Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-11-24

by l00horse power engine. Tn
building il, In fact, grain elevator
1t has appliances TO load and unloat
% wagons. 1t also contains grist mill
A smallsteam engine drives machin
used iorgrading grain. There are tw,
portable engines to do miscellaneou
!. work on tho farm. Except for the tw,
last mentioned engines and the Traction
engine, they are all driven by steam
from the bank of boilers in the puml
= house beside the big we'll The strean
; is distributed on the Holly system al
over Garden City for heating purposes
and wherever a pipe has been laid i
may be tapped for power as well al
for heat. The 100.horse,power en-
) gine in the grain warehouse, although
it is nearly mile from the boilers il
the pump house, starts instantly wher
the engineer opens the valve.
To man who rides casually over
this great farm, several things will
seem remarkable. He may trot his
horse anywhere, in or out of the
splendid roads, except where the land
had been broken up for crops. The
meadow and pasture land offers no
serious unevonness to the wheels, and
there are no fences to trouble him,
He will only see two buildings that
may properly be called barns, but
cribs and well.roofed haystacks he will
sec all about him. He will see sheep
but no cows. With the flock of sheep
be will notice a shepherd boy, summing
himself on the grass and attended by
an alert dog. The sheep are herdod
allday, and at night they are shut up
in a dog proof corral, Farmer Hins.
dale has strong opinions regard to
fences, lie believes that the cost of
their construction and repair consumes
a great portion of the farmers very
narrow margin of profit.
"Butwhat will farmers do with their
cows 2' he was asked.
"Keep them up in yards and feed
them on green stuff from the farm"
was Mr.. Hinsdalc reply. They thrive
well in that way. They can be kept
more cheaply that way, all things con
sderod. There are about a dozen cows
in and about Garden City, but you will
not see them wandering about over
the land"
"But how about the fences p
~ don't take the pains even tokeop
those fences up. Each man must take
care of his own cattle. | take care Of
mine. Some of my neighbors called
on me soon after ! began here to say
that they had heard did not intend
to make my halt of the fences between
them and the Stewart farm. told
them what they had heard was the
truth. We'll said they, how about
the cattlcy oh therell be no trouble
about that | replied III take care
that my cattle shall not hurt your
crops But, said they, after a spell Of
wonderment and hesitation, how about
our cattle? Suppose thcy damage
your crops p 'Ohl that will not make
any difference to me, said |. I'D just
as sleavosell crop half grown as TO wait
and sell it when it is grown. If you
choose to feed your cattle on my crops
you can do so. That will be the
quickest market | can have for my
produce! They didn't like it and some
do not like it yet, but the majority are
beginning to understand the matter
rightly and are coming over to my
way Of thinking 1 have had very
little trouble"
4 study OF the natural growths on
the land showed that il chiefly lacked
potash, There was largo amount OF
excellent vegetable mould, but it was
chemically locked up by an acidity
peculiar to it. The "open sesame" lies
in the use of alkali. An application OF
alkali makes it very fertile. There is
a tough, unyielding sod filled with
strong roots and clothed with sedgy
grass. The natural drainage is nearly
perfect. There is no inflration into
the soil from the ocean, because the
land is high above the sea level. 1t is
estimated that three.iourths OF the
rainfall sinks into the porous soil.
The subsoil of silitious gravel and sand
receives this water, but allows 1t to
trickle slowly away with this south
ward dip Of the land. Mr.. Hinsdale
describes his method of utilizing this
land for crops as follows;
When the tough sod is first turned
over buckwhoat is sown. Buckwheat
disintegrates the soil. 1t grow srap.
idly. Its roots are strong and pierre
ing, and its luxurianoe covers the sur.
face and keeps it moist. The fertilizer
used is pulvorized bone. Two hundred |
pounds per acre secures good crop. |
For this land generally, the practice
had been to apply leached ashes to a
large extent, but it was found practi-
cable to substitute for the ashes the re.
iuse lime from gas works. This has
all the properties Of the ashes, and 1t
can be got for little over the cost Of
transportation. The lime usually fol- |
lows the bone fertilizer. Great care is
required in using chemical substances |
for fertilizers lest one should counter
act the effects of another. The next
crop alter the buckwhoat is corn
which is planted with well compostod
stable manure put in the hill The
crop obtained by this streatmentis is good,
the yield being about sixty bushels OF
shelled corn TO the acre. The next |
crop in order in the process Of sabdu.
ing the land, is oats. 1t is put in with
an application Of chemical fertilizer
composed of muriatc Of potash, nitrate
of soda, and a super phosphate of lime.
These chemicals are not found as com
ponent parts Of refuse matter, but are
bought from dealers in chemicals un.
der guaranteed analyses. They are
tested on the farm, and then mixed by |
steam power The proportions were
decided upon after an experience with
the soil, and Notwithstanding the for
midabe names OF the chemicals, the |
cost Of this fertilizer laid down at the
Garden City depot is only " an acre.
Ono reason for the slight cost is that
much good judgment is used in the
purchases, aud another reason is that
very little Of the fertilizer goes great
way. Tho machine which distributes
the seed oats is furnished with many |
teeth. Each tooth is hollow. AS n
tooth is dragged through the soil it
makes furrow, while the oats mixed
with the fertilizer, which is in the form
of a powder, are deposited through it,
The earth at the sides OF the little
furrow falling back into il behind tho
tooth makes a sufficient covering Tor
the oats. In this way the small amount