Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-06-27
Getting q 9tarf.

All over the W est there are thousand!
of farmers who are enterprising. pushing
hardworking men who are trying t
make start and find it up hill business
Much that they read in agricultural pa
pers does not seem to fit their case be
cause they have not the means to prac
tice their teachings. The following from
subscriber in st. Paul. Nebraska, pre.
sents case in point:
"MR. EDITOR:-I am quite interested
in reading the valuable information
which you are giving through the Home
stead concerning the way to improve
stock, fine and high breeding. how to
raise hay. etc. What is your advice q
to the best way to make start, if a man
owns 100 acres of land, about so acres
under cultivation, with few buildings
on it, . team. few implements, and il
about @200 or $500 IN debty'
We have great deal Of sympathy fol
man OF this kind, who is trying to
make start. The start is always the
difficult thing. and involves at all times
close attention to business, rigid ecOnO-
my and hard work. In the case mention.
ed, one of the first things is to get all the
land to work in some way. and the next
to increase its value by increasing its fer
tility. This last can be done only by
stock farmers, which will involve . con.
siderable outlay of capital, and which, Is
far Is possible, should be made out of
the farm. Our inquirer has, therefore, q
dimcult problem before him Our advice
would be to get the land broken up -
fast ~ possible, and next spring get down
some In tame grass. Not knowing how
tame grasses succeed in that locality, We
cannot advise what to SOW. If they sue
coed, we would SOW timothy and clover,
sowing to rye this fall and the grass seeds
in the spring, and make that q hog pas.
ture next summer. If It is only i've acres,
that makes beginning. and we would
find some way of obtaining few brood
sOws. as we'll bred IS we could afford, and
mated with a thoroughbred. We would
raise all the corn and oats we could, and
feed as much Of it to the pigs as they
could profitably consume. With rye as .
pasture, and = mixed ration of oats and
corn, these pigs could be raised cheaply
and would furnish better market price
for corn than the shipping price offers.
We would have few cows, but these the
best We could afford. and would push the
steer calves for market as soon rs DOS
sible. We would use only mares for farm
work, and breed them to a draft horse
and sell the colts at weaving time or at q
year old unless We had fenced pasture
The only other stock we would have
would be chickens. for which we would
provide comfortable quarters, and keep
down expenses, as far as possible, with
the eggs. We would take advantage of
any exemption the law of Nebraska may
make in favor of tree planting. and get
out grove of two or three acres, using
native trees.
All this, of course, means slow work
and good deal of close economy and
self-denial. but it will win. provided that
however small the income, the cash ex-
pense must not exceed it, A farmer may
spend all his cash income but if he is to
get start he must have something each
year over and above in the way of i'm
pl ements or live stock, which are as val
liable assets as cash in the bank. The
hogs and chickens must be depended on
Tor the quick money, hence We would
make these the main features. Put the
profits of the farm each year in larger pas
lures, in improvements, in the way of
cheap and servicable buildings, and, a.
Far as possible. keep out of debt. The |
main point is first to raise good crops,
md, whatever stock you have, let it be of |
the best within reach. Starting in this |
way, the farmer soon establishes repu. |
'atiOn and good credit. Let him enjoy |
he reputation but use the credit Is little |
Is possible. The great temptation of
farmers is to overreach themselves in |
rying to work too much land, keep too
much stock. and strain their credit. Avoid !
III this. There is no way for the farmer
n got ahead except by living within his
means, and keeping what stock he has
veil, and of the best for his purposes
ows Homestead.