St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-11
TUE FARMERS FUTURE

As Discussed by the Farmers at
: an Institute in Ohio Recently.
I What shall we do as to the production
of grain?
/ Mr.. Otstot said he would not like to be
reported as advocating the raising of
(. more grain, but his necessities COM
PEELED him often to go against his
better judgment. He thinks our policy
ought to be more grass and pasture, as a
means of keeping up the fertility of the
foil. Our soil has become thin, and
continual cropping must soon bring it
below the point of profitable produc-
ton. Our policy should be to work for
the improvement of the soil. Our clay
lands will be improved first by under
draining, to draw off excess of
water and to warm up the
soil. Next we need more manure.
Where is it to come from? Cattle are so
low we cannot make anything by in
creasing the size of our herds. Clover
comes to our relief and helps to solve
the problem: If land is strong enough
to grow good crops OF clover, you are,
by good management, independent of
fertilizer men and manure.
The wheat crop has beeu overdone,
and we must raise more grass. Some
professor of agriculture has claimed
that if soil has sufficient richness near
the surface many roots will form, and
grain will not heave out as on thinner
land, where roots run deeper.
Mr.. Lintner said we must in these
times raise a little of everything. We
will have more uniform income. and
can secure better rotations. which are
in manner rest to land. 1t will not
do TO give up raising a crop because it
is low or misses once.
Timothy hay is his best crop. His
soil is suited to it. and he is near good
market. 1t is better at 50 per ton than
wheat at 80 cents per bushel. He advo-
Gates clover in a rotation. Raise it
whenever you can. 1t is grand feed
and a great enlivener of soil.
Mr.. McClintOck said we raised too
much grain-nOt enough grass to keep
up our lands. Every load of grain
hauled away removes more fertility
than we can get back in each load of
manure made at the barn.
Straw is just about worth hauling and
spreading. but seldom more. But we
must save it to give comfort to our
stock and absorb fertility about stables
and yards. We may not expect any
permanent advance in prices as long "A
there is new country opening up and its
cheap transportation AS we have.
Mr.. Elliot said that, in the face of
universally low prices, we cannot shift
from mixed farming to a speciality.
There are cases where ones soil. mar
ket and tastes may favor a speciality.
Oats do not pay here. Flax
might be raised more profitably.
Com is only profitable when fed
to hogs. Broom corn pays when
one sticks to it from year to year. We
get into ruts and do not raise so great
variety of crops or as well as we might.
He suggested that the club agree to try
some one new thing in small way, and
by comparison of cost and results decide
what will pay.
Mr.. Lintner said: "Let us try fewer
acres and better cultivation as starter.
Intensive farming is what we have all
to come to, sooner or later. We can not
go into cattle. 1t will not pay us. Hogs
pay far better. One can lose twenty
per cent of his hogs from disease, and
then do better than with CATTLE"
Mr. ShultZ said there seems to be an
over-production. Weca wisely watch
the<tendency of markets and not stick
to old rotations too closely.
Mr.. Harris said he believed the ma
iority had been belittling our profits.
We had not been making much of late,
nor had other business men generally.
Our business is safe if we keep up our
lands and out OF debt. He has second
rate clay farm, and when he figures
proceeds of the last twenty years, he is
satisfied to stick to it.
We never ought to raise one crop of
corn after another. Wheat, clover and
corn has been his rotation. He plows
up the clover eighteen months after
sowing it: does not pasture it down
closely, but it is best to pasture it some.
Hogs are best to pasture clover.
Ohio farmers have little to complain
of. We have our ideas too high. We
must not expect war prices all the time.
Since the war, farmers generally have
launched out into eXtravagant ideas.
We have got to come back to more
economical methods, and learn to save