The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-02-21
egzaL Leaks upon the Farm.

1t is not unc6mnon TO Hear those
who make. farming. or, rather, attempt
to make farming an occupation, COM
plain that farming does not pay.5 If.
such cases are 1investi gated it will be
found that the trouble lies actin farm.
ing as an occupation. but in the farmer
himself If cistern had a pipe empty
ing into it at the rate. of. ten thousand
barrels per year, and had forty small
pipes discharging at the rate of twelve
thousand barrels per year, it would be
as reasonable to expect tho cistern to
be filed as to look for success on the
part of a neglectful farmer ass3 aa r..
1t is an exceedingly difficult matter
to succeed in film z a vessel with water
if it is in such a condition that the
fuid leaks away nearly as rapidly is it
is placed therein and seVery farmer
knows its but, at the. same time, that
self-same farmer, whose farm is sub
iect.tOs continual and nuIne pousi leaks,
wonders why he can not, suecced as well
as his neighbor does, or else COM
plains that farming does not pay. -.-s usa
In the first place, commencing with
the beginning of the year, if a farmer
fails to procure and prepare for use a
suitable quantity of fuel for the year, he
can mark down a leakage which in
gI6S4SEp~4A NOAui14S- gt4SI IL pAOp0L tIOn do
he is obliged to omit more important
work to furnish a temporary supply.
To be compelled to suspend planning,
hoeing,. haying or harvesting to get'a
load of wood and chop it is a drawback
of serious nature; it is a
leak in farming. Another leak
is. Oecasi0ned by want of care of
animals during winter, with q view
of economizingi fodder. Am animal
that is not carried through the winter
in good condition will hardly more than
get up in good flesh before the approach
of another winter, and, in the case of
COWS there is a great loss in value and
quantity of. milk and in oxen in the
amount of labor that they are able to
perform, and in young stock in the
stunted growth which comes from poor
care. Such practice is a leak in farm
ing that is sometimes quite large. A
case comes. to Ihind in (which the wiEter
was commenced with fourteen calves,
and the spring found only seven alive.
1t is a serious leak that viii Rll0Wira
calf to slip away.rl The application of
manure may rbe so iniadiciOtfs that a
large part of its virtue becomes una
vailable. That Is a leak of the. most
serious nature. For instance, If a soil
be sandy or gTavelly, if manure is
plowed in TO any considerable depth, its
virtue is carried by descending water
so deep into the earth as to be beyond
the reach of ordinary crops. Manure
forms very important element in the
farmer stock in business, and its loss
is equivalents to an extensive leakage.
The proper cultivation of crops is a
matter that presents itself very forcibIy
to evervintelhgent farmer All grsJrg-
inrr rnla al from tho sol a
tain amount of fertility; and SO, If
5cropsj ARE not properly tended, the fer
tility is entirely misdirected when it
goes to hoJtrish weeds, to the detriment
of the cultivated crops, and this forms
another leakage in farming -.--s,
If crops are not harvested at the
proper time their value is very much
deteriorarGd. Hay may be allowed to
stand until all the starch, sugar and
gums are converted into woody fiber,
whereby the same is not worth for feed
ing pun poses sone-hah what it would
have been if cutin season This causes
a serious leak both in the value of the
hay and in the effect upon animals that
are compelled to. eat it. #f
The cutting up or harvesting of corn
NAV be so long DELAYED as to almost
wholly ruin the fodder, whereby anoth-
er leak is occasiOned. -'-+-
Large quantities of refuse material
that would add much to the fertility Of
a farm, instead of being accumulated
and utilized, are allowed to go to waste
and serve no good purpose. Here is
another leak that has an important in
tiuence on success z taf
Again, good fences are q necessity
upon every farm, both for the protec-
ton of crops and to save time in hunt
ing foT strayed animals.
Any cause that takes the farmer and
his employees from necessary labor af-4
feets the general result, upon the prin-
pie that time is money! and time
spent in search of estrays IS so much
labor or time for labor lost from legiti-
mate farm work; itcauses a leak. Now.
if any farmers have any leaks of the
kind designated, let them commence
repairs at once, and a years experience
under the new order of things will be
Of inestimable value in encouraging to
better things IPfklEGnl H. YeongRs, IN
Boston Globe.