The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1902-02-20

wasted the greater part of theirs
when we decided that the laml
would make the greatest gain from
the food consum d, beca lse W.
fed him when he was a baby anc
babies make the best use of THEN
food, it sticks to their ribs. We
made the LIMBS bay and on the
first 17j made a clear profit Of
| Sl15.OO. That showed us day
light.
If We could not learn to consume
on the farm all the hay and grain
produced on the farm. We could be-
gin in earnest TO build up our soil
We decided to drop out crops that
could not be led on the soil. We
dropped out timothy hay because
it did not prove valuable feed Tor
fattening. We even dropped out
wheat
Each week thereafter we began
to feed more and more lambs. We
learned tha; they must have plenty
of protein in their food That
meant that we must buy wheat,
bran and oil meal, which we did in
ever-increasing amounts. 1t paid
US to do this for the lambs paid the
/ bill and the manure was lat much
richer aud we got ahead in our
work Of soil enrichment that much
faster. But we were keeping ac-
count OF what il cost US to make
| lamb mutton and found it was cost
ing us just about what we sold it
! tor. That would do for temporary
proceeding but the time would come
when must stop. if the price of
lambs tell. and that price was
steadily falling Delaware farmers
are in the same boat today in their
desiring. They are relying on the
West to furnish them their protein
in wheat, bran, oil meal and cotton
seed. We therefore began toscheme
how we could reduce our iced bills
and yet grow good lambs.
During these years we had learn
ed that We could grow alfalfa If we
would first enrich well the land
and then drain it. Alfalfa we found
to be rich IN the flesh and blood and
milk producing element. We began
leaving off the bran and oil meal
and to feed more and more alfalfa.
We found that we were steadily re.
ducing our cost ol mutton pro1ue-
ton.
At last we learned 10 feed only
ear corn and alfalfa hay to the
lambs. Then We had cut down the
cost OF producing lamb mutton ton
SO.o5 per hund. to $3.50. Then ".
began to make some money.
My younger brother took up the
work with me. We had already
found that we could not with our
own muscles lay all the drains that
must be laid, il would take too long
We began tocmploy more aud more
labor. We went in debt tor drains
We had to have buildings, We
went III debt for them. TWAS hard
times in the early '90s. We found
our debt steadily increasing. That
did not worry lis much. While the
debt climbed steadily up and up.
yet the productiveuess of the farm
was gaining much more rapidly.
And we made mistakes, plenty OF
them; we lost lambs often, some
times as many as 40 in one winter.
Tor each year now we were feeding
a larger number, but we did no.
dare change our business. for we
could not afford to make our mis-
takes all over again in some new
line of work.
We builded up successful prae-
tice on the foundation of what VIC
learned by our mistakes. So we
shut our eyes to the past. except TO
learn by 1t, and went dosgedly on.
We laid every year as much tile as
we could get courage to lay. We
hauled out all the manure we made
and we made each year an ,ncreas-
ing amount. 1t was spread right |
from the barn without ever laying |
first in the yard.
We led 500 lambs. then 900. then
500 and three years ago we had
1900. When we sold them they were
as alike as peas. They sold tor
the top OF the market in New York.
When the last check came in | laid
it down on the bankers counter
and asked for our note 1t was a
large one. We owed no one else
in the world and our men had been
paid every Saturday night, tor we
had learned that that is the wav to
attract and ke.p the best men. |
asked Ior our note aud it was hand
ed to ME cancelled. "l>or Gods
sake tell me. said, chow much |
have to my credit, It anything"
The cashier handed me nv book
with $500 to my credit And ten
years Of aye tell off me in a day.
That year our labor bill was $500.
When we began one old, lame
darkey was all We hired. We had
made clear profit that year OF
$500. Aud the next year we did
nearly as veil. What we will do
this year | do not know, FOR we
have now OH the farm near a thou.
sand sheep and near 10 cattle, pigs
and horses. We made 800 tons oil
alfalfa hay last year, and pastured
a lot OF stock besides. That farm
is not for sale. Nothing is sold
from it except finished products,
except now andthen little alfalfa
hay. Lambs bring to us the most
Of our revenue,
Good PRICES