Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-08-31

4 exercised ana tneFG are no Dtltel tfoP
| in the state of Iowa this season thai
are to be found on this farm. In
oats are threshing on an average o
fifty-five bushels an acre and the nome
bred corn will yield, if the condition:
are favorable from now on, from Sixty
TO eighty bushels an acre. The I'M
ported corn will not yield as much
This is also true of the oats, as tha'
portion not home bred is yielding from
fifteen to twenty per cent less an acre
than the home bred seed. Another
thing noted on this farm was that the
grain raised and growing on the fai
plowed land is away and afar ahead
of the land which was broken in the
spring. Again Mr.. Cook states that a
smaller number of teams are required
to raise corn when the land has been
plowed in the fall as in this way, the
hardest part of the work of preparing
the land is not crowded into few
weeks in the spring, and If 1t happens
to be a wet spring, all farmers know
it is a very difficult matter to plow {,
large area of land for corn without
having to turn some of it when too wet.
Can Raise Alfalfa.
falfs on this farm. one crop of which
mas already been harvested and anoth-
or coming on nicely. There has beer,
considerable discussion during the past
year thruout the state of Iowa that
the climatic conditions Of the state are
such as to practically preclude tn.
raising of alfalfa. If it were possible
for every farmer in the state to visi,
Brookinont farm and see the excellent
crop which has there been produced, a
change of opinion would quickly be the
result. OF course. it is pre- eminently
true that as good alfalfa cannot be
raised In Iowa as is grown in countries
where the atmosphere is more rarified.
At the same time by selecting land
properly drained, yield entirely sat-
isfactory would be had.
The experience gained on Brookmont
farm is that thorough cultivation be-
fore planting, accomplishes more than
half the work of raising a crop and
that it can be done at much less cost
than cultivation after planting. The
cultivation at first after the corn Is
planted, is that of one to two thorough
harrowings and then the corn is culti-
Gated at least four times with two
horse cultivators. The cultivation gem
orally is deep the first two times and
shallow the last two, leaving the
ground as nearly level as possible.
Forage Crops All Fed.
All the straw, hay. corn fodder and
corn stalks produced on the farm are
fed thereon. All the corn not sold for
seed is fed on the farm, as is also oats,
barley and wheat, unless the high price
of the grain now and then renders it
more profitable to sell outright than to
feed to the stock. The seed depart
ment of the farm began last spring the
tests of leguminous crops, such as al
falfa. cowpeas, soy beans in addition
to corn, wheat, oats and barley, with
view of having the farm produce on
profitable basis, all feeds necessary
to balance the feeding of all stock
handled on the farm.
manure spreader is used for the
spreading of manure on the fields
where needed, but thru the constant
rotation In vogue large quantities OF
manure are not necessary to produce
excellent crops OF whatever grain
sown or planted.