Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-12-29

heavily used on the portions which must
furnish the crops for home use or for the
other farm animals. It is not possible to
go into details in a short item, but any
one with the farm, the right spirit and a
little money could embark in the poultry
business, growing the birds for market and
raising eggs, with every prospect of sue
cess.
COUNTING THE COST OF FARMING
The harvest is over and farmers are in
a position to know pretty well If the oper-
ations Of the past year have been profit
able. In some sections crops have been
partial failures, in others some crops have
been so good that prices rule exceedingly
low but, taking the country through,
farmers should have had a prosperous
year. If not what has been the trouble
One thing worthy of serious thought Is
whether one is wearing out his farm; this
is quite likely to be the case in the older
states. If the crops have been satisfactory,
have we, in growing them, furnished to
the soil enough fertility to grow the crop
and still return to the soil the plant food
which it contained before the seed was
sown? If not, we may consider that just
so much we have taken from the vitality
of the soil and that, in consequence, the
next crop will be correspondingly smaller.
OF course there are some exceptions to
III as lOl SAdlllD1C. <ASCuAIlS lld NY III
usual cultivation we have released IN ex-
ceptionally amount of the potash in the
soil and made it available for plant food;
1t would not be necessary, under such cir
cumstances, to replace that potash In
chemical form. Indeed, we might not
apply any potash at all and yet, the second
year, by still continuing the plan of cul-
t~ivation release enough more potash for
another crop. While old time farmers
Hka fha NUrifar fhnrOtlph1u haliaxa In the
old rule of making the farm grow every
thing needed for the living OF the family
dood) and stock before planning to sell
II part of the crops, condition may
change this rule slightly. One would not
be justified in raising hay for one or two
animals when the soil would bring him a
much better return If it grew strawberries,
for example. At this season of rest each
of US should carefully look over the past
and search for the mistakes quite as
earnestly as for the successes.
FEEDING THE IDLE HORSE.
The farm horse who has practically
nothing TO do during the months OF winter
is a costly proposition to feed If he must
be kept on the regulation ration. 1t is
really more profitable TO find some work
for the animal to do which will enable one
to afford full r~ations, as in the summer,
for then the horse is likely to be in much
better shape to take up the spring work.
OF course If one is located where the horse
can be on pasture more or less during the
winter months the cost of wintering the
animal is materially reduced. In colder
sections one must rely on the sheltered
yard to give the horse needed exercise and
largely on the grain one has; do not at
tempt to keep the horse through the win
ter on roughage alone for the plan will
only result In having a rundown animal
10 d 40 --p a -. rVl vyflI 10 - -o-H1y a.v.zAH
ment. Horses are not fed nearly the guam
tity of roots they should nave and those
who winter idle animals will find II profit
able to grow roots especially for them to
feed with the grain ration. In the alb
sence of roots, oil meal bran or some
similar article which will keep the diges-
tive rgans in good condition must be a
part of the daily ration. One can get
along very nicely on feeding considerable
roughage and corn If considerable bran or
root crops is also used. Remember too,
that good grooming and a clean light
stable will do much toward keeping the
animal in good health and help to enable
him to enjoy the r~oughage.
PIANO. BOX POULTRY HOUSES.
New lumber is very high in price and
likely to be higher so that poultrymen and
farmers are put to all sorts of make-shifts.
To one who lives near a large town or city
the problem of providing lumber for small
structures is easily solved for boxes of
various sizes may be bought for much less
than the original cost of the lumber in
them. Upright piano boxes are usually
sold at S. each new but any plano dealer
with a surplus of boxes on ham will be
glad to sell them for much less than the
sum named. A practical poultry house
may be built of four upright piano boxes
in this manner The backs and ends
which come together are removed together
with two of the tops. TIL. two remaining
tops are enclosed at the middle end of the
house and at the front and a small door
made in the gable end of one, which por-
ton OF the house is used for the storage
Of grain. See figure 4 In the drawing. a