The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-08-14
Agriculture.

The county fair should be only a
first class exhibition of stock and
products which are grown within
the limits which it represents. No
awards should be granted profess
sional exhibitors of any class. If
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 So; unless it will
sell for more, is it not better to turn
it under for the enrichment of the
soil? Better still, judiciously pas
ture it and conserve its virtue in the
manure. The worst thing is to
sell it.
The rotation of crops only will not
prevent land from running out, nor
restore the fertility of worn land.
If you have meadow which is too
poor to produce a 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
rotation, the land must be kept in
such condition at all times that it is
ready to produce full crop of any
thing you may see fit to put on it.
1t is only a loss of time to try to find
crop suited to a soil which has not
enough fertility to properly 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 well 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 a
rule, the preparation for no other
crop is so neglected. In many re-
giOns the amount of hay farm will
produce is the measure of it's value.
Farmers cart out heavy, wet man
ure, requiring severe labor in hand
ling, necessitating the hauling of
small loads, and making deep ruts
in the fields and meadows by the
frequent trips. The covered barn
yard may recommend itself to every
farmer, but a covered manure shed
can hardly fail to do so after it has
been once tried.
The foolish man rejoices in rainy
day now and then, that be 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
so need the rest from his work for the
whole season has been so much cas-
Ter because he was prepared to do it
easily. eH 'N.Se
Whatever the condition may be,
farmers of all classes and in all
places will find out eventually that
the first business of the husband
man is to care for his soil. Even
he Western land owner is finding
this out, who once thought because
his lands were so cheap 1t would not
pay to waste labor to conserve their
fertility.
The Department of Agriculture ex-
lists chiefly for the benefit of the
farmer, but he does not avail himself
of it as much as he should. Its pub
locations should have wider circu-
lation, for many of them could be
studied with profit. Farmers who
care to make their study in special
lines should send to the Department
for its bulletins.
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