The Monmouth inquirer., 1890-04-10
SUGGESTIONS FOR FARMERS
SOME INTERESTING FACTS AND FIGURES
SUBMITTED AT THE RECENT HAAIL-

SOME INTERESTING FACTS AND FIGURES
SUBMITTED AT THE RECENT HAMIL-
TON SQUARE MEETING.
The following letter, read before the
recent meeting of farmers at Hamilton
Square, excited considerable interest
and its suggestions seem important
enough for larger audience:
TRENTON, N. J. March 4, 1890.
| Gentlemen-The great question OF
what shall the farmers do in these de
pressed times to make their calling more
profitable is matter that ought to and
does agitate the minds of all honest
thinking men.
| An extensive acquaintance with the
farming community has made me con-
verssnt with all the different plans sug
gested to enohance their income, and
desire to call your attention to one
striking feature, which, il honestly con-
sidered, will be adopted as means OF
obtaining large revenue from what
| has heretofore been of comparatively
| little value / refer to the matter of
grain thresbing with improved machines.
which thresh the straw straight and
marketable value.
Farmers, as rnle, have always enter
tanned the idea that every pound of
straw grown on farm ought to be as
quickly as possible utilized in the ma
nure pile.
While this may seem to be correct, it
can easily be proved by facts and figures
that the system is wastefnl and wrong.
and money thus wasted, if saved. would
buy enough manure or fertilizer to keep
the farm in high condition, besides
leaving a good round sum as profit for
the farmer.
| We all know that the price of grain
at the present time is extremely low,
but propose to take the present price
and show how a farmer can realize a
of wheat without robbing his farm, but,
on the other hand. keep it in a high
state of cultivation by placing on it jnst
as much manure or fertilizer as IL he
had thrown his entire straw crop in the
manure pile.
The following facts and figures will
prove these statements correct:
One acre of good land will yield 20
bushels of wheat and one ton or more
of straw.
The present price OF wheat is 20 cents
per bushel. and the price of wheat straw
threshed straight and bound is about
$12 per ton. Twenty acres of grain,
yielding 20 bushels to the acre. if sold
at seventy cents per bushel, will amount
to $3.50; and the twenty tons of straight
threshed and bound straw, il sold at S12
per ton. would amount TO $240, making
total of R520 realised from the twenty
acres of grain and straw.
Enough, however, of this straw must
be economically used for bedding for
the cattle and horses on the farm. BY
actual test one-haH ton of straight
threshed straw per head per year is
found TO be great abundance, conse-
Quently il there are say sixteen head of
stock on the farm, they would require
eight tons of straw to bed them one
year. This would leave for the farmer
twelve tons o straw to sell for $12 per
ton. making $l44 for the straw sold.
| just here the query may arise. will
not selling the straw rob the farm? Ac-
cording to Prof. e. B. Voorhees,, the
New Jersey State Chemist. tho real
manurial value OF straw in the manure
pile is only one dollar and eighty cents
per ton; when the same stray, II thresh-
ed straight and bound. would bring In
the market at least $l4 per ton. and
sometimes $15 or $18 per ton.
II the old pian is followed. and bhe
entire straw crop of tveasy tons Is de-
posted In the manure pile. Ne actual
value Of il there, according to Prof. E.
B. Voorhees,. is only $50; while, il the
entire crop Of twenty tons of stray we're
sold. il would brisg $240; masking q
profit to the farmer OF $204 on twenty
acres by adopting this nev plan.
II we take the full manurial value of
the twenty tons of straw, vhioh 10 only
$36, and with it buy stable manure. or
commercial fertilizers. ii will enrich the
farm to same extent as if the whole
twenty tons of straw had been deposited
in the manure; and still leave in the
farmers pocket net profit OF $204.
This, while enriching the farmer, surely
does not rob the farm.
You may say. if this theory be true.
why has not this plan been adopted
before?
The simple reason is this: The march
of improvement is ever onward, and the
time has just arrived that farmers could
avail themselves OF machine that will
thresh and clean without breaking the
straw. wheat. oats and rye. and at the
same time bind the STRAW straight in
bundles ready for the market And
although the fact is not generally known.
nevertheless such threshing machines
are new manufactured. and have no
doubt in very few years they will be
adopted in preference to the old style
tooth cylinder threshers, which neces-
sarily break up and ruin the straw for
marketable purposes.
| It has only been a few years since the
introduction of the self-binding rye
thresher; and look to day. at the in
creased acreage of rye. Why? Simply
because the rye can now be threshed
straight and bound in bundles; making
the straw marketable at high price all
oyer the country.