The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-11-13

his lands continually richer and more
productive, and capable of sustaining
more head per acre. Progress in
dairyiug and an absolute cutting
away from old methods is the first
essential toward success. 80 d ways
are good enough" in some things, but
not in this.
A correspondent asks US to explain
what nitrate of soda is, and we com
ply, although we believe we have pre-
viously given the Information in
these columns. 1t is a coarse salt dug
from the earth In Chilli, aud is some
times called Chill saltpetre. 1t co l.
tains from 10 to Is per cent. of nitro
gen, and is offered at $40 per ton in
Baltimore, which would mike its
nitrogen cost in the neighborhood of
Is cents per pound. Nitrogen has
been found to be more effective as a
fertilizer in the form of nitrate than
in that of ammonia, and nitrate of
soda is one of the most convenient
vehicles for transferring this element
of fertility to the soil.
The most successful farming, as q
rule, is to be found upon the farms of
small area, say such as contain on an
average not more than 40 acres. A
small farm, well cultivated, is gener-
ally both pleasanter and more profit
able than one OF greater extent.
Many farmers could make more
money snd do less hard work at the
same time by cutting their farms in
half. The amount sold would give
them some invested capital, or would
permit improvements upon the small
er area that they are not now able to
undertake. Figure this out this win
ter, you men who have more land
than you can till, and see if it is not
true that you would be better off with
somewhat less.
The Dutch Belted cattle, which are
now becoming very popular in Penn
Sylvania aud other Eastern States,
are similar in appearance to the well
known black and white HOlstein
Friesians. They are not quite so
large, however, averaging ABOUT l 200
pounds, while the HOlstein Friesians
will go nearer 400 pounds. The
Belted cattle are very evenly and uni-
formIy marked, with front and hind
quarters of solid black, with a white
belt around the middle. They have
long been carefully bred in Holland
with a view to retaining the pecu-
Iiarity of their markings aud to de-
velop the very highest milking
capacity. How well this latter point
has been accomplished may be judged
from the claim made that a 1000
pound COW will average 10000 pounds
OF milk per year.
When cattle are selling at high
prices one may be able to make
money upon almost any kind OF stock,
but they can make the most money
upon good stOck-then as at any
other time; but let low prices come
again, as they may, and 1t is the good
stock alone that will give the grower
any profit at all. This, then, is the
time to stock up properly, and so get
ready for the next turn of the wheel
of fortune, which may send prices
again to lower level. Put your hay
and feed into a Short-horn or Here
ford steer, and it will retu IN you the
c1st with interest when you are ready
for market, however prices may be;
out put the same feed into a scrub,
and you are taking chances that are
strongly against you. 10 winter feed
ing this is especially applicable, as an
animal must MAZE good growth then
to be at all profitable to its owner.
We do not expect to see the market
90 down ag ain TO the past low prices
for long time to come, but it is much
safer to produce high class stock, for
they pay best whether the market be
high or low.
In buying commercial fertilizers
we need to look only at the quantity
and form of these essential constitu-
ents; these are nitrogen, phosphoric
acid and potash. Although plants re-
uuire numerous other substances for
their growth, and some in larger
quantity than any of the three mem
toned, yet 1t has been thoroughly
demonstrated that all ordinary soils