Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-02-06
TRUE ECONOMY.
Read by John Alathieson, before the Lansing
Formers Club, January Is, 1879.

this Club; although do not like excuses
or apologies, l hope you will bear with
me when 1 say that had ii been left to
me, I should have selected some other
subject, tor | do feel that I am not COM
petent to do anything like justice to this
one; but will do the best can. l shall
not try to draw the dividing line between
true economy and neglect or extravaganza
IN general, but coutine my remarks to
economy on the farm, its tools aud stock :,
leaving the household and personal ex.
to be noticed by some one
else.
In this section of country, nature gen.
orally has bestowed upon us rich soil,
and 1t is our duty as farmers to MAINTAIN
it 50 as TO transmit to those who follow
Us as rich fields as nature gave us. In
order to do this, three essentials are nec-
essary. They are, thorough culture, ma,
nure, and rotation Of crops. The last
point, had time, l should like to treat
at some length, believing it one of the
things that must be adopted before sue
cess is assured.
The failures IN farming are caused by
poor plowing, inferior seed half put in,
weeds in every corner to scatter
their seed the length and breadth Of the
land, burning straw or allowing it to go
to waste Old straw, not used for feed or
bedding for stock, should be hauled into
the cow yard or to the compost heap,
along with all weeds that are moved be-
fore the seeds mature, and all waste stuff
of every kind that is capable Of being
made into manure. Let every farmer
who has neglected this kind Of saving
follow up this suggestion the coming
summer and he will be surprised at the
amount he will accumulate during the
season, and if not as good as that taken
from his stable, still it is better than none.
As farming is now done it has become
nccessaryto to use good deal Of machinery,
and we think it true economy to get such
as will do the work better
and lessen labor. would say to all who
think Of buying machinery because 1t
would be "handy to have" remember the
old saying, ''ere fancy you consult, con-
suit your purse" No tool of any kind
should be bought unless it is we'll and
substantially made. And then when you
have it, use it carefully, and house it i'm
mediatelY on getting through with it for
the season. Don't leave it standing in
the fence corners rotting and shaming
you every time you look at it. If you
ale able to buy the machinery you are
certainly able to buy few hundred feet
Of lumber; and a few loads Of slough
grass or straw will make roof sufficient
to protect the machinery from the weather
until you can put up such a building as
you ought to have.
On the sub bject Of keeping stock wish
to speak more particularly than on any
other, for there are many reasons why it
is true economy to keep all the stock you
can feed and shelter. It is undoubtedly
profitable to keep horses, sheep and hogs,
but shall notice more particularly of
cattle. l do not think it would be aavis.
able for farmers generally to keep thor
oughbred or registered stock, as they are
called, at the fictitious prices they are held
at, but / think We will all agree that we
ought to keep grades as near pure as we
can. There is difference of opinion
among intelligent stock men as to which
is the best to keep. Some think the
Durham, others the Devon, still others
the Holstien, while some prefer the
Harfor to either; but think that almost
all will agree with me III saying that
either is preferable to the old native
scrubs so common in Minnesota. If we
are agreed that we ought 10 keep the best
cattle, and all that can be kept, so as to
consume all the course feed that is raised
On the farm, let us look for moment
and sec if we shelter and feed them as
they ought to be. will risk the charge
Of prejudice against the country OF my
adoption, when I say do not think it
would be profitable investment for
Uncle Sam or Brother Jonathan to apply
for patent in any other country on our
American system, for don't think there
is the least danger of any civilized coun-
try under the sun adopting it. With
even those who have comfortable barns,
and stable their stock all night, and then
turn out to fodder in the morning, no
matter what the weather may be, and
them to stand and shiver in the
cold all day, this also would be a poor
plan to adopt. Twill give an illustration:
believe the coolest day we had this
winter, the mercury nearly 20 degrees
below zero, l passed the barn-yard of
neighbor, who thinks he takes excellent
care Of his stock, and is considered by
his neighbors an economical and careful
man, and yet in that piercing, biting air
and freezing wind, 1,saw his stock, even
to his last spring calves, stand shivering
in the cold. l believe every one of US
who does such thing ought to be pun
ished by law for cruelty to animals. In
other countries where the mercury never
runs down to zero, their cattle, it turned
out at all, are only long enough to drink,
and are Immediately. returned to their
warm stalls where ice never forms the
winte: through.
may be mistaken, but do think that
in the small number and the shiftless
manner in which we keep our stock,
we find the greatest failure in true econ
omy. Think, by the use of warm stables
and liberal feeding, we might easily OBJ
s~AAA - "SA6AS Ou OuA olONh Ill wv SCdlS
that now takes US three. And then with
a full stock, and good farming, we can
see the best solution of the question, how
are we to maintain the fertility of our
land? The farmer who keeps his stock
In warm stables, we'll bedded down, clean
ing out his stable every morning, will
have manure enough in the spring, to
pay him for the extra labor, were there
no other advantage about 1t, over the
system Of letting cattle stand in
open sheds, or shiver around the straw
stacks.
These are few ideas hurriedly thrown
together, without proper arrangement,
for l neglected my time in the early part
of the week, and had to finish at the
eleventh hour, as best I could.
The O16Dcn FrankllI5Dodge.
Among those people who are most dis
at the high rats Of interest in
Minnesota. while in The eastern States six
and. seven per cent. are the ruling rates,