The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-27
FARM AND
GARDEN ~
INTERESTS
Ruts i'm Farming.

Z. III. Herr, in Ohio Farmer.
Farmer White has a farm that is consid-
cred rather poor When planted in corn
and the season is fairly good he grows
twenty-five or thirty bushels per acre. This
is where no manure is used. Every year
he has an acre or two that yields twice as
much his entire crop will average. This
is ground that is well coated with stable
manure made on the farm. The corn on
this spot of grounds looks different from
the rest Of the field during the growing sea-
son. The stalks are larger and are of a
darker green in color. The ants, grub
worms and other pests seem to injure this
spot less than the remainder of the field.
Perhaps it is because the richer soil makes
a stronger growth and little root pruning
does no damage.
But this is not all. Farmer White makes
use of a three-year rotation. He sows
wheat in the corn in the fall and clover
seed on the wheat in the spring. The wheat
on this MANFRED plot makes a stronger
growth and larger yield. The clover also
grows larger and yields twice as much hay
as the same amount of ground that is not
fertilized. Farmer White is young man
with good eyes and he can see the differ
ence manure makes in the yield Of his
crops. He has straw stacks of which he
makes little use that would make good bed
ding for his stock. With little extra la
Dor he could have manure enough to cover
three times the space he does. In few
years he could have all of his land produc
ing large crops, instead OF a small portion,
as al present. All that would be necessary
would be to bed his stock better and keep
more of them in sheds at night. AS he has
plenty of stable ROOM this would not call
for any extra expense and would be better
for his stock; and he should haul the ma
nure to the field before Its strength Is
washed away by heavy rains.
Farmer White is an intelligent man who
sees and knows the benefit manure is TO his
soil. Why does he not save and use more
of it? / do not know.
Farmer Brown has level farm. Years
ago much of the best soil on his farm pro-
duced but little grain. 1t was the lowest
ground and the crops were drowned out
after heavy rains. Often this ground was
plowed too wet, as the higher ground dried
off first and he could not wait for this to
dry out. Many years ago he dug ditch
through this part of his farm and placed
large tile in the ditch. Since then this
part of his farm grows the pest gram ana
is dry enough to till before the higher
ground.
Farmer Brown knows by experience that
tile drainage is beneficial to his land, and
he also knows that the higher ground
would be improved by ditching. Why does
he not ditch it also? l don't know.
Farmer Green is man OF taste. When
he married he welded the prettieSt girl in
the neighborhood. He dresses with better
taste than any Of his associates. He keeps
a fine driving horse with buggy and hal
| ness to match. His house and barn are fine
| and are kept freshly painted and In good
| repair. The furniture, pictures and books
| with which the house Is adorned prove
| that he and his wife are an intelligent and
| refined couple. Yet with all of this to
prove his good taste, Farmer Green seems
| to be blind to the beauty Of trees and vines.
| His lawn Is almost bare OF trees. The fine
house lacks that homelike look that many
plain houses and log cabins have where
| they are nestled in trees and vines. Why
does Farmer Green, whose taste Is SO good
in other ways, fail to see that with but
| little expense for trees he could make his
home so much more attractive? l don t
know.
Artemus Ward when rebuking frivolous
friend remarked, William, / wouldn't be
| a fool il had good sense" Now, if White,
| Brown and Green could say they lacked
sense II would be a sufficient excuse IL they
| used all available means to gain knowledge.
| But they all know better than they do.
If farmers all did the best they know there
would be a great Improvement in farming
| in short time. Possibly II is because they
| have formed habits of doing their work in
| a certain way and are slow to make a
change. L know by experience that 1t is
| easy to put off until some future time some
new and better way of doing something
| that is different from our present method.
Several years ago l learned that sheep kill
/ out the brOad-leaved plantain and the
| white-top weed If allowed to Craze in the
! fields infested with them. AS this farm has
| a surplus of these weeds l thought / would
| soon get some sheep and rid the farm of
! these and other weeds/ but the years go by
/ and still there are no sheep on the farm
and the weeds flourish like a green bay
| tree.
The ground on this farm is rolling and is
| well adapted for sheep. The weeds IL
| manufactured into wool and mutton by the
| sheep would be source of profit instead
| OF a nuisance, as at present. / suppose
| the trouble is l am in rut and don't try
i