The National tribune., 1884-09-04
OUR RURS2 TOPICS,
Some Practical aasSsulsgestions aSsl for Our
Idt gn
Agricultural Readers.
BUSINESS nE4alopg2. ON THE FARM.

L
ried on with such total disregard to all business
principles as farmAaga dWere the merchants, /
bankers and manufacturers Of our country to
way that large percentage of the farmers do, |
ruin would soon stare them in the face,--or,
rather, they would never be able to start their |
enterprises at al, and it is nothing but the in
hereut vitality of agricultural pursuits and /
the kindness of mother earth that saves the
farmer from the penalty of his slipshod manner
of conducting business.
When manufacturer has completed ma
chine or implement his books will show him to
a fraction of cent what its prime cost Is ;.but
it is very rarely that a farmer can more than
approximate what q steer which he has just
handed over to the butcher has cost him. The
manufacturer can look over the cost of his pro-
ductions item by item, and can thereby see
numerous ways of eeonomizing on this and
that point thereby largely adding to his pro-
fits; but the farmer, through lack of business
tact or, it seems, in some instances, from want
of interest in his calling, has no means of study
ing how by different management he might
have raised his product at less expense. The
merchant in laying in his stock of goods calcu-
laEoS MS pr0HCS on ARTICLES 10 1t
of cent and, as far as his business will permit
it. eliminates the proftless ones as soon as pos
sibe. Yet the farmer keeps on year after year
feeding number of proftless cows that yield
wretched percentage-if any at all-on his
original outlay. He may have, say, 10 cows,
and out of that number strict account Will
show him that three or four may be vastly in
ferior to the others, giving, probably, several
pounds less butter per week. Yet these infer
ior animals take just as much care and feed as
the Others do Now, by having record kept
from week TO week he would soon see what
large loser he is, and, if he wished could soon
find a remedy.
great many farmers, too, do not keep abreast
of the times in their business While the mer-
chant is ever anxious to handle new styles of
goods and the manufacturer is on the lookout
all the time for new appliances, the average
farmer seems content to run in the same groove
from generation to generation, despising what
he calls useless innovations and book farm
ing"
1t would take but few minutes in the even
| ing to keep All account book and there can be
no doubt that it would add largely to the farm
| er's income. He could then see where his
| profits and where his losses came from where
| he could weed out non-paying COW from his
| herd, and where he could leave off cultiyating
| q proftless crop.
| Let our farmers carry on their business with
/
and loss that men of other callings do, and they
will have no reason TO complain that they have
chosen agriculture for their calling in life.
SHADE TREES
A few well-forned trees along the fence
rows and even scattered here and there in the
open fields, add greatly TO the appearance and
value of farm attle9sheep and other farm
| animals suffer greatly from the hot sun when
| confined in shadeless pasture In Midsummer.
| They will seek thesiight protection from the
| broiling sun fence may afford, or stand hud-
died together for hours, with their heads shaded
by each other, in a most unhealthful manner.
Animals thus exposed do not give the best re-
turns TO their owners, and for this reason, If
| not for comforts sake, they should be provided
| with shade. Some farmers object to trees in the
pasture because their shade is too inviting and
keeps the livestock from feeding. Farm ami
| mails need not Craze all the time, and, with
good pasturage, can get all the grass they need
in the cool portions of the day, between which
| they should have refreshing shade for chewing
| the eud of contentmenE Men are not the only
! creatures that may be sssn5truck; cows unduly
exposed to heat frequently become sick, quickly
falling off in milk, and may require weeks of
expensive nursing to bring them back to good
| health. Trees are an obstruction to the culti-
vation of field, and occupy the soil for several
feet around them, to the exclusion of grain or
other crops, and therefore it is best to plant
fences. The tired laborer is thankful for few
minutes of shade and rest, and doubtless viii
do more work by taking an occasional breath
ing spell under a tree. A tree In midfeld may
be chestnut or hickory and make good re-
turns for the space it occupies in nuts, as well
as refreshing shade. In many fields there is a
low place with a spring or small running
stream, and is well fitted for group of trees.
In short, any part of field not suited to eulti-
yation may prohtably grow few trees, thus
affording retreat for the live stock from the
midday sun and driving storms. If the pasture
has no shade trees it viii pay to provide tenn
porary shelter. Four strong posts with forks
at the top may support two poles; across these
lay smaller poles for rafters. The top may be
covered with straw, swale hay, or if more con-
venient brush may be cut and laid upon the
skeleton roof-Amerieaa Asriculturist
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST DRoUTH.
While we cannot influence the rainfall we
can, at least mitigate the effects of drouth to a
certain extent by proper preparation and
] cultivation of the soil 1t is a we'll known
fact that when the soil is kept in a loose, fine,
friable condition, it not only ahsorbs moisture
from the atmosphere, especially at night, but
allows the downward course of the water
during showers instead Of loss by flowing off,
as is the case when the surface is hard. loose,
j deep soil also permits an upward tendency of
water by capillary attraction, the loose soil
; ABSORPTION when rains are abundant We
therefore find in times of severe drouth that
the frequent use of the cultivator, even when
: the soil apparently does not require working,
is very beneficial, the greenish tinge of the
growing corn giving evidence that the con-
slant string of the soil enables the crop to
derive certain proportion of moisture that ii
would not otherwise obtain.-P Philadelphia Re
cord.
SUCCESSFUL ENGLISH DAIRY.
: The Orange Co. On. Y Farmer gives the fol
lowing instance of successful dairy farming in
j England: A farm of 318 acres, renting for SIC
an acre and containing 252 acres of pasture and
: 66 acres of arabic land, sent to the Sudbury
. Dairy, in 1882 80, 1884 gallons of milk, receiv.
a ing therefor $5,937.50, or about $3.50 an acre
e income The price of the milk ranged from 6!
I ! to 81 pence per gallon of 10pounds four ounces
! about 13 to 10 cents. This is equivalent te
a 1858 pounds of milk to the acre, or 1875 pound:
. of cheese, a very good return for whole farm.
: VALUE OF SHEEP.
!. most convincing argument In favor O.
. sheep husbandry COMES from Georgia. 1t i,
stated that an acre of land which in 1880 pro
duced only 500 pounds of seed cotton was ma
y nured only by havihg50 sheep penned OF con
q fined ON it 20 nights, and in 1881 the produce
= . was increased to 1900 pounds, or tripled. To
increase the fertility Of the soil is not the only
e advantage derived from keeping sheep. They
o are remarkably seryiceabfe in deyouring briars