Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1879-02-01
FARM TOPICS.

capital; on this depends largely his sue
cess or failure, and his great anxiety
should be how best to keep it up to the
highest point, at the least expense. 1t
is a we'll known fact that it is much easier
to keep it up as we go along, than, after
il has been allowed to run down, to
make spasmodic efforts TO restore its
former vigor. 1t does not pay to raise
small crops of any kind; medium crops
may Just pay expenses, while that part
of large crop which is in excess of the
medium crop, is nearly all profit. Hence
we know where to look for our profit,
and study to devise the best means Of
enriching our lands at the least expense.
There are several ways suggested. One
man feeds stock another plows clover
under; another buys commercial fertil-
izers. The Western man uses up all the
fertility of the soil, and then goes farther
west to repeat the process. | have seen
something of this system, having known
lands in Central Illinois which few
years ago produced 100 bushels of ears
of corn, and which now produce but Is
bushels in favorable season. They tell
us that this soil will never wear out: /
know of none that wears out quicker.
The same is the case in our Eastern
States. The writer was on some New
England farms, some months ago. that
had once been the home of thrifty but
improvident people. The life of the
land was gone; families were separated,
and there was dull prospect for a
young man to begin life on such an i'm
pOverished farm, so these bright boys
from the New England hill-sides seek
other and more lucrative avocations.
They are full of energy and vitality, in
ured to the rigor of the climate, and the
rough, hard land. Agriculture can not
afford to sacrifice such men. If farmers
wish to keep their sons at home, they
must keep up the fertility of the soil.
Stock feeding is one of the most i'm
portant branches of farming, and re-
quires much judgment, care and atten-
ton. A prominent man said that TO be /
successful with flowers you must love
land so to be successful with stock |
you must love stock. The venerable 1
John Johnston once told the writer that /
he owed his fortune and his reputation |
as a farmer to one pile of manure. !
While poor and in debt he bought an |
30 acres on which there was |
an old barnyard containing accumula-
to be mine of wealth. He applied it
to his crops which in turn gave great
returns, and this not only gave him no.
toriety as good cultivator, but gave him
credit with monyed men, who freely ten
dered him all the funds he desired to
buy stock with. After securing an
immense crop of corn, he fed it to stock
and made another great quantity of val
liable manure, and so on, year after
year. Mr.. J. has fed thousands of
sheep and vast numbers of cattle. 1t
has been stated that in Is years of sheep
feeding, buying in the fall and selling in
the winter or spring, he never but once
failed in getting pay for his feed, and
handsome profit on the investment.
This shows that his judgment must
have been superior, and that the stock
had his personal and individual atten-
ton.
A wealthy stock. farmer in Pennsylva-
MIA once told the writer that one drove
Of cattle will half feed the next; mean
ing that by applying the manure from
one lot of cattle to the ground intended
for corn, the crop would be much larger,
and that thi, increased yield would cost
almost nothing, while the extra burden
Of stalks would certainly make the in
crease donation year after year. After
The farm has become rich, it costs al.
most nothing to feed stock. as they will
i've on the surplus. believe it costs
30 cents per bushel to raise corn, when
you only raise so bushel of ears to the
acre, but when $50 bushels of ears are
raised, the cost is reduced to less than
10 cents per bushel.-Cor. Country Gen
iemdn.
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