Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1907-10-02

The Importance Of Safe Shelter EN-.
phasixed by e. L. Vincent.


am never really happy till all my
farm crops are safely under cover
In fact ! do not know that have any
crops that VIII bring me anything
until all have been slowed away out
CT the reach OF storm and weather
The next thing to this Is threshing
out OF doors jnst as soon as the grain
Is dry enough; end often we are not
able to do this because we cannot
get a threshef when we want him.
j know IL Costs to provide buildings
fsr large farm. The first expense of
building in these days is high, for
lumber and building material OF all
kinds are high in price. 1t is also a
fact that the farmer who has many
buildings must set aside no small
sum every year to pay for repairs and
insurance.
And yet. stop and think that the
loss OF one crop through storm or
other adverse circumstances would
Offset all this and more, too for a
good many years. Take a wheat crop
OF 80 acres. for example Say that it
would yield IS bushels to the
acre, which. by the way, is the report
from one of the first crops threshed in
Illinois this year. That wouli mean a
yield OF 900 bushels. worth at fair
estimate a dollar a bushel
There have been years when we
have lost about onehalf the value OF
our crop by reason of storm. We could
not thresh when we should and the
grain we did get was not worth as
much as it would have been could it
have been put in the bins in good or
der. What does this mean? What
but that we have sustained a money
loss OF $3.50 In that one years crop.
That would keep the buildings up in
good repair for a great many years.
But wheat Is not the only crop most
farmers Of to-day harvest There is
hay, one Of the best crops we have.
bringing at the present writing in
some parts OF the country from 500 to
$40 ton. Also oats. another fine
crop. The value OF these depends
largely on the condition at marketing
or feeding. Stacking is always a
risky business. Not one man out of a
dozen can stack grain or hay. so that
1t will keep any length Of ape.
Nothing adds to the looks or the
wortho OF a farm more than good barns
or sheds for storing grain. Prospec-
tive buyers always notice the condi-
ton OF these buildiugs. and n there
are none to notice they are very apt
to pass on until they find farm which
are thus furnished
Still another point i'm favor of plenty
Of barn room is ho stabHng OF
stock The day Is Fast going by when
any farmer VIII feel easy IA body or
mind while a lot OF his stock is out
n tho storm. just think II the ter.
ible losses every winter from stock
exposure in the west, Leaving the
humane part of it out of the question
lust now from an economical stand.
Joint alone not a single farmer in all
his country can afford to stand sull
md let considerable part OF his herd
lie in the winds and The SHOWS of our
lorthern winters.
shall a man incur a debt to build .
arm barnsy / hate debt as much as
nyone on the face OF the earth; but
eally ] would rather 80 with poor
lothes for years and years and econo-
aize in other ways rather than to
% without barns. They viii soon pay
or themselves. They are the right
hing for every up-to-date farmer
'armer's Review.