The progressive farmer., 1901-12-03

Unthinkiug Tillers of the Soil are Continu-
ually Saving at the spigOt and Wasting
at the BunR"
n. G. A. aud NJ. College.

| UnLnlnklng IllLers OF Lle FOIL are COnLluu-
ually Saving at the spigot and Wasting
at the Bung"
COrres pOndence of The Progressive Farmer.
The figures quoted from Prof.
Massey in 1HE PROGRESSIVE FARMER
OF November 12th, AS TO the per
centag of nutriment in the different
parts or the corn plant, and the ar
tlole by Prnf. Burkett in the same
issue "a so the feeding value of corn
fodder, are almost appalling when
we O lnsider the large part of the
Drop annually wasted by the farmers.
There are very few farmers in the
South who do not save part of their
corn stover but there are also com
paratIvelY few who save is all The
corn Ia "bladed" or "topped" with
an excessive outlay of labor, and
with Il loss of nearly one fourth of
the entire plant when is is topped,
and of almost One.t1lrd when it il
b AIDED And then the farmer Ia
or he buys timothy hay at price
which it's feeding value does not
nearly warrant Is it anv wonder
tnAt farming does not p4y?"
Ask the men Who arc treating
their corn crops this way their res
sons for so doing, and probably halt
Of them will say, "The stuff is no
count, anyway" and the other half
will claim that they could not afford
80 buy or hire machinery to take
care of the crop.
The first ass are simply misin
formed; the fl 'rt thing TO do with
tnem ia 80 enlghten them. The Sec
Ond class are, If possible, worse off
ghey ara "eoOn mical." They ''cOuld
nOt hff Drd" the expense of bu, ing or
hiring corn binder and shredder
but they can afford to lose one fourth
of the feeding value of their corn
Drop. Economy is, no doubt, the
T ad 80 wealth, if it is true economy
bus suoh spuriou' economy as this, it
saems 10 me, is the road 80 the poor
house.
This same idea of saving is, how
ever, display ed in many ways Every
reader k lows men who "cannOb
nfford" to iced their chickens or so
build house for them which will be
in winter, but who Can
afford to do without eggs. Much is
said about the pr, fits in poultry
ralsing; but how many hooks are
almost worthless But in the latter
GLASS are few h,cks that are cared
for.
80, too, how many COWS are ex
pected so live and give milk all win
ter on ration of fodder or hay and
u few nubHIns. Many are expected
t. do 80, but very few do it. | kno v
u lady who runs large and profit
abe dairy. But one day she con-
cluded that her feed bill was too
large. 50 she cut down the ration
aud reduced her outlay for grain $I3
iu one month. The only trouble was
her receipts for milk fell IF about
$29 the same month. That was what
sne called economy; but she had
enough of is with one experience.
This idea of economy is very com.
mon. There are many people who
cannot If Drd" to spend little for
many of the needed improvements
or assistance which would pay them
a big dividend on the investments
But | have noticed that such people
very seldom get rich. Indeed have
seen so much poverty which seemed
TO me to be almost the direct result
of this kind of economy" that l
some ii nes feel tempted to pray to
be kept from all desire 60 eoOnomize. |
E E MILLER.
Hamblen Co., Tenn.