The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-09-17
WITH THE FARMERS.
BY Prof. w. F. MASSEY

intend to sow winter oats on 1t, to be
followed by cowpeas and crimson
clover. 1t has a southern exposure
How will winter oats do here?"
! Winter oats thrive in your latitude u,
n lower level. but that they all thrive
at an elevation OF 1900 feet would be
hard to say without an actual test
there My opinion is that you will hard
ly succeed with them. Still the trial
might be made ON a scale that would
| note involve great deal of loss. and
you VIII still have time to SOW the
/ same land in spring if they fall. The
chances are against them
good pasture If you do nothing for It,
and run the soil and the grass down
| by rasturing it ell the time and let
| ting the Driers and weeds cover the
! land. There are real grass pastures in
est and Southwest Virginia, and you
can make them in your section, with d
! little more attention perhaps than the
mountain country demands.
The Maryland Tenant System
Henry County: Your articles in The
Times Dispatch contain so much OF in
terest to the farmers that 1 am dis
tributing them as opportunity presents.
was pleased with your account of the
tenant system on the Pamunltey and
Eastern Maryland. You stated the sue
cess of the tenants, but did not state
what the landlord receives. Does his
pay como with the increase of the
crops when the manure is used? Please
state more fully. You are certainly
helping the farming interest"
| The system 1 referred to is In use on
the Eastern Shore OF Maryland, but
not that 1 know of in the Pamunkey
section. The estate to which I par
| ticularly referred is in Queen Annes
County, Md. 1t has all been built up
since the war, the founder buying farm
after farm from the profits of the pre-
ceding ones, until at his death he had
! fftysiX farms averaging 27o acres
buildings that good tenants with means
for farming would occupy. No tenant
Is moved so long as he farms in ac-
cordance with the contract, and many
have been on these farms for over
thirty years. The owner stated just
before his death that he was assessed
nj $1,000. 600 in real estate, and all made
at farming. The estate is worth a great
| deal more than this, and is still kept
the estate pays n clear income of s
per cent on the Investment to the
landlord. The tenants pay one-half the
corn and wheat as rent, and, OF course,
| tho landowner benefits by the increased
crops made through wise rotation of
crops and the application of the ma
nure.
The Department Of Agriculture in
Washington has issued n bulletin on
this estate, 1t is a farmers bulletin,
entitled "A Tenant System and Its
| Results" and ii tells all about the
estate more fully than | could write
here Another landowner In the ad-
Joining county of Kent became a mill
iionaire In the same system of land
renting. And others are taking up the
work. greatly to the Improvement of
the farming in that section.
| they tell Il good story of CAPTAIN
Andrew Woodall, the Kent County mil =
lionaire. He was a very plain man, and
his place of business was at a large
warehouse on the wharf. One day n
timely dressed young man drove up to
the warehouse in a shiny buggy for the
purpose CT renting Il farm. Seeing an
old man in his shirt sleeves, he asked
him to hold HIS horse for him, which
he readily did. Going into the office, he
asked the clerk If Captain Woodall was
In NO. he Is not in just now" when
VIII he be in?' That depends OH how
long you keep him holding your horse. "
ihat man did not get a farm, for Cap
tam Woodall was an excellent Judge
OF farmers, and knew the ability OF
every man in the county as a farmer.
me system has been the means of
great Improvement in those counties,
and has stirred up the owners of land
to better farming. Many of these ten
ants are well able TO buy farms, but
prefer 10 stay on n rented farm, though
some have bought and paid for good
farms and are renting them in the
same way. while they stay on n rented
farm.
|
Cumberland County: II am going
into the dairy business and feeding
cattle for beef / want to know which
Kind of cutter is best, the square cut
ter or one that will mash and split the
stalks? If the square cutter will do
how long should the cut be?" You
propose to practice two very different
modes of stock feeding. OF course, you
can run Il dairy. and also buy feeders
and feed them for beef but for the
dairy you should keep the best dairy
bred cattle, without regard 10 any beef
or veal that the offspring may make
it YOU want n cutter for making
ensilaBe-and YOU should, by all means
nave silo-the cutters that mash the
corn stalks are better than the old
square cut, though all my ensilage
making has been done with the Ross
square cutting machine. aimed tc
cut as near half-inch as possible ir
ming the siio. Compared with feed
ing ensilage. the feeding of dry stovel
is far less profitable. and no one in
this day should undertake either dairy
ing or beef feeding without the silo
The cyclone machine with blower Is
about the best for filling a silo You
, can buy feeders in the fall from the
mountain country, and feed them II
connection with running dairy. but
1t seems 10 me that I would prefer tc
run dairy exclusively or Il beef farm
exclusively. Dairying is very exacting
, work, and can very we'll occupy all q
, mans time. ! would make tho farm