Norwich bulletin., 1914-10-03


 suckers alone than Rankin did by yanking 'em out.
 But who's to decide when doctors disagree? field of oats, The weather was pro- pitious. the ground was in fine con- dition, but there was threat of an approaching rain. So I hurried and worked late. I narrowed the oats in and pushed the grass seed in. It took me till dark to do it. and the rain was beginning to fall as | trudged home. tired, behind my tired team. That same day the big farmer whose lands adjoin mine sent his men down to put in a ten acre field of oats. They broadcasted the seed. which took them all the forenoon. At that time there was no menace of storm-and there was a ball game at the village. So they all went to the game, intending to harrow in the seed after it was over, or first thing next morning. The game lasted longer than they expect ed: the rain came. which they didn't expect; for just ten days that field was so sodden that it was impossible to harrow in the seed. The tenth day 1t got dry enough so. they could put the harrows over it. And the funny thing about. the whole matter is
 
 mishandled patch, twice as big a crop, acre for acre, as got off the smaller patch of equally good land, properly put in.
 Can you explain it? I can't. But I know it happened.
 What. then7 Is it the proper thing when it's oat-sowing time and fit weather, to go to ball games instead of doing your work? Is it the wise farming to let suckers flourish in your corn, because you'd rather go fishing than spend work in taking them out?
 You answer. I'm not going to. For don't know,
 doesn't know may have an opinion. And I've got mine. My opinion is that in the long run and taking things ''by and large" it's better to do our work well than to skin1p it. In some cases no, doubt the skimping will be ap- being. It certainly costs less, in work and wages and worry. Of two crops equal in value, the one which has cost the less to produce is the more profitable. The income will be the same. while the outgo has been small CT.
 But will you always or often get as good crop by slimping labor and care as by giving more work to it? There's the question. My opinion which is worth just as much as any body else's opiSion and no more, is that you won't. Even if you do, in some particular case your land which has been scant- ed of care and tillage and perhaps fertilization won't be in as good shape for future crops. At least, it doesnt seem reasonable that it will be. <. You rxoA : once or twice even when you overdraw your account But will you for al- ways don't think so. There'n come a time when your banker will shut | down on that sort of thing, and de- mand big, round deposit before | honoring any more of your drafts. 1 About the hardest lesson for some | folks to learn is that you can't gel l and as regular thing. Once in 2 l while one does, or seems to- WheI | Jones sees Smith do it, once. he won l ders why he can't do it, also.s No F only once but twice and so on ant | on. But such an expectation doesn' square with reason, nor with the gen. t eral trend of experience.
 | With all due respect to the Nebraska station, I don't believe that it helps { corn cropsto 1etssuckers use up tn, Eplant food which was put into tn, dirt to feed honest, caring stalks. I Do 1 take the suckers out Of m, l corn? Surely not. leave lem all l and am glad of 'em. But this isn't
 paradox nor a self-contradiction. Yol
 see, I'm short of hay every year 1 Those suckers, cut and stocked befor frost with the rest of the stalks, mak | a mighty fine winter forage for ol, Brindle. Shed rather have them .thal hay, any time.. Even the horses lik
 a mess. once a week or so. for
 change. T consider my corn stalks al
 asset of high value. If were think
 ing solely of ears, [ should most-cer
 tainly take the suckers out, when the
 were small and thus do my best t
 steer the sap into sugaring stalks
 But 1 want forage as well as ear ] and the more I have, of it from m
 corn patch the better I'm pleased ) It doesn't follow, however that wha I do or should do is what you shoul ;. do. I'm not a professor nor a know ) 1t-an- I'm just a common farmer l man talking at random to a. widel scattered audience, with no. highe .t hope than that some suggestion ma. ! now and then, stir a fellow farme to thinking for himself. and to mak ing a little better use of his own pc
 culiar abilities under his own peculia
 conditions.
 THE FARMER
 FROM THE CONSULAR, REPoRT'