Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-11-01
WALKS AMONG FARMERS.
BY L. III. BOWEN.

culture, timely and skllltul harvesting
with iudiciOus use or marketing. Th,
same law holds in the human species
and also with all machinery and inani
mate things. There must be GOO
foundation good blooO, a wise incep
ton or plan, strict execution of tn
same, and careful use after it is ma
turcd.
In the words of Eli Elliot (see Aug
No of Journal, it is also observable
that good blood, good care, good cattle
and good prices 60 together" That i
to say, that man who thinks it wortl
while to get good blood, will be sensible
enough to give it good care, and O
course good cattle will be the result, AM
having an appreciation OF their value
he will demand and receive a goo,
price. The scripture man would wor,
it differently by saying, First seek til,
Kingdom of God and His righteousness
and all other things shall be added
A good start in the moral world is quit,
as important as i'll the physical.
a definition that would apply t,
everything conceivable could be elabor
ated, like the algebraic Y. 1t woul'
involve the following:
l. Good Pedigree.
2. Favorable Inception or Conception
3. Healthy Birth.
4. Proper Nutrition.
5. Timely Training or Culture.
6. Carefully Preserved at Maturity
I. Wise Application to Purpose In
tended
These would admit of several sub
heads, bnt they will cover the genera
principles. If this be applied to corn i
would read: Good seed corn, planted
properly in good soil, with a favorable
wind and weather, giving vigorous
plant; careful cultivation so that all the
elements of growth may be realized
timely harvested and housed; and judi
ciously fed or profitably sold"
If applied to calf, it would read
Healthy parentage from best stock
conception under favorable circum
stances; such care of parent as would
insure a healthy birth: feed adapted tC
its best development for the purpose in
tended; the formation of habits of eat
ing, repose and labor as required; kept
in health when matured and sold OF
used as the case might demand "
The application can be easily made tc
a strawberry, child or anything else
The question might arise, IF one law
governs all, why cannot one person dc
everything?' Simply because no one
person can know everything, or have
time to attend to the necessary details
required for each case If we take q
or grape, for example, see
what first must be known. First we
must learn the nature and wants of the
plants. Then which is the best Next
comes the kind of soil, and mode of
planting, with a knowledge of the re-
quired climate and surroundings. Then
follows the system of training and cul-
ture And finally, it's harvesting, mar
keting or manufacture This is not the
work of a day or year. We must also
become acquainted with the enemies of
the plant so as to preserve its health
Now where will you find person with
a capacity to know all these particulars
of everything? 1t is true, that thought
full men, having had long experience in
one branch, will succeed well in another
if they see fit to apply their knowledge
A successful breeder of horses would
soon become the same of cattle, or any.
thing else, by applying his talents in
that direction. The only barrier would
be the want of time or taste to fit him
self for it. Tbs train of thought has
been induced by visits among farmers
and specialists, and may not be bad
reading for the season.
SWEET CORN
This season will make thousands of
converts to the use OF sweet corn as a
field crop for hogs and cattle. 1t is not
a new notion, but nevertheless is new
to most Iowa farmers. | tested it my
self twenty years ago, and have preach,
ed and practised it ever since. Last
year (see previous article in Journal
| noted its increase in this section
Asa G. Bowen then had seven acres
This year he has twelve. He com
menced cutting August lst for his hun
dred and twenty hogs, wagon load per
day, and August 10th the drouth threat
ened shrinkage in his cows, which he
has prevented by feeding them. The
amount of feed to the acre is simply
He drills it one way, and
as far as he desires potatoes, uses an
alternate row three feet apart.
Dewitt Paine has half dozen acres
this year, and both these gentlemen are
receiving orders for seed. | have heard
many say that no year will pass without
their having at least few acres. |
write about this again, because it is i'm
possible to impress it too strongly upon
minds of farmers. Among other argu-
ments, take this opportunity to men
ton that it saves the field corn.
No just estimate can be made OF the
waste caused by commencing too early
to feed from the oat and corn crops.
Very many get short of old corn, and as
soon as the oats are cut begin to feed in
the sheaf This is great waste. Horses
will not do well on it, though they con-
sumo and destroy it by the shock.
Again, the green corn is plucked as soon
rs in the roasting ear, to feed horses and
hogs, at an immense sacrifice. With a
large klnu OF corp, anu rev StalkS 10
the rod, it should be allowed to mature
Every farmer should aim to get through
without breaking into his cOrnfeld till
it is matured. TO prevent it, let him
plant in drills the sweet corn, or even
Yankee corn that will come early and
be plentiful to the rod, so that he can
afford to cut it early for feed. On this
hogs and cattle will do well, using all
the stalks as well as corn, giving him
Fat hogs in September and October, with
l good square corn field to fill his cribs,
so that next year he can have plenty of
I'D corn to use and fat hogs in April,
May, June, July and all the time.
BIG HAY CROP.
DR.. S. Cummings, of Sand Spring, has
ten acres of timothy and clover which
yielded forty good round tons Of hay.
He top-dresses his meadow Immediately
after haying each year. The hay crop
n Northern Iowa is all good this year
out this is the best yield [ have known
~ Al