Norwich bulletin., 1911-04-29

to the cows. The third part of the hay he gave them. uncut, at mon. Hoslxin's cows were all we'll along in their lactation periods and were con- month, on the new ration, those three cows actually Increased their milk yield from less than three quarts al milking to over four quarts,-from about seventeen quarts a day to about twenty flve quarts by actual measure, ration, than the value, at livery stable prices of the timothy hay alone, which Hoskins has been wasting on them At the end of the month, HoslMns paid his bet,-he's no sneak, Hoskins sn't,-and then,-here's the nub of the whole story,--went straight back to feeding his horse on hay and his corr meal, and saw his cows drop in their daily yield from twenty-five quarts to less than fourteen in one week! and trapsein' of to mill after feed, and figgerin' half the night" So he said.
 Dut hs never whimNrrs any more to that particular neigi or about his inability to pay his grofsry bill with
 Rref. King of Madison, Vie, who recently travelled bit in Japan, de- scribes one farmer whom he found cT1f- tivating two acres and half of land. On that tremendous farm this partic- ular Jap maintains family of twelve people, keeps a COW and a donkey and two pigs. The professor figures it out that this would be at the rate of 192 people. sixteen cows, sixteen donkeys and thirty-two pigs on a farm of forty acres.
 The average New England farmer wouldn't think it possible to keep even that Jap's stock and his family on forty acres.
 Nor is his land one whit better than ours,-except as he has made 1t better. gricultural country than New Eng. land,-the land is rougher and poorer and the seasons no more favorable
 It may De admitted, without hesita- ton, that this Jap and his family live less comfortably than the New England farmer; have less of the lux uries of life, and probably work hard CT. Pm not in the least disposed to set up their standard Of living as one for us to initiate. But their standards of economy are worth considering. Ev- cry square foot of this mans little farm was used to the limit. He tend- ed every crop and every plant in each crop IS carefully as woman tends her potted geraniums in the kitchen window. The ground was well ma nured and eac11s plant then separately fertilized and cultivated and fostered by every possible means. Where pos sible. the land was made to yield two and three crops a season. Every last straw of the harvest was saved and made use of From January to De- cember every year and from daylight to dark every day. the whole family worked at the multifarious little prob 1A-~ -G . -f- yields. They had exceeding little to start with, but they made the most of | that which they had. Moreover, this l same Jap and his six Wiry, enduring healthy and clear-eyed sons have al- ready shown that, when the need comes. they can march farther and fight harder for Nippon than any | mode of life hasn't emasculated them They may be little. but they are l quite some.''
 These are the days of asricuItura contests. Even the boys are being dragged into the competing areas They have boys corn growing com. petitions in the corn-belt, to SCI which boy under a certain age ca1 raise most corn on an acre. SeemI to me there might be chance, here 1T l New England, for q new form of com | ROAAtAOf WLiCA SIOdiO Dc q kOOU tfll1l{ not only for the boys but for thei 1 elders and for the farming life as l: whole. Why can't some agriculture society, or some grange, or some farm ers' club offer prizes to the boys unde sixteen, say, who raise the most on quarter acre or g. half-acre? They t l select their own crops and take car of them in their own way; doing al the work themselves, but allowed t, secure all the advice and suggestion
 they please from older heads. Al acre looks pretty big to a small boy Ana not all boys,-or men,-are borl to grow corn: some could do bette with potatoes, and some with cab | bages and some with kohl-rabi per | haps, or cauliflower or celery or witt combination of all these and a dozel more. Let the lad have his head am T gang his ain gait. Let there be prize for the biggest yields in point of meas ure or weight, and prizes for the big gest values secured, and prizes for tn
 best net profits made after deductinr all money and material used and al labor applied. And don't forget tw or three consolation" prizes for tn
 lads who have worked faithfully an | hard, but have been distanced by som accident or n1isi1ap which was no faul of their own. The prizes needn't b big, but should be such as boys reall want.-not such as we old 'uns thin | they ought 10 want And they shout 1 be awarded with carefulness and wit absolute justice, by men who don know one boy from another,-and wh don't know their fathers or mothers either-men brought in from out o town to act as judges.
 Scene to me some such schem
 would fit" New England conditions would help to keep some boy out c
 mischief; would give many an induce ment to do something useful; woul
 brighten up even the old folks wits
 little would develop an interest i
 farming just where we want it devel
 oped; and might serve to keep fe1
 more boys on the farm.
 T Last of all, the narrowing of thei
 fields of labor to very srn6ll area
 would tend to make them careful C details, saving of wastes, and thereb
 give them . start in that directio
 which future farming has got to travt in, if 1t proposes to be successful farm
 ing. A few such boy titled patches
 town might open the eyes of the dad
 and grAnd-dads.
 THE FARMER. --------------- -
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