Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-02-13
ONE UP.TO-DATE
FARMER SAYS Sllo
is ONLY A FAD

! Special to Times Republican.
! Thornton. Feb. lS,-A farmer was
outlining his methods of running his
farm business, telling how to get prof
! its with the least amount Of expense
and labor and discussing other farm
matters of the kind. He is one OF the
neatest and most successful soil uiierS
of his community and could point TO
results 10 sustain his arguments Inc
subject OF the silo came up ana ne
promptly announced that he wouldn [
have one on his place. Said they were
extensive 10 erect: costs about 500
day TO Ill them after the modern fash
ion. maintained that ensilage as prin-
cipai ration forms about as appropriate
cattle. feed as Sauer kraut for human
being; advanced the idea that mich
cows fed on an ensilage diet last about
four wears and then lose their digestive
powers because they can't stand the
acid in the fed. He could, sell halt
the corn that would go 10 fill the silo,
he said, and with the money buy gooa
timothy hay and winter his stock IN
better shape and with less expense
than his silo-using neighbor. He did
Mt think much of dairying as bust
ness in the corn belt and pointed out
several instances where this Work
aour!shed for time and then fell into
disfavor and was abandoned Claimed
that the reason for this is that milking
cows means a little sure profit and a
lot of work just as certain as the gam
Told how much better, easier and
more profitable it would be for the
Iowa dairyman to- put good woven
wire fence round his farm, allow the
calves to run with the cows; raise all
the hogs he could open up the stubhle
fields and meadows after the crops
were taken off, shut up the old hogs,
turn out the pigs and give them the
run of the farm like the average farm
er does his chickens and then see what
a drove of pigs can do for themselves
and their owner when they have
the chance that nature intended.
Iowa is a corn and hog state,
ne repeated, and because Of its MT
ness TO produce these crops ought to
be devoted to them and let the dairy
sections of the country look after the
milking Of cows and the working up of
dairy products Then this last Su0t az
the silo: Seven silos were built in
this neighborhood several years ago
and today but four OF this number are
in use as such --'
Now it wasn't an old man that said
this but good up-to-date farmer who
has been putting his ideas into prac-
tice and as stated above, with entire
material success. The abandoned siio
statement was looked up and verified.
That on the adjoining farm was GER
tainly empty. An unused wooden silo
soon advertises its condition 10 the
passerby. The next mans sil0 was
gone. Lightning had struck it and il
had burned and was not replaced. The
third former silo man admitted that ne
had torn his structure down and eS-
pected to make a corn crib of it. He
told about it over a telephone and when
reminded that he was a silo enthusiast
a few years ago he made it mighty
plain to the inquirer that he is one to
this day. Since he built his silo ne has
retired and rented his farm. He said
that the first mentioned of the three
structures stands on a farm sold since
il was built and now occupied by
tenant. He insisted that If he were to
start in farming again one OF the first
things he would do would be to put up
silo. He limited that some men were
opposed to things they didn't know but
very little about. He, too, was very
successful farmer, made enough money
in the business to enable aim to live in
retirement. There seems 10 be two
sides of the silo question and that of
Iowa dairying as well.
w. c. Bourne doesn't stop with being
Hereford cattle breeder, he is a coon
raiser as well. He has five of the ami
mails, the foundation stock having been
captured few years ago near the
town Of Eldora. 1t Is said that the
coon is in demand at a price arourl
SO The female produces one litter Of
young in the course of a year, the
number varying from three to half
dozen.
The neighborhood south Of Thornton
has at least one wise dog John
Younge's Scotch Collie Scot" knows
more perhaps than dozen average
members Of his kind. Once horse
er's hand and Scot promptly seized it
in mis- teeth and held on for dear lie
until assistance arrived. During the
progress of the recent blizzard calf
on the farm left it's pen and joined
bunch of larger animals. Mr.. Younge
didn't notice the circumstance and was
about to close up the barn for the night
when the dog jumped upon him, bark.
ed like everything" darted among the
cattle and brought the deserter oack to
where he belonged. He is cross with
strangers who enter the premises but
invariably relents II the visitor gives
the password, which is Scot"
There is some highly successful
poultry work being carried on on the
James Skinner farm near Thornton.
They have hen house 24x32 feet built
like modern hog house, with high and
low roof. The low side on the south is
the scratching pen" with woven wire
partition between that and the part
containing roosts and nests. The south
wall contains drop doors with woven
wire back of them, and these may be
let down to admit sunlight. Last Fri
day morning was a pretty cold. disa-
greeable time but conversation inside
that henhouse was difficult because of
the persistent singing" of those 200
Plymouth Rocks and Notified Anconas
that made up the flock. They don't
Just sing and stop at that, either. Five
dozen eggs a day is the average pro-
duction regardless Of weather condi-
tion. Some time ago 1n2 chickens