The Van Buren press., 1897-09-11
FARMER AND PLANTER.
FARM ECONOMICS.
Various Methods of Utilizing All the
Products of the Farm.

Various Methods OF Utilizing All the
Products of the Farm.
Last year tried m ore economical
method Of raising and handling my
corn crop. Instead of planting 1t IN
hills l sowed it with drill, thereby
saving several days work. 1t began
raining as soon as the corn was drilled
and if | had taken the time to mark
the ground and plant it by hand l
would have been interrupted by this
rain and compelled to reiit my ground
rs the rain was a heavy one.
The hoes were all removed from the
drill with the exception of the two
that sowed the corn. We buekled the
neek-Yolle as tightly as we could and
then it was difficult To control the ma
chimes. 1t would run steadier with
all the hoes in the ground. We
got the rows so crooked that we
got Is acres of corn on II acres of
ground. Although the rows were
crooked they were wavy and easy to
follow with the two-horse cultiyator.
Where corn IS planted by hand the
planters overshoot the mark three or
four inches when going one way and
as much the other way when going
back. This makes sharp jogs in the
rows that are much harder to follow
with eultivator than the curves made
by the drill.
The corn cenld only be cultivated
one way and my boy went over the
field twice. 1t should have been culti-
waited again, but having came on and
the work was not done. In consequence
the corn rows were full of weeds.
gave Sl.25 per acre for cutting the
stalks, and there was double the
amount there would have been had it
been planted in hills. | hired part of
the field cut with corn harvester. |
paid 50 cents per acre for this. The
twine cost % cents. | furnished the
team.
Stalks bound by machine can be put
into substantial shocks, and are in
good shape for being hauled from the
field. A great many ears were broken
off, and these | gathered with team
and wagon and fed to my hogs without
husking. Part of the field had sown
to small kerneled sort of dent This
had been sown SO thick that it did not
care well, much of it was soft and |
fed it in the bundles to my cows. l
had about six acres of it that | fed in
this way. fed IS head of cattle and
three horses all winter on it.
Corn left with the husls on keeps
softer and is masticated more easily.
The husks neeessitate more chewing
A SOW and six November pigs got most
of their living on the manure piles
They were always on hand when the
stables were cleaned. No bell was
needed. For punctuality to meals hogs
beat the world.
Ny COW did well, and the hogs did
well. This method is little hard on
the miller for the hogs got his toll; but
| have helped him purchase two $500
fiddles and am not worrying about him.
The cheapest way | know of for get
ting large quantity of fodder is to
drill corn, cut it with a harvester and
feed it without husking.
My large crop of corn fodder, ensil-
age included, made a sale of hay pos
sible. ! had about thirty acres of hay
that was hardly an average crop, as
half of it was old meadow. | sold 2S
tons, besides having timothy to feed
my four horses through fall and spring.
| cut eight acres of clover on wheat
stubble from spring seeding that / fed
with my stalks. Inever fed better hay,
everything relished it, horses, cows,
calves, hogs and hens.
One year ago this spring | lost
three-year-old heifer at calving time.
She was in good flesh and it
seemed like waste to bury so
much meat. | drew the carcass
into the hog pasture back of the barn
and left it above groudd. The wealth
er was quite cold yet, and by the time
there was any stencil from it the hens
had eaten nearly all the flesh. They
were at it at daylight in the morning,
and visited it the last thing before 60
ing to roost. A great egg harvest was
the result. Sheep that die in the win
ter should be skinned, the entrais
thrown to the hogs and the carcass
quartered and nailed up in the hen
house, where the poultry can reach it.
Cor. Farmers Guide.