The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-02-13
HARTFORD COUNTY FARMERS.
The Deer Creek Farmers Club Consider
ing how to Increase their Profits.

| At the last meeting of the above Club, which is
composed of some of the representative farmers Of
Hartford county, the question discussed was "What
other crops can we raise, what other methods
can we adopt with our present crops, to make our
business more profitable ?"
| Geo. E. Silver said he had gotten some figures
from the farmers clubs of Montgomery county.
In that county great many COWS are kept and
butter and cream are sold. Five gallons of milk
will make gallon of cream and II lbs. of butter.
| The milk is worth from to IL cts per gallon.
member of the Montgomery club has one COW
which averaged 6S5 gallons of milk, from which
he obtained 137 gallons of cream and 24O lbs. of
butter. The milk was worth say $3.50. A mem
| Der of the Enterprise Club had realized from one
cow, 800 gallons of milk, worth $3.50.
The potato crop, also, might pay. The average
| yield reported by the three clubs in Montgomery
county was 126 bushels to the acre. At so cents
bushel the amount realized would be $63 per
acre. A few acres, at least, might be grown.
Our only chance of success is in diversified crops.
We might keep good, strong mares and raise
| colts and mules. Young Percheron horses years
old readily sell at from $125 to $780, The cost of
| raising colt need not be more than $40 year.
Sheep, also, are more profitable than cattle, if
| handled properly. One hundred sheep would
cost at So each, $500. They would produce 100
lambs, worth % each, or 1925, and $50 lbs of
| WOOL at 20 cts. pound, worth $780, The total
sales would realize S415 with the original 100
ewes still on hand and worth in the fall $500.
In all SS15. Deducting the first cost of the sheep,
we would have profit of $515.
Seventeen head of cattle would cost to keep
about the same as 100 sheep. At $50 each the
outlay would be $685.. At $40 per head advance,
we would realize $40, against S515 from the
sheep.
John Moores said he did not think farming so
much depressed as is generally thought. There
is still good living in it but expenses must be
kept down. When we can raise 20 or 80 bushels
of wheat to the acre and get from $12 to SIS
ton for hay we can do we'll. Many small things,
aSs A poultry eRa hS %sS Of
was in favor of raising colts but believed mules
curse to the country. Every year thousands of
| dollars are sent out of the county to buy mules,
when every farmer should raise his own horses.
| The country is flooded with old, broken down
mules and good brood mares are scarce. There
| is money in hogs, but he would not advise any
one to lay out much capital in them, on account
| of hog cholera.
BENZ. Silver, Jr, president of the Club, said the
the greatest question to solve at present is how to
| dispose of our surplus grain. If we could get
that started there would be general revival of
| business. Times of depression periodical and
the depression is not confined to the farming in
| terest alone. We should try to get along as we'll
| as possible and when the tide comes to ride as
! high on it as we can. Some branches of industry
are already starting. Another cause of depres-
sion in farming is the multiplication of labor
saving machines, which enable farmers to accom-
| plish much more and throw many men out of
employment. He would not advise too great
changes, simply because of the depression. Let
us keep at the business we understand, and if ju-
dicious and economical a man at the end of his
| life will have laid up competence.
R. Harris Archer suggested that the poultry
business might be profitable. dozen eggs
worth "a cents and will buy more at the store now
than ever before. For instance, they will buy
lbs of sugar, 2 or lbs. Of coffee, or 3 yards of
calico. Even at II cents dozen on a small farm
they would pay as we'll as anything else Mr.
Archer thought the present depression in farming
would not continue.
VIM. Munnikhuysen would not suggest radical
or sudden changes. He had found that small
patch of potatoes paid last year. Nothing pays
better than chickens. Sheep are profitable. No
doubt it would pay to keep or good mares and
raise Percheron colts. At years of age, if well
matched, they will bring $500 or $500 pair
Calves can be easily raised and are profitable. In
fact there are many little things which all farm
ers do to increase their profits.
S. B. Silver contrasted the profit of growing 81
acres sugar with equal area in field corn.
The sugar corn paid 81 200. In field corn the
yield would not have been over IL barrels per
acre, making 444 barrels, worth this year, SSSS.
Sugar corn works we'll in rotation with other
crops it is pulled when there is but little else
| to do.
Edward II. Hall thought that farmers general
ly do not pay sufficient attention to the little
things such as raising colts, calves and poultry
and making butter. The best stock to raise is
half-Percheron. The colts will sell readily at
good prices. The mare can be worked nearly all
the time. He also believed ensilage would pay,
and the reason why it has not been more general
ly adopted is because people don't understand it.
Mangle wurzel beets pay WELL There is money
in marketing of all kinds-eggs, butter, oats, meal
and small stock. Asparagus is profitable crop.
There is no money in milk at IL or IA cents gal
lon.
Johns II. Janney thought farmers lose thous-
ands of dollars every year by not selling small
things, and they can not be sold because are
not neaI railroad. He had thought that hop
vines would grow along the creek bottoms, and
hops are generally paying crop. He advocated
sos and ensiage. The system, he said, is nc
longer an experiment. He was satisfied that one
acre Of sugar fodder is equal in value to one
acre of field corn fodder. Cattle wintered on it
come out better in the spring than when wintered
on field corn fodder.