The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-07-04
WESTERN FARMING.
An Eastern Wow of It's Alleged Wasteful.
ness.

Have farmers the right to complain
of bad seasons, hard times, etc, when
they conduct their business in waste
full and slovenly mannerP In recent
trip over a hundred miles across Ohio,
from near the eastern border to Column
bus, l could not help noticing the APP
pearance of wastefulness on many
farms. There were fields of corn not
yet husked, and many of the shocks
were down, looking as though much Of
The corn, as well as most OF the fodder,
would be spoiled. / saw some huge
piles of corn that had been husked and
shovelcd into railpens, in general West
ern style. IT farmer eXpends the
money and labor necessary to produce
a crop of corn, he should certainly see
to it that it is huskeG and carefully
cribbed in good substantial cribs before
the middle of W inter-. IE q great many
fields the fodder was still in shocks.
Stock had evidently been in the fields,
as many of the shocks we've torn down
and trampled into the mud. Sometimes
we would see fodder fei to cattle in
lanes; in some places it was being
hauled into the timber, So that the cat
tie might have what shelter the
Ieadess trees would afford. Corn fod-
der is easily stacked and it there is no
room for it in the barn it should be
stacked. 1t could then be fed on a
small, dry lot and much valuable ma
nure saved. IconSider it one of the
most important things connected with
preparing feed for stock to have the
corn cut at the proper time and save
the fodder in the best possible condition.
As food for mich COWS it is not sur
passed by any other kind of coarse feed.
In feeding cattle and all of my sheep,
except lambs, | always prefer to feed
fodder in the morning and hay at night.
After the corn has, been raised more
and better feed can be made with less
labor by taking care of the fodder than
by making hay or raising some Other
crop In many places where the wheat
had been thrashed the straw had beer
thrown over the ground to rot
/ Ii the straw and fodder is taken care
/ of and cut with feed cutter, mixed IL
large box, throwing water and oat
meal and bran, with little salt, over it
it makes better feed for cattle ant
horses than hay and corn. | have fec
nearly all my straw and fodder in tina
way this winter, and on cold days tinC
it pays to heat the water give thu
prepared feed to them while it is warm
We have often seen farmers and thei
hired men work like slaves through tn
hot months preparing supply OF fec
for the winter. When winter come
the wastefulness begins. The hire,
men are discharged. Much OF the stool
is without shelter, the straw and fodde
have not been saved; the feed is throw
out in wasteful manner, the idea be
ing to get the stock through, and whel
spring comes they rejoice to think tina
the long agony is over, and that tn
stock can again shift for themselves o
the ample pastures. Another strikin
instance of wastefulness is to see
large field in which there is a swamp
spring run, around which farmers hav
been working for generations. SA sma
outlay of time and money would dral
it. The whole field could then b
farmed with greater ease and COZ
venience than before, while the patch
waste land would become the most fe
tile spot in the field. We must improy
on our method of doing farm worl
the wasteiul features of early life mu
be eliminated. The farmer who SEE
the hardest times 4 generally the or
who is furthest behind the times. Co
Germantown Telegraph,