Middletown transcript., 1909-08-28
REMARKABLE liIs
los Acres Produces Feed Enough fof IlS
Head a Cattle

lUS Acres Produces Feed Enough iof lQl
Head Of Cattle
The most remarkable farm In Berki
county, Pa, ia the one known as Willow
Glen Farm. whose owner, ]. H. Rsicbers,
has by years Of experimenting brought
things up n such fine system tbatit Il
possible j very acre Of ground tillable
to produce more than enough for each
head Of his lise stock for an entire year.
The l05 acres, in other words, support
constantly los head Of cattle, and for the
past year have even exceeded this mark.
Another point which he has worked out,
TO the satisiaotion Of thousands Of milk
consumers, is not the quantity Of milk
that COW can produce III one year, but
the quality. He need not fear the meat
and milk inspector in Reading, where he
sells every quart of his milk, at 2 cents .
quart more than most Of the other farmers
are getting, and he gets it from the finest
herd of Jerseys in the county.
Willow Glen Farm is not one Of the
show places where COWS are kept for the
sake of beauty alone, or merely as q
millionnaire's fad; but it is farm run on
economical business methods and remark
able for its results.
This farm is one Of the old landmarks
Of Berks county, has been held in the
Reichert family for nearly two centuries
and the farmhouse is III years old. Gem
Grafton after generation operated this
farm on the old.time method, raising
wheat, oats, rye and corn, with herd of
q dozen, or at the highest, score Of cows
and grain farming as the chief feature.
The result was that after nearly CEN
tury and half Of continued farming and
robbing Of the soil, without paying back
it's due. the farm gas run down to its
lowest level. Then the present owner
took hold and began to Eesurrect i by
scientific farming He knew that grain
farming did not pay, as Car as Berks county
farms were concerned. He studied for
many weeks and months this great ques-
tion, and finally came to the conclusion
that two things were necessary-frst, a
discontinuance of the practice of pasturing
cattle; second, more home fertilizer and
less waste of this farm product. Mr..
Reichert met the first proposition by
working out system of green crops,
suitable to the climate and his soil. This
provides his herd OF cattle with green
food from early spring until late fall and
feeds his large herd three times day the
year round.
On the Willow Glen Farm, on plot Of
IL acres, sub-divided into acre sections,
ordinarily 80 different crops are raised
each year, which provides at least 24 tons
of green food for $50 days, or S75 tons
from the 12 acre plot in one season.
When Mr.. Reichert made this compar-
ison for the first time for Berks county
farmers they were startled; but as he
demonstrated it to them personally on bis
farm they were convinced that dairy
farming was being reyoIutiOnized by this
scientific farmer and that be was bound
to produce maximum output at min
imum cost.
By this method with green food such
crops as Canada peas, oats, millet, wheat,
sorghum, COW peas, barley, corn and rye
are raised. The land is manured twice q
year and each plot is given at each plant
ing about 500 pounds Of fertilizer, suited
to the particular crop in question. On
all spots bare IN September or October rye
or wheat is sown. What is not used for
food is plowed down next spring for the
organic value to the soil. Year after
year, as the soil becomes richer, Mr..
Reichert's crops increase on this, the
most fertile farm in the county.
Willow Glen Farm is usually divided
in this way for crops: Permanent hay
meadow. Is acres; another plot Of grass
for hay, 20 acres; wheat, 80 acres; corn
for silos, providing green food for the
winter months, 20 acres; oats, 20 acres;
soiling crops, II acres. Total l05 acres.
Imlnsnss crops of hay are raised on this
farm. The method is to plow aud pre-
pare the soil as soon after wheat harvest
as possible and SOW the grass seed on or
near August 10th. The seed Is mixture
Of six quarts OF timothy, Eve quarts Of
common clover, two pounds u alsike
clover and one pound Of recleaned red
top clover. This is sown broadcast with
hand grass-seeder and then narrowed
in. By this system splendid crop Of
hay is harvested the next spring, always
much heavier than by the old method Of
sowing timothy with the grain and clos er
tie following spring. In one field Of IL
acres treated in this method 40 large
loads, each as much as four horses could |
pull, we're hauled at one cutting. Blythe
latter part Of August the second crop was
so heavy that the grass was nearly three
feet tail. The second crop is usually
turned under for fertilizer for the sue
ceeding corn crop. Mr.. eReichert has
shown his neighbors how to redeem old,
worn out meadows, which bad been robbed
of all fertility byyears of constant gather
ing, without being given back some Of
the necessary dues. The meadow is ploWed
and then sown with seed, and the result
has been banner crops.
Sixty bushels OF lime are applied 10 the
acre, once in the four-year rotation
placed on the soil after the sod has been
turned down for corn and then har-
rowed in.
MIR. Reichert follows the following plan
of feeding throughout the year: For young
stock, cut hay, grain and 10 pounds Of
ensilage, all the year; for cows 10 milk,
winter ration, so pounds of ensilage, one
pound Of grain for each three pounds OF
milk cut bay at noon, long hay ct night.
all they will eat; summer ration, 10 pounds
Of ensiiege, one pound OF grain for every |
three pounds of milk, green feed and hay,
all they will eat. The feeding OF so large
4 herd of cattle on such small acreage
10, indeed, interesting. The cattle are
sleek and healthy, showing that nothing
in the way Of nutriment is wanting. The
milk Of each COW Is weighed at each mIlks
ing and the total daily yield is watched
so that any variations can be quickly
noted and the cause sought for any loss
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