Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1870-10-13
From the American Agriculturist.
what to do with the Stravi.

.
| a farmer in Iowa does not know
what to do with his straw. He
writes: Il purchased an old farm,
somewhat foul and rather wet. II
/ had to- commence again 1 would
take raw prairie, although in three
years l have made some changes.
My crops have increased full one
third, and I hope to treble them.
am keeping all the stock the farm
can carry. This year, If the drouth
continues, l shall be ovcrstocked.
And what stock keep is good. l
want the best or none" That is the
right doctrine. But good stock re-
| quircs good farming-clcan, dry
land, rich grass, and good care and
feed in winter. ''But my object in
writing" he continues, ''is to ask YOU
what l shall do with my surplus
straw. ! use all l can in the stables
as bedding for horses and CATTLE
and l stable on the average twelve
head the year round; and have used
SO much straw that my manure does
not rot good. I also keep a good
supply in my hog lot, yarding the
hogs at night. They rum in clover
and rye pastures in summer. And
let me here say that last season /
sowed three acres of clover and in
the same field ] sowed last fall three
acres of rye, On the first of June l
turned twenty-five fall pigs into the
field. They lived on the clover I'M
til the rye was ripe, and then they
went at the rye; and this is all the
twenty five pigs have had from the
first Of June until the middle Of Au-
gust; and l expect the rye to seed
itself for next season. should
think this good idea. 1t is, per
haps, rather rough style of farming,
but If it answers the purpose and
saves labor, l see no objection to it.
Have peas ever been tried in the
same way? But to return to the
straw question. II shall not" he
says, "be able to use my straw by
at least Is tons. How can l con
vert it into manure? have not pa
thence to wait for it to- rot. Lime Is
too scarce, or should scatter it over
the stacks. Labor is to expensive
to mix it with earth, and we have no
muck. Lime would not rot dry
atraw, and 1t certainly would not pay
to compost straw with earth or muck.
There is not enough ammonia in the
straw. Rotted straw is straw still,
and manure made from straw only is
poor stuff The whole trouble lies
IN raising too much grain. Keep a
larger area Of the farm in grass and
clover. And it will not be many
years before our friend will be wish
ing he had the straw he formerly
wasted. l should advise him to
keep more sheep, but he says: 81
commenced with 40 grade Merinoes.
Bought SoIth Down buck lamb for
$31. Used him one season and then
sold him for $3.50. Next paid $23
for a grade Cotswold, and now offer
him for This is not very en-
couraging. And he adds rather pa
thetically: "Now, to get my flock up
| have to pay large prices, and when
| wish to sell there are no buyers in
my vicinity. A common native is
to them as good rs the best thorough
bred.'-I fear this is not an uncom.
mon experience. But there is an
easy remedy. Raise thorough brcds.
Get the best and keep them pure.
BE scrupulonsly honest. Do not
look to your town nor county for
customers, but to the intelligent far
mers and breeders Of the State.
You can snap your fingers at the
prejudices Of the farmers in the vi.
entity. a breeder is not without
honor save in his own country. But
to use a South Down one season and
a grade Cotswold the next, is no way
to raise sheep to sell for breeding
purposes. They must be sold to the |
butchers, and if the sheep are good,
the butchers will pay what they are
worth. Even for this purpose it is
foolish to pay $23 for grades when
thorough-brcds can be had for 500. |
10 keep only about dozen head |
of cattle and horses, and forty sheep
on a farm where. after using it with
the greatest freedom, there IS still IS |
tons OF surplus straw on hand, is
poor policy a'Wchcre, and more es-
pecially at the West, where, as com
pared with those Of us who farm near
the large Eastern markets, it must
pay much better to raise stock than
fo soil Grain