Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1899-01-19

Amoss said il yas not the purpose Of the
Department Of Farmers Institute 70 ad-
wise farmers In the Southern counties 10
cease growing tobacco. product which
has ready market u paying ilvurcs
when properly handled TO snit that mar
ket. When first taking charge al the
Department his attention had been called
to the bad handling OF the staple To
correct the evils, which he had Thoughts
was for = lack Of opportunity 90 know
the demands Of the consumers. he had
invited the committee In each Of the four
counties 10 select an essayist who thor
oughly understood the growing Of to-
bacco. These gentlemen had been in
vised, expenses borne BY the Depart
ment to Baltimore, and every opportu-
nifty given them to inquire thoroughly
into every detail of the business.
The essays read at the first Institutes
contained all the necessary information
20 enable those who heard them to place
their tobacco on the market In the best
condition. and jet. Notwithstanding. bis
attention Is frequently called 20 attempts
10 deceive the agents Of the consumers.
so persistent are those operators that ell
engaged In the business who he meets
speak disparasingly of change fox the
better, and he believes that the same
rules Of trade wiz prevail In the tobacco
business as with the sale Of ali other
products when the wishes Of the con-
sumers are not regarded. II Southern
Maryland farmers wanted to hear from
the lips of growers in other States their
methods, he would bring such men to
their Institutes, but as Maryland tobac.
CO In quite different from all others he
could not see how they could be bene-
flied.
He hoped some day to see the waste
land on every tobacco farm returning to
its owner revenue equal to that now
derived from the tobacco c-op through
cattle, sheep, hogs and the dairy. He
had no doubt that this could be done,
and offered TO name men now engaged
in growing tobacco whom he had met in
his travels through three counties, and
on whose farms he had seen as fine stock
as any found in the other counties. He
made an earnest appeal to his hearers to
give their attention, with untiring ener-
gy, to the growing of herds Of stock on
the lands not fit for tobacco, maintain
ing and at the same time increasing their
fertility that their sons may inherit the
old homes, once so beautiful, in as good,
If not better, condition than when their
fathers secured them.
Mr.. Edward Van Alstyne said. While
l would not advise the farmers of st.
Mary's county to abandon the growing
of tobacco, l do believe they can add to
their revenue by introducing some side
issues. Where all the revenue has to be
derived from one staple, and the BUTCH
er, baker and candlesiick maker paid
their dues from the above, there Is often
but little left for the more important
matters. This condition Il made worse
in years of poor crops or low prices.
The dairy has its double advantage of
adding something to the income. and at
the same time returning plant food to
the soil without cost to the owner.
Then too many of the farm products,
such as corn stalks, that have no money
value, may through the animal be turned
into finished product that will sell for
cash.
saw pile of stalks this morning that
were standing out, q nuisance to the
owner. Seventy pei cent. of the value
of the stalk il below the ear. This is
the part that 10 left standing. Had these
stalks been put into silo they could
have been preserved, and their full feed
ing value have been realized.
A silo need not be expensive. Built
of wood, in barn convenient to the sta
bic, one TO hold fodder enough for 10
head of cattle, can be built for not to
exceed go. The skim milk from dairy
whers butter Is made can in turn be fed
to hogs, and thus add another source of
revenue and fertility.
A dairy win need some purchased
grain food, but 1t Is much better to put
money in feed than In fertilizer The
former is paid for in the production or
growth of the animal, and the fertilizing
elements returned to the soil, less one
fifth the animal takes out for sustensnce,
while the fertilizer has TO be paid for en-
tireiy from the sales of the crop.
Sheep, too, may be kept, and they have
an advantage over the dairy, in that the
labor required for them IL very slight
Spring lambs are sold In New York city
at from TO 81 head any time from
January to May. These are raised in
my State 400 miles from the city. and
sent there by express. wish the entraiIs,
head and feet removed. In this miIder
climate, at no greater distance, do not
see why 1t cannot be done, with the adj
ditionaI advantages of the markets Of
Washington, Baltimore and Phiiadel-
phia.
IL is true that dogs reduce the profits
of saeep-keeping. but y-putting bells
on the neck Of one sheep In ten, the
the flock can often be saved, and some
times the dogs secured and safely plant
ed. protected flock one summer by
putting them in hurdle 1t might. made
of boards too Gloss together for the dogs
to get through and high enough so they