The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-08-22

The county fair should be only first
class exhibition OF stock and products
which are grown within the limits which
it represents. No awards should be
granted professional exhibitors of any
class, II specimens of live stock are
wanted as types, pay the owners to bring
them, but do not let them compete. Let
the local farmer be encouraged.
The manurial value of ton of clover
hay is about IS; unless it will sell for
more, is it not better to turn it under
for the enrichment of the soil? Better
still, iudiciously pasture it and conserve
it's virtues in the manure. The worst
thing is to sell it.
The rotation of crops only will not pre-
vent land from running out, nor restore
the fertility of worn lond. If you have
a meadow which is too poor to produce
paying crop of timothy, do not fancy
that you can remedy matters by merely
blowing up that field and planting it in
corn or wheat.
To procure the fullest benefit from ro-
tation the land must be kept in such
condition at all times that it is ready to
produce full crop of anything you may
see fit to put on it. 1t is only loss of
time to try to find crop suited to soil
which has not enough fertility to prop
erly nourish any.
Pile the manure against the side Of
the barn, where the drip will waste it
all, and close contact will effectually rot
the siding and stills; or scatter it about
the barnyard, where it will leach away.
and make it pleasant to drive the cattle
through. These are the old ways, the
common ways, the thoughtless, shiftless
ways.
1t will pay you just as we'll to use
every endeavor to make the meadow rich
and procure good stand Of grass as it
will to take the same care for the wheat
or potatoes, but, as rule. the prepare.
ton for no other crop is 80 neglected.
In many regions the amount of hay a
farm will produce is the measure OF it's
value.
Farmers cart out heavy, wet manure.
requiring severe labor in handling, ne
cessitating the hauling of small loads,
and making deep ruts in the fields and
meadows by the frequent trips. The
covered barnyard may not recommend
itself to every farmer. but covered
manure shed can hardly fail to do 30 af,
ter it has been once tried.
The foolish man rejoices in a rainy
day now and then, that he may rest; the
wise man spends that day in his shed
sharpening up the tools of the farm and
kitchen, and in oiling up his machinery.
This man did not 80 need the rest for his
work. for the whole season has been so
much easier because he was prepared to
do it easily.
Whatever the conditions may be. far
mers of all classes and in all places will
find out eventually that the first bust
ness of the husbandman is to care for
his soil. Even the Western land owner
is finding this out, who once thought be-
cause his lands were so cheap it would
not pay to waste labor to conserve their
fertility.
The Department of Agriculture exists
chiefly for the benefit of the farmer, but
he does not avail himself of it as much
as he should. Its publications should
have wider circulation, for many of
them could be studied with profit. Far
mers who care to make their study in
special lines should send to the Depart
mant for its bulletins.