Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1895-05-18
Facts for Farmers.


The other day a gentleman told me OF
a series of the small fruits he had ar
ranged and he added that for the past
two or three years from the fret ripe
cherries in the spring until frost there
was not a dav nor meal at which they
did not have or might have bad the tin
est Of fruits fresh from the bushes and
trees, besides all tney could put mp for
winter use. From frost till spring again
pears and apples were daily luxury.
The same supply Of fruit is possible on
every farm.
Now, what have we? In every line
the possibility of a supply OF food IN
kind and quantity fit for the gods; food
that costs some men $500, $1,000 or
more year in less quantity aud poorer
quality. All this NAV be produced with
sufficient skill in management without
the outlay of money on the farm. There
are food supplies which must be bought
Coffee and tea (poor trash compared
with milk sugar and salt and spices
and baking powder-a sum total insig
nificant IN comparison with what need
not be bought.
Let me say that this abundant and
varied food product which is posslble
adds no small part to the comfort of life
and its happiness If this should be
thought more of and the dollars less 1t
would be better.
In order that these things may be pro
duced there must be produced feed for
the stock that Yields this food and for
the animals that cultivate 1t. Aud let
me give this word of caution just here,
that some people seem to live to feed
their stock instead Of having their stock
live to feed them. There Is no object in
feeding stock unless it yields return
One horse too much, if past the growing
age, is a heavy and useless expense.
One cow not paying her keep should be
disposed of. You remember Bill Nye's
story Of the mountaineer in North Caro-
Ina driving the old claybank mare to
town with load of hoop poles so as to
buy a bale of hay to feed the oil clay
bank mare go that she would have
strength to haul load of hoop poles to
market.
A certain cost cutgo is necessary.
Clothes, taxes, machinery, repairs, edu-
cation and phlanthropic objects need
money. Especially is tt is true in the
case of property we call our own yet
belongs to another man. What must
we dc after we haye provided fol the
mere important concern to provide for
tn 3 matter?
And it Is here, | apprehend, that a
difference of opinion would exist. Even
though the argument was granted that
for home consumption fruits and yege
tables and meats, eggs, butter, milk,
etc, may be produced at home cheapest
and best, yet beyond this the ore prod
u,t which yielded the highest profit
should exclude others less profitable.
Now, we wish to say that the profit of
this one product is usually fictitious.
In calculating the profits, the cost of
labor nae of horses and machinery is |
estimated during the period of produc-
ton. In agriculture, production is not
continuous throughout the year, as in
manufacturing. If wheat is the crop,
there may be go DAYS of spring blowing
and seeding, 60 days of harvesting and
60 days of blowing and seeding in the
fall. During the rest of the year neither
the plant nor the labor yield any AIDE
quate return, What large daily profit
must the machine WELD which is IN ope-
ration but one month out of II. The
horse that is fed for u months and la
bors but six months in the year must
yield donble the profit of the horse EN-
ployed the year round, The farmer
needs to diversity his farming so as 10
fhd the largest amount of continuous
employment for both animal and ma
chlnery.
Moreover, in estimating the profits Of