Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1903-07-16
FARMERAND PLANTER
o v BANK.
A Telling Argument in Favor of the
SiIO ON Farms Where sheep
or Cattle are Raised.

This is a year OF drought, food and
disaster all over the United States
No section has at this date (June y
escaped. Floods in the west. SHOWS
in the northwest, freezes in the fruit
belts and droughts o general
than ever before known in the month
of May. forest fires raging in the
timber belts and the truck farms of
New Jersey and parts of New York,
including Long Island, literally
burned with drought; yet with all
this the great and good Lord will get
us through in some way. Last season
was one of growth. Thousands of
tons of corn fodder was allowed to
waste in the field, yet, l have seen
acres of corn stalks burned up this
spring to get them out of the way,
which, had they been put in a silo last
fall, would now be furnishing sheep
feed and cow feed to animals that are
nosing over barren pastures trying
to root out a green blade from among
rocks and gravel stones. Herein lies
a lesson-where there is an abun-
dance or surplus ave it. The time
always has come and always will
come when the surplus will be need
ed, Some will say that saving corn
in the silo for cow feeding is all
right, but that sheep won't eat it.
Well, ] thought SO once, but | don't
think so now. / have learned a les
SON.. A silo hat had been filed three
years ago for the first was not emp
tied the following winter, about five
feet being left over. The next year
new silage was put on top of it, and
that was not quite fed off, leaving
full eight feet. Last fall it was again
filled on top, but last winter poor
hay brought it down to six feet. May
1, when the drought began, no pas
ture for either cattle or sheep, the
cattle could get along all right on
the silage with a small barren pas
ture to grub on, but what We're the
sheep to do? A small field, with
mighty little pasture on it, clover hay
all gone, lambs just dropped must
have milk or perish. Well, the sheep
were uneasy, must go out, no help
for it. But did they stop the craving
for the silage? No, not a bit of it.
The little bit of pasture satisfied
them, but the silage fed them, and
that was silage put in the silo in 1900,
three-year-old silage. Did the ewes
shrink in milk? No, not a bit. Did the
lambs dwarf? Not a bit of it. There
is still some silage left, and the sheep
relish it and thrive on it. Oh, if /
only had enough of it, / wouldn't are
if it did not rain in two months, as
far as sheep pasture is concerned, no,
nor cow feed either. The cows thrive,
and 1 have found it just as good for
sheep as for cows. Now for the les
on. If the good Lord yer let's rain
enough come to grow the corn, up
will go another silo, and it will be
filled to the brim, and 1 will name it
Drought Saver bank. i will draw
on it when l need to do so. If
drought does not put in an appear
ance next year we will let the silo
sleep sealed up; it won't spoil. 1t is
food deposited subject to check, a
sinking fund for the breeding eve as
well as for the dairy COW or fatten-
ing steer. Think it over, reader, and
see if it would not be wise for you
to do ikewise.-C. D. Smead, in Ma
tional Stockman.