The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1911-10-12
STOCK ON DRY FARM.
Milk, EGGS and Meat Contribute
70 Comfort Of Family.
companlonshlp Of Animate IL Great
Factor II Developing spirit o.
Country Life IN Young Psc.
plc--No Idle Perlou.

3
tBy PROF. r. w. CLARK, Montana. In
the Dry Farming ConEreHs BulieIinl
Dry farming az carried on at the
present time Is cold business pr0po
sition. A visit to the average dry
farm reveals q lonesome. somewhat
| gloomy situation; there are many
lnings lacking that are necessary to
MAKE this home desirable, pleasant
place to live, The wife--the MISTRESS
Of the home--feels this more than
anyone else. II she were raised where
fruits, vegetables and live stock were
grown, the lack of them to her now 10
hcenly telt. No farm can be truly a
nome without live stock. Milk. cream,
outer. cheese, eggs and various kinds
OF meat are necessary. These con.
tribute to the comfort and happiness
OF the family Furthermore, tho com.
pRnionship OF animals is great fac.
tor in developing the spirit OF coun.
try life in young people, The lamb,
colt, calf. pig and chick all help to
make the country pleasant and at
tractivs The writer's most pleasant
recollection of his childhood days was
the companionship Of the farm ami.
mails.
| There are other reasons than the
one mentioned why live stock should
be- kept on every dry farm, Grain Is
the main dry crop. The farmers
eggs are all In one basket" Grain
is his only source OF income, and II
storm and insects take 1t, the expendi.
lures and efforts Of the whole year
are lost. With few mich cows. there
Is an income all the time; butterfat
Is sold to the creamery every day,
and few calves can be vealed and
disposed of to the local butcher. A
few hens will pick up q great deal of
waste grain that otherwise would be
| entirely lost, and the revenue there
from Is usually sufiicient to provide
| the family with groceries. A few sheer
| will furnish meat for the table and
cash at various times during the year.
when the farmer has no wheat to sell.
The same IL true when there are
horses, beef, cattle and hogs to sell.
They provide an income when the
farmer needs 1t, and he can pay cash
and thereby secure many advantages
that cannot be secured by credit.
| When the farmer keeps live stock,
he can give employment the whole
year, but on the grain farm there is
a long period of idleness during the
winter season. Most desirable labor
cannot be secured when there ia q
short period of employment, and con.
sequently the farmer has to put up
with low class OF farm hands, which
is demoralizing to the young people Of
the community. On the farm without
live stock, production ceases during
the winter season. while on the farm
containing live stock it continues the
whole year, and becauGe of it the
community is more prosperous.
| The question of maintaining the fer
tility OF the soil is important The
time will come. though slower than In
humid climates, whea the productive
capacity Of the soil will be greatly
reduced, unless the plant food now
being taken out Ia replaced. Some
crops remove a great deal from the
| soil. For instance, one ton Of wheat
removes 81 worth of fertility This
Is greatly in contrast to the amount
go cents worth removed In a ton Of
butter. In the raising of live stock,
the farmer must grow leguminous
plants that add fertility to the soil.
as peas. clover and alfalfa. About 80
per cent Of the fertility constituents
of crops is retained on the farm when
live stock is fed and the manure re.
turned to the soil. BY growing legu-
minous plants and feeding live stock.
the fertility, to large extent, IL main
tanned and depleted soils are rapidly
built up. This is impossible without
live stock.
Before going into the live stock
business too extensively, the farmer
must learn what kind Of crops can
be proftably grown. This varies great.
~ between and within the states.
Some crops that can be grown sue.
cessfully in Kansas and South Dakota
would probably fail in Montana, and
some that can be successfully grown
in one part OF the state would fail in
another. Alfalfa. where 1t can be
grown, is the best all around crop.
It can be safely pastured by hogs and
horses. and Is good feed in winter
and summer for ali kinds Of animals,
even the chickens.