Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-07-07
The Agricultural Editor.

Dyke Fortescue rambled into the
office of a rural newspaper published in
the interest of a small class of rural
readers and named the Farms Friend
and CuNivators' Champion. Dyke was
fresh from Denver, where he had been
doing local work on a daily. He wanted
a situation-he wanted it badly, and he
SOC closed a bargain with the proprie-
tor of the Farmers Friend and Cult-
gators Champion. The proprietor in
tended to be absent for two weeks, and
Dyke undertook to hold the journals
head steadily up stream until his re-
turn.
"You will receive some visitors, quite
likely" said the proprietor. ..Enter-
tain 'em. Entertain 'em in q manner
which will reflect credit upon the paper.
They will want to talk stock, farming,
horticulture, etc, you know. Give it
to 'em strong"
Dyke bowed, borrowed a %half-dollar,
got a clean shave and a glass of beer,
and soon returned to face the music and
edit the first agricultural journal with
which he had ever been connected.
81 can feel that, with my journalistic
experience, it will be just fun to run
an agricultural paper" said Dyke to
himself.
At two o'clock p. m. the first visitor
showed up at the door of the office, and
Dyke cordially invited him inside. The
farmer entered hesitatingly and re-
marked that he had expected to meet
the proprietor, with whom he had an
appointment to discuss ensilage.
al am in charge of the Journal" said
Dyke.
40, you are. Well, you seem to have
a pretty clean Office here"
EYES," replied Dyke. "But about
this ensilagge: Ensilage is a pretty good
"Breed!" exclaimed the farmer,
"why-"
"imean its a sure crop; something
that you a rely"
eyes, yes, 1 know it isn't a CROP"
said Dyke, perspiring until his collar
began to melt away down the back of
his neck, ''but you can do better and
cleaner work with a good sharp ensilage
on stubbY ground than"
"Take it for a sulky pillow, do you?"
"No, no." said Dyke. 'You don't
seem to understand me. Now, if a
farmer builds an ensilage on low
ground"
"Builds an ensilage! You seem to
have got the thing mixed up with some
kind Of a granary.
"Pshaw, no." continued Dyke. 81
must make myself palmer. You see,
this ensilage properly mixed with one
part guano and three parts of hypophos-
phate of anthony, with the addition Of
a little bran and tan-bark, and the
whole favored with chloride of lime.
makes a top-dressing for strawberry
beds which"
"Why, ensilage isn't no manure"
"No. certainly not" said Dyke. Il
know it is not often used in that way.
You don't catch my drift. When I said
top-dressing l meant turkey dressing
stuffing, you know-for Thanksgiv-
ing"
"Great heavens, man! Ensilage isn't
a human food!"
"No, not a human food exactly"
said poor Dyke, grinning like an aims
house idiot, sit isn't a food at all, in the
true sense of the word. Ny plan has
always been to lasso the hog with a
trace chain and after pinning his ears
back with a clothes pin, put the ensi-
lage into his lose with a pair of twees.
ers."
..My good lands! You don't use en-
silage to ring hogs"
II never believed that it should be
used for that purpose, but when you
want to ring hens, or young calves to
keep them from sucking"
The farmer gravely shook his head.
"Did you ever try ensilage on the
hired GIRL" said Dyke, desperately,
and winking like a bat at IL 80 a. m.
The farmer slowly arose, and with
some evidence of rheumatic twinges in
his legs.
"Young man," he said, solemnly,
"you are a long ways from home, amt
you?"
eyes, replied Dyke, dropping his
eyes beneath the stern glances Of the
farmer. ''In my ancestral halls in
England, sad-eyed retainers YEARLY
watch and wait for my return"
$50 home, young man, go home to
your feudal castle, and while on your
way across the rolling deep, muse on
the fact that ensilage is simply canned
food for live stock-put up expressly
for family use in a silo, which is moth
ing less than an air-tight pit where corn
stalks, grass, millet, clover, alfalfa and
other green truck is preserved for win
ter use, as green and verdant as the
s%ub-editor Of the Farmers Friend and
Cultivators' Champion"
And Dyke Fortescue sighed as he re-
marked to himself: s'There amt 50,
blamed much fun in running an agri.
cultural paper as I thought "-Isaas
Syif5smgs.
Saved Money.
The other day a man went into the
Merchants Bank, and, drawing the
President aside, said:
81 am the cause, sir, of saving you
four dollars. It's a small sum, it is
true, but still it amounts to something"
"HoW have YOU been the means Of NV