The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1899-01-27
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
Mistakes of. Farmers.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

| reduce the size or their crops by TAX
| ing the needed moisture and fertility
that should go to make a profitable
crop. In recent trip through several
! of our Southern states we took great
interest in watching the fields along
the way to see what crops were grown
most largely, and when asked in re-
| gard to the crops we saw growing In
| largest quantities we have invariably
said that we thought the principal
crops were corn, cotton, cow-peas and
weeds, but that the order should be re-
versed, for there was more weeds than
all the other three crops combined.
many acres of weeds. which are not
only worthless product, but they
greatly reduce the other crops. We
were pleased to see so much interest
in the cow-pea in the South, and the
most progressive farmers of the North
are beginning to get interested in this
valuable crop, but there are a large
number of our Northern farmers that
make the mistake of never trying any
thing new until they find that all their
neighbors are growing it, and as most
of their neighbors are of the same
class the introduction of such new and
valuable crops as cow-peas, soy-beans
and the Japanese panicum crusgalli, Is,
to say the least, rather slow.
Brother farmers, you make mis-
take by keeping in the same old tracks
that your fathers have followed for
the past half century. Just look about
you and see the wonderful changes that
have taken place in fifty years-all
business has been transformed and
everything is moving along with cleo
trio speed, and IL we do not want to
become serfs and slaves we must keep
step to the same music which is lead
ing the world forward on double
quick.
We must plan our work to do the
greatest amount of labor at the least
expense, and in the fewest hours. One
hour spent in wise planning is better
often times than several hours of hard
labor. We must try new varieties
that bid fair to outyield those we have
been growing BY this we do not mean
that we should invest largely In some
new thing just because some agent
comes along and tells us what won
derful new variety of potato he has
for sale, for often times that would
be the worst kind of mistake, but
we should keep an eye open for re-
ports of new varieties of merit. and
when we find such report that speaks
we'll of something that is in our line
of farming, we ought to first test 1t in
a small way. and If it do we'll with
us we can soon increase our stock. AS
an instance of this kind will mention
the wonderful new forage plant, called
Japanese millet, or Panicum crusgalli
Seeing favorable reports of 1t we wrote
to Prof. Brooks, who first introduced
it into this country, making inquiry
In regard to 1t, and he kindly sends
us a small sample for trial, about as
large as an ordinary five-cent package
of garden-seed. We planted it care
fully in hills and harvested over
bushel of clean seed and this year
planted several acres of it. and with
our two years experience with it we
are convinced that it Is the greatest
forage plant we have ever seen. 1t
will yield from 2 to times as much
as common millet and every one who
has seen 1t this summer speaks very
highly of it, and we believe that every
wide awake farmer who knows how to
take advantage Of a good thing will at
least make trial of it upon their farm
another year.
Another new crop that farmers will
make mistake if they do not try is
the Soy bean, which is also product of
Japan, and one that is coming into use
quite rapidly in this country. Small
quantities of the seed Of these two
new plants can be procured for q small
amount of nearly all of the large seed
dealers and trial will show what they
will do on your soil.
Don't make the mistake of drawing
manure upon the field while the ground
is frozen hard for if you do much of the
most valuable portions of it will be
washed away and lost, neither throw it
out under the caves Of the barn to be
washed out and lost, but spread 1t out
over the yard or better yet, build a ma
nure shed or at least good roof under |
which it can be piled up and kept |
away from the injurious effect Of every |
storm. We are sorry to say that many |
of our institute workers have been |
recommending for the past ten or
twelve years the drawing of manure
daily from the stables during the win
ter and spreading it upon the fields,
even upon the top of several feet OF !
snow. 1t has been one of the worst
mistakes ever practiced by farmers and
one by which thousands of dollars
worth of valuable fertility has been
lost, and we are glad to know that the
practice is beginning to fall into dis
repute among many who have been its
most earnest advocates. We should
guard the manure pile as we would our