Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-03-19
FARM NOTES

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those that are minutely supervised in
every detail by their owners.
A mans religion is not worth much
unless it can illuminate his face, sweeten
his words, elevate every action, and
make all his life divine.
The farmer has as much need of a
thinking apparatus as a lawyer. Some
mems thoughts are no longer than their
hoe handles or plow beams.
The poorest trust we know of is to
trust to luck. He never paid debt nor
met an obligation. He is mere man Of
chance, and often chances to be else
where when most needed.
The dairyman who assists in his own
milking, and personally does or assists
in all of the care and feeding Of his cows,
is, il he is truly in earnest, seldom forced
to declare that dairying is failure.
Mix plenty of energy into your dairy
work this winter, and never 60 to bed at
night without feeling absolutely certain
that every COW in your stable is not hun
gry or thirsty, or forced to lie upon a
damp, filthy floor and breathe vitiated
air.
Feed cows appetite aud performance
rather than her size. We never could
find that difference in weight Of the ami
mails made any marked difference in food
required with cows giving like flow OF
milk. A small COW giving large yield
of milk or of butter invariably is great
eater.
Right breeding must be combined with
individual excellence. The mere fact
that an animals breeding is recorded in
the herd book is no proof of individual
merit. Blood lines are important, but
il they do not end with a good animal
they are only valuable as guide to what
should be let alone.
A first-clsss complete spraying outfit
may be bought for about $50. A good
pump will cost S25; two bamboo exten-
sion rods, Sc; two leads of hose eighteen
feet long, making thirtv-six feet, So 40 !;
two durable nozzles, SO; copper strainer
and copper one-gallon measure, 81 5O
A good tank of 200 gallons capacity will
cost about Sl1.
Ii each man in a county pays his share
of the taxes, how nice it is for all con-
cerned. When few wealthy men evade
taxes in various ways it brings the press
ure to bear all the harder on those who
pay their proportion, which Is made
larger bv the refusal of others to do their
duty. When all are made to pay pro-
portiOnate share of taxes, every county
bridge will be safe for traction engines.
As it is, many bridges are unsafe.
Ultimately the suuflower will be grown
as field crop in the United States. We
know from long-continued experiments
that it can be grown over wide areas in
this country. It will be found, however,
that it will as crop make a considerable
drain on the richness of the soil. But
this is in its favor rather than against
it, as it demonstrates the fact that 1t is a
collector Of rich elements, and thus
makes them available for mans use.
A system Of rotation of crops should
be so arranged as to economize the nat
ural supplies of fertility contained in the
soil. Different crops feed upon different
soil ingredients, or at least they require
those ingredients in varying quantities.
A proper succession of crops brings all
the elements of plant food into use, and
hence prevents any of these from lying
idle and being wasted, as, for example,
by being carried away by water in its
constant percola tion through the soil.
Horticulture includes many lines of
work. Fruit growing, whether in the
farm orchard or the grounds of the
specialist, is one of them. Parts OF New
England can grow apples surpassed by
none. Ia other portions peaches thrive:
The berries consumed by New England
people are largely grown outside, yet
thrive to perfection in most parts. Here
and there shrewd New Englander finds
that the abandoned farms about him
give no cause for abandonment when
planted with these fruits.
The results obtained from feeding en- :
silage as compared with dried fodder
have been surprising to many. We are
all willing to accept the teachings OF
the chemist that the value Of any fodder
depends upon the amount OF digestible
matter it contains. We are also ready
to conclude with him, that the putting
| of any article into a silO cannot add TO
its food values. Still, every farmer who
has fed ensilsge and intefiigently OBJ
served results Is willing to affirm that
there is value to it that the chemist
does not find.
The ups and downs, the rise and prog
ress of breeds and breeders, II faithfully
portrayed, would make such interesting
reading that the most realistic fiction per
picture would be surpassed. One inter
esting fact that recently came TO our
knowledge originated in five-cent In
vestment made by shrewd father 1oi
his first-bOrn son. Not many months
AGO that small investment grew into
something over $500 In what might pos,
sibly be called plain bred stock, anc
from the realization of that amount Of
currency the boys father has made
new investment putting the entire sun
iu one animal.
Fortunately the success OF breed Of
of breeders does not depend entirely OF
the size of the pocketboOk, else little en-
coursgement could be offered to our
plain farmers, among whom we find
larger percentage than ever intent OF
veering into breeding pure bred STOCK
Therefore we think whatever conserv
alive encouragement can be given car
very appropriately be given now, eithel
by way of warning or encouragement
Money Is not the real essential to success
in live stock breeding, any more than u
js to any other line of business. what Il
specially essential at present Is leve
headedness 80 that there be no over