The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-06-20
WESTERN FARMING.
An Eastern View of Its Alleged wasteful-
ness.

ness.
Have farmers the right to complain
of bad seasons, hard times, etc, when
they conduct their business in waste
full and slovenly manner? In a recent
trip over a hundred miles across Ohio.
from near the eastern border to Column
bus, 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
shoveled into rail-pens, in general West
ern style. Ii a farmer eXpends the
money and labor necessary to produce
crop Of corn, he shopkl certainly see
to it that it is huskcd and carefully
cribbed in good substantial cribs before
the middle of W inter-. In great many
fields the fodder was still in shocks.
Stock had evidently been in the fields,
as many of the shocks were torn down
and trampled into the mud. Sometimes
we woul | see TO Ider fed to cattle in
lanes; in some places it was being
hauled into the timber, so that the cat
tie might have what shelter the
leahess trees would afford. Corn fod-
der is easily stacked and if 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. consider 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 been
thrown over the ground to rot
If the straw and fodder is taken care
of and cut with feed cutter. mixed in
large box, throwing water and oat-
meal and bran, with a little salt. over it,
it makes better feed for cattle and
horses than hay and corn. 1 have fed
nearly all my straw and fodder in that
way this winter, and on cold days find
it pays to heat the water, give the
prepared feed to them while it is warm.
We have often seen farmers and their
hired men work like slaves through the
hot months preparing a supply of feed
for the winter. When winter comes
the wastefulneSs begins. The hired
men are discharged. Much of the stock
Is without shelter. the straw and fodder
have not been saved; the feed is thrown
out in wasteful manner, the idea be-
ing to get the stock through, and when
spring comes they rejoice to think that
the long agony is over, and that the
stock can again shift for themselves on
the ample pastures. Another striking
instance of wastefulness is to see a
large field in which there is a swamp or
spring run, around which farmers have
been working for generations. A small
outlay of time and money would drain
it. The whole field could then be-
farmed with greater ease and con-
venience than before, while the patch of
waste land would become the most fer
tile spot in the field. We must improve
on our method of doing farm work;
the wasteful features of early life must
be eliminated. The farmer who sees
the hardest times is generally the one
who is furthest behind the times. Cor.
Germantown Telegraph.