St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-09-14
CROPS FOR PROFIT.
Corn Is All Right This Year, But
the Potato Is Sure and Oats Good
GOxxrcs

the Potato Is Sure and Oats GOOD
for Cows.
Special Letter to the Globe
FOUNTAIN, Mimi, Aug. 23.-If the
farmers of this section are not satisfied
with the hard showers and hot sun of
the past few days, which the corn really
needed to bring the crop to perfection,
it's wonder, for it is growing and fill
ing for all it is worth when in the crib.
The past few days have been very
prOpitiOuS for its growth and maturity.
After all the showers of almost every
week corn did not progress In salts
factory growth, and many farmers
feared short crop at time when all
that could be produced on the farm was
needed to tide them safely over the en-
suing year of grace.
The thermometer ranged from so to
los degrees on some days of the past two
weeks, and would have been past endur-
ance only that a cool breeze saved hu
manity from the lasSitude produced by
the extreme heat of those days. The
only consolation for all was to know
that the corn crop needed all that heat
and more moisture at a greater depth in
the soil than had been attained at any
time. But at present, with the recent
heavy showers and the warm sunshine,
the corn is nearing maturity that will
place it out of harm by any early frost.
unless it should be quite late-planted
patches where the cold, wet spring
destroyed the germ of the early-planted
seed.
Perhaps the most certain crop that
can be grown here Is the potato, as
that seems to thrive well. But usually
the price of this farm product is rather
low for the labor required to bring this
essential article of food to paying
basis, unless cooperative company of
farmers is formed and starch factory
built and operated by them. At pres
of them. Some farmers feed the sur
plus to their stock hogs during the win
ter. and grow them for that purpose in
lieu of other green food, feeding them
raw, or just cooked until rare-dOne, and
using them as dinner for the swine.
This was done with good results the
past winter, and no loss or running
down of swine fed OH the large surplus
of that product, with corn once or twice
a day, at early morn or the late evening
meal.
The cattle also enjoyed the potatoes,
and the horses ate them greedily when
ever any were offered them as relish
at times; in fact all the live stock
seemed to enjoy the change very much
whenever they were offered to them
during the winter.
There is now very large and heavy
crop of oats, which are very low in
price, but they can be utilized by the
farmers in paying manner, and which
| used to like during the few years that
l lived on the farm while in Wisconsin
-itpaid. Every morning the kettle be-
longing to the cook stove, of largest
size, and filled full of oats, was set over
the fire to cook until the oats were
thoroughly and fully done. They were
left standing on the stove to keep warm
until milking time at night, o'clock.
Always had regular hours for that
work, and each COW had her
quart of boiled oats, warm
and slightly sailed, at that hour,
night and morning, after milk
ing was over; the salt was put into the
water before it was poured on to the
oats. The result was thick, rich-cOl-
ored cream that made delicious butter
brought good price in market, besides
keeping the cows in prime condition
and good health by this small amount
of boiled oats. An aged neighbor of
mine used to feed aground feed" to his
cows, and always poured boiling water
on the feed, and keeping near the stove,
stirring thoroughly at intervals. Curl
osity led me to inqnire his motive for
such especial care In preparing the cows
supper. The answer was to kill the seeds
of any weed that might have grown
among the grain. In proof of his the
DRY he brought out his hand full of the
ground feed and showed me the seeds
of variety of amaranthus that is found
everywhere so far as have knowl
edge of this country, known in bOtani-
cal works as amaranthus albus. COM
mon garden weed. There were other
fine seeds of weeds which never felt the
grinding process, and which this farmer
to animals on the farm, but retained
their terminating powers and were
spread over the farm in the manure, if
the germs of the seed were not destroyed
by heat, and he did not want ''fre fang"
in his manure pile at any time, neither
did he want any more weeds growing
than he could take care of at any time
when able to travel about his farm.
He always insisted that butter would
be tainted we're some varieties of weeds
allowed to grow in the pastured fields;
and that may be so. [ have found that
cream left standing too long was sure
to make very poor specimen of butter,
in my own experience, and l always
had the best butter when the cream was
SKINNED every morning and churned
at once, and practiced that every day
during hot weather.
The churning may be small one, but
it's sure to be good butter every day in