Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1895-02-21

won the prize over forty-four other
contestants with the essay which we
publish below Captain Baylor is not
only one of the ablest lawyers Of this
section, but is also careful and intel
ligent farmer, devoting much OF his
time and attention to obtaining the
best results from agriculture.
A PROFITABLE ROTATION.
NV land is limestone and clay. Farm
contains 236 acres, divided as follows:
40 acres in cultivation, 20 timothy
grass, 65 blue grass-permanen pasture,
| acres in experiment lost, and residue
in orchard, yard, garden and barnyard.
! The l4O acres in cultivation and the ~
acres of timothy are in one enclosure;
no middle fences and not pastured. The
cultivated part is in three fields between
| 46 and AZ acres each, and each year one
is in clover, one in corn and one in
wheat These fields are long and one
end is near the barn, causing small loss
of time in going to and from fields. All
rocks. stumps and trees have been re-
moved, so that all improved machinery
can easily and profitably be used.
Nv rotation is clover, corn and wheat.
All barnyard manure in fall and winter
is put on clover sod prior to breaking
| for corn in spring. Corn being gross
| feeder. can gather nutriment from
coarse manure better than wheat. The
ground is carefully plowed in the spring,
when sufficiently dry, narrowed and
corn planted with Hoosier planter In
rows 3 feet inches apart. No CONNER
cial fertilizer is used for none is needed.
| The PENNSYLVANIA cultivator is used In
| cultivation In September corn is cut
and put in shock rows 90 yards apart.
/ The land between rows is fined and lev
| eled by cultivator and harrow and wheat
drilled in latter part OF September
without fertilizer, at the rate OF pecRs
ner acre. As soon as corn is dry 1T is
| husked and stored in courthouse, the
fodder hauled off and stacked near barn,
| convenient for feeding As soon as Tod
der is removed from corn rows, the cui-
| tivator and harrow are run over to fine
and level them. In the latter part oil
February or first of March following,
| clover seed at rate of one-half peck TO
acre is sown in growing wheat and on
| shock. The wheat is cut in June, ana
soon as practicable hauled off and stored
! in barracks, so as to prevent the killing
of young clover under the wheat shocks
In August the mower is run over the
field, clipping the stubble, rag-weed and
tops of the clover. These clippings are
| left on ground and act as mulch Tor
the young clover. Clipping the young
clover makes it spread and thicken.
The early part of June following this
field is cut for hay, making about 100
tons, and in early part of September is
! cut again for clover seed.
Ny binder shed is within the l60
acre Enclosure and all implements are
stored convenient to work. A great
deal of time and expense is saved by
doing away with middle fences, and the
land can be more easily kept clean.
The timothy field is permanent; cut
each year for hay and hay sold in our
country town, which is close at hand
This field is helped by manure from
town and an occasional sowing of plas-
| ter.
All fodder, straw, clover hay and
about one-half of corn crop is fed on
farm to stock, keeping generally on
hand 7 head of horses. cows, 10 steers
and 80 hogs The other half of corn,
the wheat, timothy hay and large part
of clover seed is sold, as also the steers
and hogs
Ny reasons for this rotation are as
follows: 1t eliminates commercial fer
tilizers and saves this expense and
trouble, while at the same time the fer
tility of the land is being increased.
1t obviates the necessity for summer
blowing, producing wheat at the lowest
possible cost and allows larger acreage
of corn, more profitable crop.
Nv large permanent pasture field con-
tanning 35 acres, and in which is fine
spring and running water, is used for
grazing steers, generally l6 each year
These cattle are bought in early winter
in Chicago or Southwestern Virginia,
| fed fodder, straw and clover hay during
the winter, grazed during spring, sum-
mer and fall, stabbed and fed corn and
clover hay in late fall and early winter
and put on market in January, netting
fair profit to me-
The other permanent pasture field,
| containing 80 acres, is convenient to
barn and wind-pump and is used for
grazing cows and horses. The two lots
are used for wheat and corn experiments
and for pasture Ny hogs are confined
in apple orchard and make themselves
useful there as cultivators and as grub
and insect destroyers. My wheat crop
the present year averaged over 30 BUSH
els and corn 8 barrels per acre, though
the latter was somewhat injured by
drought. Expect to reach 40 bushels of
wheat and ID barrels of corn.