all uplands is gen.
eral failure-so extremely light in
some localities as to be not worth
the labor of cutting; but on the riv-
err bottoms and islands there is the
most luxuriant crop of grass that
they have ever known to produce,
amounting to thousands of tuns, so
that there is no danger of a general
scarcity of provender. For several
weeks previous to the present, far
mers had been feeling decidedly
gloomy over what they supposed to
be a failure of the crop of small grain.
Some Of them had become entirely dis
heartened and concluded to abandon
farming for more encouraging and
reliable pursuits. However, despite
the general murmur OF complaint,
and the great cutlery about drouth,
present prospects seem to warrant
the conclusion that the current har-
vest will stock the market with a
greater supply of small grain than
the general average.
Straw is fine and comparatively
free from rust, almost rs good as
much of the hay fed to stock during
last winter, if indeed it is not better,
and thus farmers have a grand sub
stitute for their meadow product.
In fact, for horses, good, clean,
healthy straw is much preferable to
timothy or clover, the dust which
accumulates in the latter making
them very unwholesome.
Oats are very short, but in many
fields well headed, although they
have not stooled out SO much as they
would have done if more rain had
fallen at the proper season. On the
whole, however, the yield will be
much in advance of general expec-
tation.
But if wheat and oats were both q
failure they are more than redeem
cd by the extremely aattering pros
poets for corn. Compared with last
years crop at this season, it is very
encouraging and unless it is pre-
vented from maturing by untimely
frosts, he who has planted plentiful
ly and cultivated carefully, will real
ize greater benefit than if the wealth
or had been more favorable for
wheat and less so for corn. Under
existing circumstances corn is the
most profitable farm produce that
agriculturists can raise. 1t costs less
for seed and for harvesting, there is
no threshing bill to pay, and if the
producer is only fortunate enough
to have plenty of hogs, he is not
troubled with drawing to market,
while his swine bring him greenbacks
in abundance.
On the whole, then, we have more
cause for gratitude than grumbling.
For the lack of hay there will be
plenty of good straw and excellent
corn fodder, while the fall crop will
more than make up the deficiency of
the summer harvest. The pork mar
ket bids fair to be usually active this
season, and consequently farmers
will realize good compensating re-
suits for their labor after all. How
liable we are to complain before
there is any real cause for dissatis-
faction. A little rain, few weeks
Of dry weather, q handful Of bugs, in
q word, any real or apparent reduc-
tion Of the quantity or quality of
farm produce frightens some people
half out of their senses. This is both
unwise and injurious. 1t is re-
markabe fact that q majority of the
insane in the United States are far
mers and one cause of mental aber-
ration is a constant fretting over
supposed failure of crops. More
than half of the ills Of humanity are
imaginary, never really occurring at
all. 1t is usually the case that when
one crop is u failure another is so
much better than usual that there is
no danger Of coming to want in this
country.