Sharp County record., 1878-10-03

it his dairy will be of his own raising,
and instead of drawing the larger part
of his summer earnings to pay "cow
notes. this money can be applied else
where. and the actual cost of the far
better COW will not be realized.
With decrease of cows and an actual
increase of the milk product, a part of
the farm may be used to supply the de-
ficient revenue. The farmer can then
raise the grain consumed on the farm.
A few years ago a field of wheat in
dairy section was a novelty, and the
merchant at the station found his most
paying customers to be grain-buying
farmers. This outlay can all be avoid
ed by simply putting in few acres of
corn and taking good care of it; and so
with wheat, oats, etc. But few men
realize, until the end of the year, how
much their -four bill actually amounts
to, and were they to raise every year
four acres of wheat, well put in, they
would soon stop large annual outlay.
A better cultivation of the soil must
also follow. The dry years and the
thousand enemies of the grass crop have
had telling effect upon the old pas
lures and meadows. The one is becom.
inc barren; moonshine" spots them
over, and sickly, spindling June grass
furnishes but scanty food, at best, for
the cow On an average, five acres are
required to summer COW, whereas two
acres could be mads-to answer even
better. The meadow is becoming
'bound" out, and the crop of the dad
dies' is almost unknown. The remedy
is-to turn these unproductive spots
over; not to crop them, but to stock
them down at once, and when they
again require it, do the same thing over.
The plow-lands will require most of the
supply of stable manure, but for grass
simply blowing and stocking down will
show surprising results, even without
manure, but better, of course, if manure
can be supplied.
Devote a portion of the farm to rails
ing young cattle, sheep, hogs-some-
thing that viii be growing into money
while you are sleeping. A few fat
heifers not required for the dairy are al
ways tempting bait for the local butch
er, and the swine that can be raised and
fattened with a well managed dairy, is
that much clear gain.
These additional aids to the revenues
of the farm might be pointed out to a
still greater extent, but the drift of our
subject can be readily comprehended.
We want more "strings to the bow"
and then if one breaks or gets weak, we
are not at the mercy of the enemy.
With decrease in the number of cows,
the same amount of milk can be secured,
the drafts made upon the revenue from
the dairy, for grain, can be avoided,
the flour bill can be abolished, the fer
tility of the soil can be increased, the
sale of Young stock can be added to the
credits of the farm, "cow debts'' made
thing of the past, and at the end of the
year, the farm will be found to have
yielded the old revenues of flush times
and high prices. If we can produce a
thing we are not compelled to buy it and
pay for it. This is an axiom that
should become motto with all farmers,
whatever their speciality has been. 1t
is often said that there is no evil without
good resulting, and if the hard times
and low prices compel men to farm bet
ter, economize more and manage better,
they may be "blessings in disguise. y
Practical Farmer.