The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-01-21
Stock Farming.

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Stock Farming.
Mr.. C. N. Price, of the Third District,
advertises some fine thorough bred Durham
and Attorney stock, to be disposed of on
the 9th of Feb. This will present fine
opportunity for farmers to supply them
selves with stock for the improvement of
the common grades, which are too gener-
ally kept Not one of those Durhams should
be allowed to go out Of the county, but be
purchased and scattered among the farms,
and in 4 few years, with care, great
improvement in the stock might be effected.
There is no product of the farm in this
county, lying near the great cities, that is
SO surely and steadily remunerative as good
stock, whether horses, cattle, sheep or
hogs. Well-bred animals have the advant-
age over commoner kinds of stock-first in
being earlier ready for market; second, in
commanding a reader sale and higher
prices, because of finer quality; and third,
more weight for the amount of food con-
sumed in rearing and fattening. The diff
ference between stock farming and grain
farming is less hard work, with more
watchfulness and care on the part of the
former, and yearly return which can be
very nearly appropriated, with less outlay
for hired labor, little or none for foreign
manures, and q steady improvement in the
quality of the land. Grain farming is a
constant exhauster of the soil stock hus-
baudry is continual renovator of the land.
When stock is made the leading feature
of the farm, and grain the incidental, the
same quantity of land, when turned to
grain, will frequently yield double the
amount that land exhausted by hard and
continuous cropping will produce; and
this is especially true in a bad season.
Every farmer knows to his cost, what a
"poor show" he has for a remunerative
crop of grain, on thin land, in An unfa-
vorable season while on well enriched
soils, the crop will "pull through" and in
spite of unpropitious skies, make fair
yield.
Let any farmer, the approaching season,
for his own information and satisfaction,
keep an exact account of what his wheat
crop costs him. Let him first value the
land he puts in wheat, and charge it with
a reasonable rate of interest, as capital
invested. Next, keep careful account of
the cost of preparing the ground and get
ting in the crop. This will include hand
hire and board, wear and tear of teams,
and their feed cost of tools, seed and
manure and lastly, harvesting, threshing
and getting to market. When he balances
his receipts against expenses, let the season
be ever so favorable, he will como to the
conclusion that wheat raising, as a leading
business for farmers in Cecil, is almost the
poorest that farmers can turn their atten-
tion to. If such result is shown in a
"good season." what must be expected of
a "poor" one? Last year, the reward of
wheat farming in Cecil county was, as near
as we can ascertain, about eight bushels of
very inferior wheat to the acre. How do
such crops pay? They exhaust the soil
nearly as much as good crops, require as
much labor, and are reaped much oftener,
than what is considered full crop. Not
oftener than once in ten years is the farmer
rewarded with what he considers full
wheat crop.
Few thinking farmers can be found who
will contend that wheat raising is anything
more than losing business and if it were
not for the hay, stock and corn, potatoes,
ETC., that are produced, wheat growing in
Cecil county would soon bring their far ms
under the Sherif's hammer. Then, why
not turn attention to some other crop as a
leading feature Of the farm, and gradually
change the system of farming? Not sud
denly, but year by year plant fewer acres
in grain, and raise more improved stock.
Learn to economist in feeding, and get rid
of the slovenly and careless manner of car
ing for and foddering stock, so generally in
vogue among farmers.