The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-01-01
solLlEo.


SolLiEo.
eOme Of the Reasons Which Render ene
system Imprssticabls in the West.
A correspondent writes from Kansts:
II have read with great deal Of Inter-
est what has been said in the Rural and
Stockman concerning soiling. and | am
impressed with the profitableness of the
system under certain circumstances at
least. But what would like to inquire
is this: Do you recommend it under all
circumstances" In reply we would
xay that we have discussed soiling. so
far as the West is concerned, more as q
possibility of the future than as having
any special interest to Western farmers,
OIL the great mass of them, ut the pres
emit time. There is no need of soiling
on the average Western farm. The ele-
ments of the necessity do not exist as
they do in the East. where the farms
are smaller, and where it is desirable to
make every acre do the best. Generally
our farms consist of more acres than
we can use to advantage. We are land
rich or land poor, as you may choose.
The first element of the necessity OF
soiling is nigh price for land. That
exists in some parts Of the West. but not
In the West as q whole. That would re-
suit in smaller farms, and with smaller
farms we should be under the necessity
of changing our methods of agrieul-
ture to the end that We might
In,
most of the West we have the
best land in the world for soiling
purposes, for there is fitness in
land for the purpose which must never
be lost sight of if the system is to- be
made profitable There is land that s
suitable for nothing else but pasturing,
and it would be folly to attempt to do
ANYTHING else with it. Stumps, stones,
and an exceed NO profus on of hills
and hollows, for instance, invite to
pa,turage and nothing else. There
NAV be pieces of such land that may be
probably used for soiline, but as a
whole it can not be with any marked
success But ON Level, or comparatively
level land that is arabic, and worth
seventy five, or even fifty dollars al
acre. if labor is not too high, it will pay
to soil. There is no doubt about it,
the sage opinion of fancy dairy writer's
to the contrary Notwithstanding. In
the West labor is so high that it would
give many of us pause, before we
entered upon such an undertaking. Bat
as far as that is concerned, we think
we have shown in previous issues OF
the Rurdl and StOckman that if the
conditions exist to make the adoption
of the system desirable otherwise, it
can be made profitable notwithstand--
ing than farm labor is high. Very
often, in different parts of the country,
part of farm will be very hilly,. or
otherwise only fit for pasturage, while
the balance will be good tillable lasnd.
On such farm the soiling system will
permit the keeping of doable' the
amount of stock that could be kept if
stock was furnished nothing bat pas
ture.
But there is one thing. and a very I'M.
portant thing, for even the farmer who
is perfectly situated for soiling to re-
member. 1t is not best to make snl-
den and radical change from one sss-
tenn to another. Such changes in any
direction in matters of business do nos
work satisfactorily. Many, or, at least,
some. have no doubt failed for this very
reason, and are now among the few
who have given soiling any study what
ever, who declare it barren ideality.
The simplest things in life Gamble per-
formed well by the average man only
after some experience. Selling looks to
be easy, and certainly it is not comrnu-
nieated. Yet the majority, should pso-
pie rush into it suddenly, would fail tec
achieve the best possible results. TX is
best to begin on small scale. If the
stock of farm is added to beyond what
the pasture will carry, do not add all
shat experience suggests might have
been carried if the system had been
praeticed until it had become familiar
Reduce the pasture little year by year.
A good plan to test the merits OF the
system is to soil mornings and evenings,
permitting the cattle and other animals
to run on the pasture in the middle OF
the day. In this way the pastures will
be kept in good condition. and the cows
vii give a good flow of milk. ana soil
inc will recommend itself to the farmer
and dairyman. Professional dairymen
can introduce the soiling system, on a
large scale with more safety than the
general farmer can, for they are ,accus-
toned to grow and raise fodder to feed
when pastures are short. But as before
stated, the subject just now isnot OF
much practical interest to the. major
part of our western farming community.
1t is a great question whether We should
not be better Oh if our farms Were
smaller, and we,. strove to make our
land produce more. But the fact re-
mains that we have any quantity of
land, and while we have it. ssch a sys-
TEN as soiling is.scarcely practical with
u.s. Western RSrdl.