New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1894-04-11
FARMING IN THIS SECTION.
Prof. Shaw Describes Two Farms in
Brown and Nicollet County.

wrote two articles on the farm OF y
Mullen in this county and J. H. Doty OF
Nicollet. The articles are given here
with.
Generally speaking, to be successful
those who till the soil must reside on the
lands which they farm. Wesfnd some
exceptions, including the subject of this
paper. M. Mullen, of New Ulm, presi-
dent of the Citizens bank of that place,
has for some years past been running
farm in Stark township, about 81 miles
from Sleepy Eye. The soil is black
loan. There are 80 acres OF tlmbered
land, Mr.. Mullen commenced opera
tions on his farm in 1881. That same fall
he stocked it with cattle and also put in
some crops. He has grown mixed crops
all along since 1882. He commenced
growing corn in 1888, and has so in
creased the growing of that crop that he
now cultivates 100 to 13O acres every
year. He gets from it in some instances
fully so bushels of ears per acre.
The cattle he has raised on skim milk.
The cream from the milk is made into
butter. The beef animals are turned OFT
at the age of to 4 years. They are finished
on pasture. Corn is fed to them from
February onward until they are sold,
which is usually in the month of July.
A lot turned off last season averaged
about 1900 pounds. The best paying
product raised at the present time is
pork. Of this commodity Mr.. Mullen
has sold during recent years, of his own
raising. from two to five cars a year. In
1898 he realized from II to 7 cents per
pound ==li7e weight at st. Paul, and in
January of the present year sold car
load at $3.50 per hundred pounds live
weight.
In 1898 he sowed rye to the extent Of
3! bushels. It was winter rye. Along
with the rye he sowed clover. He sowed
it in the autumn. It failed to live though
the winter He again sowed clover en-
the rye in the spring, using heavy seed
ing. He succeeded in getting splendid
catch of clover, and it should be men
toned that the seed was narrowed with
harrow with slanting teeth. From
the rye thus sown he reaped 80 bushels
machine measure. This experience with
rye and clover is certainly valuable.
Not much of either of these crops is
sown in that section of the country. No
doubt but this yield of rye is to be re-
garded as much beyond hes,average. but
if the return reaped in this instance by
Mr. Mullen, and could depend on getting
catch of clover when sown on the rye,
the results in the aggregate to that Sec
ton would soon run up far in the thous-
ands.
If the farmers in those localities where
it is taken for granted that clover could
not be grown would adopt ti,is system
they could doubtless succeed where in
times past they had failed. Where there
is a large amount of land to till, it will
prove gain to SOW some rye, as this
can be reaped before the other crops are
ripe. 1t is favorable to the growth of
the clover, since it admits of sowing the
latter early in the season, and Oh a sur
face firmer than that sown to spring
grain. Where clover can be grown, corn
can also be grown successfully, and
where these two can be grown, there
need not be a doubt as to the adaptibili-
ty of the section for mixed farming.
Mr.. Mullen has changed much of the
wild prairie. so that it now grows tame
grasses. This he has accomplished by
sowing these grasses in the early spring
and narrowing before the frost has
melted further than two OF three inches
from the surface of the soil. In this way
the native pasture has been greatly i'm
proved and is also able to sustain mole
stock than it could otherwise sustain
under the former conditions.
Mr.. Mullen has found that the greater
degree of attention he gives to the grow
ing Of live stock and more particularly
t. growing pork, that the better relat-
ively are the returns which he reaps
His farm, and more especially during
recent years, has paid good percentage
on his investment.
Several of the farmers of Nicollet
county have been giving attention to
mixed husbandry for many years. Be
cause of this they are now in prosper