Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-07-19
Farm Improvement.

Farm Improvement.
The desirability of the improvement
of our farms will not be questioned
but the difficult problem to solve is how
TO make such improvement practical
Intelligent thinking must be the founda-
ton of such improvement and must be
accompanied by the manual labor neces-
sary to attain the object aimed at. OF
course we cannot all think alike, and. .our
aims for improvement will be different
Our farms and their capabilities for i'm
provemenr are different, but think
am safe in making the assertion that
outside of fruit raising the amount of
stock food is the grand aim To be attain
ed in improvement. Some one has writ
ten good things of him who caused two
spears of grass to grow where but one
grew before. What then should be said
of the man who instead of two makes it
four? In my experience the greatest
possible advance can best be attained
where hay aud ensilage are made special
ties. have sowed no grain for % years
or NOR and after these % years of prac-
tical experience | personally do not be-
lieve that oxford County or Maine farm
ers can afford TO raise grain in compe-
tition with average western prices with
good stock To eat the hay and ensilage
that can be raised from the same fertil-
izer The old routine practice of our
fathers to break and SOW TO grain, then
plant corn on liberal dressing the Sec
ond year, and SOW grain and often with
out additional dressing, does not get
over the ground fast enongh and often
finds the ground as poor for grass TO
start in as it was before broken. Before
the years when had silo | seeded in
variably in the fall and with good sue
cess so far as the quantity of hay was
concerned. | soon was practically con-
vinced that could get enough more hay
from the same fertilizing in the first
three years after seeding without grain
and that without any extra cost except
the handling of heavier crop of hay on
the same acreage than enough to pay for
the best crop of grain raised. So in all
these wears / have been able to make a
constant if small improvement year by
wear. More hay means more stock,
more stock, more dressing, more dress
gression if one don't try to eat their cake
and have it too.
In the matter of practice have brok-
en- for corn and taken the fodder from
the ground as soon as its ripeness would
permit. Then plow, and fit for the
moving machine, and seed with herds
grass and redtop and SOW on the clover
in the following spring on late SHOWS or
any time before the ground is done
freezing nights. When | have been able
to seed before the 10th of September
have not made total failure in all these
wears. Twice only for % years have
sown a little extra herdsgrass when |
did nv clover seed. The loss of seed in
fall sowing is very much less than in
spring sowing with grain. | have also
practiced breaking at any time after the
hay crop was off, dressing literally,
narrowing thoroughly, brushing faith
fully and putting enough muscle on a
hoe handle to lit il for the moving ma
chine. Then SOW the seed and go over
il with light wooden roller, thus rails
ing a continuous hay crop.
There are many acres of ground that
are too moist for crop cultivation that
are not too soft for the moving machine
and horse rake that by picking dry
time could be plowed, smoothed and
seeded Immediately with gain enough to
pay for the job in quantity and quality
and field that top dressing will make
often the most productive. Such land
often seems to pay for dressing more
than dry ground.
For the past three years | have seeded
in the corn with herdsgrass, clover, etc.,
after the last hoeing and smoothing for
the moving machine. After seeding go
over with a weeder. which gives final
,eyeling touch. | don't think you can
Get quite as much corn but saves lots of
labor blowing and leveling, so | want
the ensilage am pleased with success
in this. | think it has been practically
demonstrated that the dairy COW will do
more towards permanent improvement
than any other class of stock. We hear
much said of the amount spent tor
western grain, but personally DO not
consider il bad investment as long as
the cows pay the bill to bring western
fertility to Maine for the permanent I'M
provement of our farms.
In the matter of drainage | have done
no work that | was better satisfied with
for the labor expended than what have
done in improvement by drainage. l
have done but little stoue draining.
The difference in digging for stone and
tile will pay for the tile, about cts. per
foot, every time, and when you have
tile drain once properly laid it is perma-
nent. Earth won't fill nor moles OBJ
struct. This is but an outline but l
think have aired my personal expert
ence and will close here's. NJ. King In
Turf, Farm and Home.