Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-06-18
A BAD PRACTICE.
Many Farmers Who Sell Their Crops In
the Raw state. r. J..

A BAD PRACTICE. +...
Many Farmers who SCH Their Crops In
tho Raw State.
1t is the custom with most farmers tc
run their farms to their fullest capacity
and sell the crops in the raw state, thus
the soil from whence all this
comes. If the farmer could
realize that he is o manufacturer and
the farm his factory, and to sell the
crops of the farm is selling the raw ma
terial which always brings the lowest
price, that he is thus losing more than
half the profit no should obtain from
the farm, there would be less poor rum
down farms; less run-out fields; less
heard Of hard times; less poor bankrupt
farmers; and that farming is attic. all, q
vain delusion and does not pay.
The farmer should consider that the
farm is not only factory, but it also
produces its own raw material from
which to manufacture articles of sale.
Thus he has the advantage of most
every other manufacturer. Tho soil and
air are the sources from which the farm
or draws his supplies of raw material.
and the plant and animal life are the
machines by which he works up this
raw material into useful manufactured
articles, such as milk, butter, cheese,
pork, beef, mutton, wool and cotton
Instead OF the farm being adapted to
single crop or single occupation, it Is
really u combination Of a great many
pursuits. The implements and ma
chinery are varied, and the products are
not limited to any particular article.
Let us look at some Of the farmers
machines and see what advantages he
has over other manufacturers. The
cow, which is the machine for convert
ing the farm crops into milk, butter or
cheese, is unlike other machines, is
self-sustaining and selt-repairing. Now
the farmer finds a great deal Of matter
produced on the farm which has cost
him something to make, that there is
no sale for and would be lost, but by
the assistance Of the COW he is enabled
to manufacture it into form for which
he can find ready sale; while at the
same time she returns portion Of the
original cost in the shape of manure for
the purpose OF assisting to further in
crease the amount of raw material.
The eve, another farm machine,
comes to help the farmer dispose of his
crops at good profit by manufacturing
them into greater variety of salable
products in the shape of wool, mutton,
lambs and manure, besides keeping
down briars and other pests of the farm.
Notwithstanding the great advantage
this valuable machinery is to the farm
or, there are many farms now without a
head of sheep upon them, who buy their
family supplies of wool and mutton, and
dig up the briars and sassafras bushes
with elbow grease, while much of the
production of the farm that is not SAL
able in its present form could be eaten
by the sheep.
The SOW, another valuable machine,
enables the farmer to cultivate crops
that are rarely salable except at low
prices, and manufacture them into pork
and valuable progeny that mature
quickly and reach a market in short
time, and thus makes the farmer more
independent and farming more profit.
able.
Then comes the mare, that gives us
the power with which to perform the
work required, and adds her offspring
to the revenue. There are but few
farmers, if any, who do not keep horses
to work their farms, but how many avail
themselves of this advantage of keep
ing a mare as machine and working
her to her fullest capacity? If the
farmer will give the mare chance she
will take much of the farm crops that
do not sellsat prices much above cost of
produ ction, and manufacture it into the
shape of colts that will make him inde-
pendent of the market and fill his pock-
cts with money.
Then comes the hen; though but a
small part of the whole, she is an effect
i've and capable machine to pick up all
the wasted seeds of every crop and man.
fact1re them into ready-selling car
casses and eggs.
Thus we see the farmer ought not to
sell his crops in their crude or raw
state, but feed them to the various farm
animals and birds which act as so many
machines performing their work by
different methods, manufacturing the
crops of the farms into a variety of manu-
featured products which are salable at
all times and seasons of the year. Farm
ers, consider yourselves manufacture
ers, your farms your factories, and work
them to their fullest capacity. Sell
nothing off of the farm until it has been
utilized by the farm machines, unless
wisdom points out that the most profit
would be in selling the raw MATERIAL
Thomas D. Baird, in Ohio Farmer.
Feed-Box for Pigeons.
The feed-box depicted herewith was
designed by Harry M. Dore, of Cali
fornia, who writes to the American Ag-
riculturist that he finds it very con-
venient and economical. 1t consists of
shallow trough, twelve inches long,
six wide and four deep, to one end of