The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1897-12-22
BrecLenrIdre County Farm Noles.

Breckenridge County Farm Notes.
EDIroR BREcKENRIDGE News After
leaving the river bottom and going hack
in the heart Of our county, tn re is per.
haps no section better adapted to agri-
culture than what is known as the
Webster valley.
This valley extending say from the
Meade county line TO Sinking creek and
containing thousands Of acres OF land,
naturally very much better than the
average lands Of our county, and indeed
am inclined TO think only little be-
hind our much praised Blue Grass
region OF Kentucky.
An intelligent, thrifty and hospitable
people live in this valley and some Of
them farm quite extensively.
The writer only has an opportunity
every few years OF making trip through
this valley, and the Obi ct Of this letter
is to admonish them against such extern
sive grain growing, which | can plainly
see has within the last ten years per
ceptibly impoverished every farm along
the road
do not see the large meadows and
groups of hay stacks used to see, but
behold instead 3 to large threshing
yards or straw stacks spread out on the
ground by those abominable cyclone
stackers which the laws OF our country
onght to prohibit being used for any
other purpose than the distribution of
patent medicine advertisements.
In the production of these large wheat
crops the land is taxed to the utmost
Wheat often follows wheat and then the
clover rotation is apparently lost sight OF
or regarded as one OF the economies and
dispensed with.
Nitrcg m the most costly element of
plant food, Heavens generous and free
gift, coming to us in the rain, dew and
air we breathe, supplied free by Provi-
dence because it is the one element too
costly TO buy.
What wise creator, the farmers God,
because he says, If you will provide the
potash and phusphoric acid at from to
8 cents per pound 1 will supply the
nitrogen that costs 20 cents per pound.
Crop after crop is taken from this land
until natures supply of nitrogen has at
last become inadequate and fear COM
mercial fertilizers is where the farmers
hope will rest too long.
YOUR wAsTrFUL METHOD OF HANDLING
FEED.
Another wholesale waste entirely too
common in this section Of good farms is
seen in the manner that shock fodder is
handled and fed. After husking it is
again shocked, or better-balf shocked,
for many shocks are already twisted or
lying on the ground and will soon be
worthless l do not at all intimate that
this wssteful method of handling feed
is universal, no, far from it, for some
have tied the fodder up nice out doors
while others have their barnes stored
full-and Others am glad to say, have
doubtless best OF all. But do say that
this wasteful way we have of doing
things is enough to keep farmer always
poor and it is high time we were trying
to correct it.
KEEP MORE CATTLE AND sHkKP.
Now while this section is doing vastly
too much in the production OF grain it
is going even farther to the other ex-
IRENE in keeping cattle and sheep.
True some few are moderately well
stocked but none dare say have their
farms stocked 10 any thing near what
their stock carrying capacity could pro
fitably be.
If more attention was given to grass
and clover and then the straw and stalk
fodder utilized as it could be if more
stock was kept-silos would Immediately
follow and then the long winters and
the summer drouth would be outdone.
Men who keep 20 head OF cattle would
soon keep so to lou. Countless loads Of
manure rich in all the elements OF plant
food would be spread yearly upon this
land, thirgI would soon take on an air
of thrift. Your children would rise up
and call you blessed, and when l pass
through your section again in 1907 l
would need guide to point you out.
My apology for this letter is that it is
written in the spirit that desires TO see
all strive to do better.
Respectfully submitted,
A. CoUNTYMAE.
A good thing to wear with other
apparel is a clean conscience and a
smiling countenance. There are how