The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1895-04-18
SOME FARM TOPICS:
INTERESTING MATTERS FOR TIL
LERS OF THE SOIL.
"PrOftabIe Rotation" Prize Essay,
BristIing with Good Points and
Valuable u estioEs-Fffiy Chick
ems Versus One Cow-Fomato Gull
ture.

Ny land is limestone and clay.
Farm contains go acres, divided as
follows: One hundred and forty acres
in cultivation, 20 timothy grass, to
blue graSS-permanent pasture, =
acres i'll experiment lots, and residue
in orchard. yard, garden and %barnyard.
The liO acres in cultivation and the
twenty acres of timothy are in one
~inclosurc; no middle fences and not
pasturcd. The cultivated part is three
field, between forty-SiX and forty
seven acres each. and each year n
is in clover, 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
removed, so that all improved machin-
cry can easily and probably be used.
My rotation is clover, corn and
wheat. All %barnyard manure in fall
and winter is put IN the clover sod
prior to breaking for corn in spring.
Corn being a gross feeder, can gather
nuuimeTt from coarse manure better
than wheat. The ground is carefully
plOwed in the spring, When sufficiently
dry. narrowed and corn planted with
ROOSieer planter in rows three feet
six inches apart. No commercial fer
tilizer is used. for none is needed. The
PENNSYLVANIA cultivatOr Is used in cul-
tivation. In September corn is cut and
put in shock rows 30 yards apart
The land between rows is fined and
leveled by C~ultivatOr and harrow ana
wheat drilled in latter part Of Septem-
Der. without fertilizer. at the rate OF 6
peckS per acre. AS SOOn as fodder is
removed from corr rows the cultiva-
tor and harrow are III over TO line
and level them. In the latter part Of
February or first Of March following,
| clover seed at rate of half peck to
acre is Sown in craving wheat and on
shock rows. The wheat is cut in June,
and soon rs practicable hauled off and
stored in barracks, so as 10 prevent the
killing of young clover under the
wheat shocks. In August the mower
Is run over the field. clipping the stub
bic. rag weeds and tops on the clover.
These clippings are left on the ground
and act rs a mulch for Tne young clio
YER. Clipping the young clover makes
II spread and thicken. The early part
| of June following this field is cut for
hay, making about 100 tons, and in
! the early part Of September Is cut
| again for clover seed.
Ny binder shed is within the 100
acre Enclosure, ard 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
plaster. ,
All fodder. straw. clover hay and
about half of the corn crop is fed on
farm to stock. keeping generally on
hand seven head of horses. four cows,
sixteen steers and thirty hogs. The
other half Of corn. the wheat, timothy
hay and large part of clover seed is
sold. rs also the steers and hogs.
NV reasons for this rotation are rs
follows.
|. 1t eliminates commercial fer.ili-
zcrs and saves this expense and trouble
| w lIllc 1T llt NstlllN liihN 'h> ''''t -
the land is being Increased.
.. 1t ObviatcS the necessity for sum-
mer blowing. producing wheat at the
lowest possible cost. and allows Il large
acreage of corn, IL more profitable crop.
My large permanent pasture fleld'
containing thirty-ive acres, and in
which is fine spring and running water
is used for grazing steers. generally
sixteen each year These are bought
in early winter in Chicago or south
western Virginia. fed fodder, sSIw
and clover hay during the winter,
grazed during spring, summer and fan
stabbed and fed corn and clover hay
IN late fall and early winter and put
on market in January, netting Il fair
profit to me.
The other permanent pasture. held,
| containing thirty acres, is convenient
! to barn and wind pump and is used
for grazing COWS and horses. The
two lots are used in Whea and corn
experiments and for pasture. My hogs
are confined in apple orchard and
make themselves useful there as cult
vator and as grub and insect destroy
ers. My wheat Grip the present
year averaged over thirty bushels, and
corr nine barrels per acre, though the
latter was somewhat injured by
drought. Expect to reach forty bush
els of wheat and fifteen barrels of
corn-GcorCe BAYLOR In the Practical