The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-08-11

s. "A 4EMII
1lE 49,. !: W.!
the rapidity with which they may be fat
tened and the remarkably rapid growth of
the bird. The birds are hardy and strong
and are great foragers. feather early and,
IL given half a chance. will get a good
living on the range during the summer,
thriving under the minimum quantity of
grain. 1t Is, however, essential that the
ducklings be given a good start by keep
Ing feed before ,.iem at all times and FUR
fishing them with an abundance of water
for drinking. The breed Is
for trial by breeders who have had ex.
p~erlence In duck raising.
MAKING A CLAY SOIL PROFIT
ABLE.
Those whose farms are loamy soils,
whether loamy sand or loamy clay. do not
realize what the man with the sandy
soil or he with the clay soil has to contend
with. In the one case there Is the diff
Guilty of making the soil hold the applied
fertilizer, as one owner of such a soil re-
marked. sit Is like a bottomless well,'' the
man with the clayey soil has his troubles
In Its being wet and unavoidable part of
the time and SO hard he cannot pillow 1t
The rest of the time. Here are two eX-
tremes of soil and yet the one remedy
may be applied to both, that of adding hui
mus. 1t is impossible to carefully advise
one just how such soils should be handled
In detail but 1t may be said, In a general
way. that crops which Will furnish humus
to turn under the most frequently should
be used. While there Is, of course, a
choice of humus material, anything which
will ansewr the purpose will help. On the
clay soil one would not go far wrong, If
The soil was poor, to get II into COW peas
The entire crop to be turned under, follow
this with corn and the next year divide
~ fite plot In two parts and crop one part
with lbotatoes and on the other make
another cow pea crop to be turned under.
After the potatoes are off cover the soil
with rye to be plowed under the following
spring and then follow again with corn.
Make the rotations as short as possible
having the humus crop come every other
year for a few years.
GROW MORE HAY, FEED MORE
STOCK.
There are two classes of farmers who
need to learn that the foundation stone OF
soil fertility is stable manure He that
nses commercial fertilizers almost eXclus.
lively and he who is cropping IA virgin sol
to death. The writer has no quarrel witt
commercial fertilizers for they are useC
extensively right here on our own farms
but thirty years of working the soil ha:
Taught us that the basis Of soil %fertiliz
Ing Is the stable manure and tibet we may
obtain this fertilizer in the cheapest way
by raising feed and giving 1t to the cattle
Take the cotton states for example: 1t 1:
only within comparative recent years tina
farmers In that section have realized tina
they were fast depicting their soils of al
Fertility because of the lavish use of com
mercial fertilizers coupled with the fac
that cotton followed cotton making TIVE
pr more crops VIGOROUSLY hard on the soil
The gradual Introduction of cows, the lay
Ing down of meadows and the raising o
food for the stock has changed matter
SO that the yield of cotton is greater pc
acre and. in many cases. there is surpls
hay to sell to advantage. The same stat,
of affairs obtains In a greater or Jesse
degree in other sections and the genera
farmer who has sufficient stock to furnish
him with the stable manure for his sol
except only the commercial fertilizer need
ed for special crops. Is on the road to sue
cess provided he raises the most Of tn,
food consumed by the stock.
SAVING UNsALA6LE VEGETABLES
Nearly all surplus summer vegetable
can be fed to the poultry and stock t
advantage ever though the stock is hav
ing the ibenefitsof the range; they will en-
10y the variety. sThose who grow white
vegetables. such as potatoes. carrots, cab
bages and the like should use care to saw
the unstable rortion for late fall an,
winter feeding; hundreds Of bushels o
small potatoes are yearly fed to swim
during the summer when they are havin
all the green food they need, which ough
10 be saved for feeding later In the sea
son. If one has a rather cool but DIR
cellar and plenty of sand that is dry 1t
not hard to store those things away.
one has no such storage place and ha
considerable stock 1t will pay to provid
b rough place In which to care for then
Such things as cababges are easily care
Tor in the open ground and It Will not /
hard to care for potatoes and carrots an
other root crops IL they, are stored whei
II Is dry and cool after first wiptng ava
any moisture. that Is on them. The write
has paid as high az twenty-five cents
bpshel FOR POTATOES too small to mark.
and foano-them well worth the price +,
winter feeding to both swine4and poultr
One cannot afford to overlook anythir
In the way Of feed which may be utilize
for cold weather feeding. nor can tht
AFFORD to feed this sort Of stun during II
summer simply to get 1t out Of the way.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
PROFIT AND LOSS.
The writer has had considerable to So,
In this department, concerning the plan
marketing crops, of any kind, attractiv,
III. The success OF this plan Is no MOI
readily seen than in the marketing (