Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-10-27

VI SoH"iOu Ia" ], tHc SldtulC HuoV
be strictly complied with. The law
makes the fence viewers the tribu-
nal for determining such question,
and can only be determined thereby
III they act erroneous then the
whole question may be reviewed.
Tim. Byaioard, IN Mitchell 20.
Press.
An Iowa Stock Farm.
From the IN. ~ Country Gentleman.
Our correspondent, Suel Foster,
Muscatine, Iowa, sends us the fol-
lowing account Of the farm of N.
NJ. Let's, in Louisa county, sixteen
miles southwest of Muscatinc, which
he visited on the 2Sth day of July
last:
The country is one of the richest
and most beautifully situated in
Iowa, which is saying good deal
for it, lying on the high rolling prai
rie between the Mississippi and
Iowa rivers. The high prairies of
the West, though not quite as good
for corn as the rich bottoms of the
rivers, are considered better for
nearly all other farming. Mr.. Let's
has been charging his farm for
several years, and now the home
stead contains 1000 acres, with a
few small farms in the neighbor-
hood, detached from the homestead.
The house and barns stand on dry,
rolling land, near two slight ravines,
where there are springs Of water
In his pastures he has also provided
stock water by building an earth
dam across the slough OF ravine-
one in the centre of his largest pas
ture, of 600 or 800 acres, where
there is a grove Of timber; an arti-
fetal pond ten feet deep, clear wa
ter with fish in it, was made in this
way. There are several groves of
second growth timber on the large
farm. This timber, which is now
SO feet high, thirty years ago was
hazel patches, with oak grubs and
bushes and some hickory and black
cherry.
The first pasture we visited con-
tanned about $50 head of very fine
three and four year old steers, in a
pasture of timothy and clover,
which was knee-high and much of
it headed out and seed ripe; in fact
he had cut considerable timothy
seed in the pasture. He furnishes
about two acres of pasture to the
steer. The second pasture has so
head of his finest lot, which he said
would now average 400 to 1900
pounds, and that some of them
would weigh 1000, and would now
bring in Chicago the highest mar
ket, SIC. The next pasture had
about 80 cows, most Of them choice
short-horns, Of best breeds. Here
were two yearlings, only l44 months
old, which he said weighed, a few
days before, 1885 pounds each;
there was very little difference in
weight.
The last and great pasture re-
manned to be visited. We all got
into two long spring wagons and
drove about one-tourth OF, a mile
to the first corner, where the cattle
were just emerging from their beau
tiful, shady grove, as the heat of
the day was past. We had bush
el of salt in the wagon, and dipped
it out as we drove over the open
grass pasture. The steers were
quite gentle, and came rushing up
close to the wagons after the salt;
but we drove just fast enough to
prevent their climbing into the wa
gons. Yes, truly, "this was as
pretty sight as ever saw" Here
were about $50, and while Mr..
Let's had to pick up about the coun-
try nearly all these steers, it was
very remarkable to me how he got
SO even and good lot, with scarce
ly a dozen scrub, or common breeds,
out nearly all Short-Horns and
grades. This shows the improved
condition OF stock in this country,
or that Mr.. Let's picked for Dur
hams, and no doubt it is a little of
both; good cattle generally, and
then a good selection.
These cattle were thriving very
fast, looking sleek and fat. He
turns off his steers mostly in the
fall, fattened mostly on grass, and
we'll they might fatten in meadow
Of hay. He will keep a portion Of
these steers and corn feed through
or into winter, with quantity Of
hogs to follow the cattle.
In conclusion, | wish to say that
all our most intelligent farmers
have been telling us for some years
that it was far more profitable to
raise stock for market than grain,
and consume all the grain OF the
farm, and it appears a little now as
though a goodly number of our
Western farmers had taken this adj
vice. Here the markets Of meat are
fully down to their relative value
with wheat and com, though the
corn market has been raised by
short crops the past two years, and
the very heavy crop Of the present
year will bring it down again. But
Mr.. Let's goes step higher in the
profit Of stock raising, and avoids
another big labor-saving cost by
fattening on grass instead Of on
corn. This heavy coat Of grass
furnishes pasture nearly all winter,
and seldom runs out, for the mulch
ing keeps the ground rich and the
grass roots fresh and in good con-
dition.