The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-08-18
Farmers, Banes and Their Remedies.

The farm ought to be the farmers
bank, to be trusted with his spare dol
lars not needed by himself and family,
safe from defaulting savings banks,
trustees and clerks, and the disasters OF
stock speculation. Better invested in
the farm in these days Of low interests,
when saving banks and towns pay only
about four per cent. interest, and Z. ).
four per cent bonds not even 50 much.
after paying in the neighbOrhoOd Of 20
per cent. premium, which they now
command in the markets and yet the
farmers in a body, will sell hay for SIS
to $40 per ton, often for S12 to Sl4 to be
sent in bales to the cities, while it ought
to be consumed on the farm, thereby
selling off little piece Of his ancestral
farm until it is all gone, 50 far as its
value and fertility is concerned, and
helping to fill the pockets of the mid
dlemen who thrives by the foOlishness of
others. Thus such farmer, during their
lifetime, may rake a few Thousand dol
lars from the farm if they have be en-
lucky, place it in other investments out
side, which they may look upon wit b
satisfaction towards their sunset of life,
and eXclaim, see, all this / have made
from selling hay off the farm, and the
farm left but, alas what farm COM
pared with the ancestral farm of fifty
years ago; with four oxen and six or sew
en- COWS, and the pIopoTtionate number
Of young cattle that once graced the
stalls of the, average farmer Of that
day. By strange metamorphOsis the
oxen have have become old team horses,
so poor that their hips almhst protru de
through the skin, laboring, both they
and their masters at starvation prices,
drawing cord wood and saw logs for the
lumber speculator, who ride by in their
top buggies with splendid outfit.
Now we are talking about these hay
selling farmers. let US go into the corn
chambers that their fathers built over
the great beams of the barn, which we're
annually spread deep with corn from
one end to the other-tbere is nothing
here now but old farm trumpeIy here
rat would starve even the old corn
smell has long since passed away--it
haunts him like ghoSt-he has to meet
1t once year at least--I mean a great
store bill for Western corn and meal,
This comes of hay selling. The hay
sold brings no manure 70 manure, no
corn the corn must be bought to feed
the teams and other farm stock out Of
the sales of the hay. When that is done
what is left "Of two evils, choose
the least" If must do either let ne
buy hay rather than sell.
Another bane to the farmer is to feed
the moving fields with cattle in the fall
before coming to the barn nothing viii
rundown the hay land SO much as this
pernaciOus pTactice-mOre rapidly than
selling hay. The aftermath, if suffered
to remain in the grass roots and rot, is
both mulch and manure it prevents
the sun of summer and the trosts Of
winter from injuring the grass roots.
We have been told this by the editor of
the Farmer for many year, yet we suf-
fered it to ''pass by US in the idle wind
we respect not" l. for one, have put
it in practice for three years past, and
the hay crop has nearly doubled. But
what is to feed the cattle from the dried
up pastures for about six weeks before
coming to the barn at the ordinary
time The remedy is fodder corn, that
grows mainly from the air, if we judge
from appearance, as it grows where
nothing else will, without the trouble Of
curing it for winter storage, without the
aid Of silOs, to the enlaTging Of the ma
nUre pile.-C0r. NezC England Farmer.