The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1905-07-21
THE CARE OF THE BROOD MARE.
A contributor to Farm and Ranch

There is probably no animal on the
farm which pays the farmer greater
profit than good brood-mare. Ii a
man is in debt or is trying to pay
off a mortgage, would advise the
brood-mare rather than hogs. Some
say that the hog has helped pay on
so many mortgages, and has so often
helped the poor man out, but know
of cases where the hogs have left
him still further in. And this Is the
case sometimes with horses, but not
so often. The good brood-mare Will
help the poor farmer pay off the mort
gage quicker than anything. The good
mare will do just about as much work,
and raise a colt, which will sell for
a nice sum at the end OF the season.
Some will say that they know OF men
who went into the horse business and
lost; but if they tell it all you will
know of men who failed in all branch
es of farming. Failure in getting
profit out of the good brood-mare was
certainly on account of neglect OF
business. Under bad management
what profit could you get out of hogs?
The farm-team of good brood-mares
is the best piece of property which
the farmer owns, and with proper
care will give good profit in the way
of work, and also in the colts, which
will bring in some cash in the fall.
But If the mare is expected to do all
!. this, she must have the best care. The
cLo mr. food and
daily exercise The mare is perform
ing a double duty in supplying ma
terial for her own body and food for
the colt, and it should not be forgot
ten that this double work requires
little extra care if the mare is ex-
pected to hold her own. Where many
people miss it is in not feeding the
proper fed or grain. In many sections
of the country where corn is the pre-
yailing crop, the horse is fed on corn
as an exclusive grain ration. This IS
a great mistake Corn is far from
the best grain; it is too heating for
the work-horse and the brood-mare, as
both require something besides heat
and fat. The best grain for horses Is
oats, for it furnishes the materials
necessary for strength, and you will
always notice that the horse fed on
oats feels liks work and is ready to
co. Oats furnishes the needed vitali-
ty for the mare and for the colt, and
she should have it with the best hay
and pasture when possible. Exercise
is also needed to keep the muscles de-
veloped, and here is another point Of
ten neglected. When idle, always turn
your horses in the lot to exercise
every day. Especially does the brood
mare need this exercise. You will
find the best condition powders in a
daily supply of oats. The mare can
have light daily work, but never over
work her. Provide good water and
salt all the time, and keep her in
comfortable stall.
MUCK LANDS AND FERTILIZERS.
Field tests and chemical examina-
lions of these silos agree in pointing
out that the element always lacking
in these soils is potash. Where the
land will produce no sound corn, zoo
pounds per acre of muriate of potash
/. should be used. Where a moderate
crop of corn can be raised, 100 pounds
per acre will be enough. On the muck
lands that contain considerable sand
it often pays to use some phosphoric
acid in addition to the above amounts
of potash. This can be obtained by
using 100 pounds OF acid phosphate
or steamed bone per acre.
When it is impossible to reduce the
water level to more than two feet be-
low the surface, the use of $50 pounds
of muriate of potash per acre has
resulted in profitable corn crops.
On the l.. G. Nice farm, in Tippe-
canoe County, the use of $50 pounds
of muriate of potash to the acre on
muck. having a water level at plant
ing of IA inches and at harvest OF "a
inches, gave 42.3 bushels of corn per
acre, while the plats on which no
potash was used gave 1872 bushels.
On potash plats 90.2 per cent. of the
corn was sound, while on plats to
which no potash was applied, only
SO per cent. was sound.
The muriate of potash should be ap-
piled broadcast before blowing or af-
ter blowing and before harvesting. Do
not apply 1t in the hin with a ferti-
lizer attachment, since it is so con-
centrated and so soluble that 1t may
retard or prevent termination. unless
it should rain very soon after the
crop is planted.
While it is not customary to apply
potash salts to such lands until their
productiveness is reduced, some ex-
periments conducted last year on
lands that were plowed for the first
time, proved that 1t was profitable
to use it on the first crop. the in
creased value of the crop on the fer
tilted plats over that on the unferti-
lized being nearly three times the
cost of the fertilizer.
With onions the results have been
even more remarkable. With this