The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1919-06-25
AN uP.To.pATE FARMER
e. F. TUCKER,

=
To refer to the name of Fink" is
to refer to progressive, county
agent book-learning, hard
rOad-propagandist, tractor and milk
ing machine demonstration, faith in
silOs, or anything that has tendency
to better the farmer, and having re-
heved ourself of all this we refer
to Dan Fink who lives in four sec.
lions Of Goodrich township, sections
IS, IA, 90, "a Dan owns PIP acres
in these sections, and has made real
farm out of what was once considered
poor land because of too much bot
tom" But after Dan purchased the
land the first thing to do was to order
two car loads of tile, and he has tiled
all of the farm east of the railroad
track, and say, you never tasted bet
ter or colder water, to say nothing OF
It's clearness, than that that runs from
this tile. And what was once swampy
sOggy, always wet land is now as dry
and mellow as any land on the farm,
and the corn looks fine, and is clean
and free from weeds, notwithstanding
the wet weather. 3. .., ..'.
Following out his belief in modern
methods Dan purchased a tractor-of
the Universal brand-and this spring
when he had 80 acres to plow he used
the tractor with great success fifteen
hours a day. When; darkness over
took him he hung his lantern on the
front Of the tractor and continued to
plOw. He has only one fault with the
machine; he gets lonesome when u.s.
ing it, because he can't talk to it like
he does to his horses. Last fall he
done considerable blowing for, his
neighbors and ploKed 125 acres at
$500 per acre. At odd Jobs he has
earned a ten dollar bill more than
once with the machine. This spring
he used the tractor for everyth hing ex-
cept seeding and planting, and said
he could have done all his seeding
with the Universal. He says he don't
aee that the tractor packs the ground
at ALL In discing he used two 9-foot
dies and went over fifty acres per day,
and in dragging he claims to have
covered IS acres He plowed 48 acres
In three and one-half days, and used
IS gallons of kerosene, 5 gallons aof
lubricating oil and 2 pounds Of hard
oil. Dan doesn't recommend tractors
for all farms, but says they are the
thing for his farm.
Since purchasing this farm Mr.. Fink
has done considerable improving in
the way OF buildings, having erected
tile garage 20x24, chicken house, al
30 Of tile, 16x24 tractor shed of tile,
and has the tile ordered for new
hog house which will be 2Ox64, with
plenty OF modern windows and venti-
latOrs. He has also ordered a yitral-
lied brick silo 14x3O with a, capacity
Of a95 tons, including a five foot base.
nient. u. s,<4
"A modern c0ntrivance Mr. Fink is
using is milking machine, and lie
says 1t pays. The machine milks two
COWS at one time, and by actual time
saves IA minutes over hand milking.
besddes the Inconvenience Of the cows
switching tail, the heat and fys Some
people complain that these machines
ruin the cows as mixers, but not so
with Dan; he says he has used the ma
chine for some time. and his cows
have not been affected in the least.
He is milking eight cows at present,
ar the Holstein breed, and his cream
checks average $35 per week.
Mr.. Fink has in this year 80 acres
Of corn, Is acres Of wheat, IS acres
OF oats and Is acres in sweet clover.
This clover is doing fine, and he says
he will have fine hay crop, and plen-
ty OF fertilizer for fall. In livestock
he is running % head of Holsteins OF
the milking strains and IS head Of
pure Durocs. He didn't have much
luck with spring pigs because of NOV
ing the sows in March.
The above described farm is not all
the land Dan owns, because he has
116 acres just north and east of De-
lott, and this little farm is one. OF the
best improved farms In the commune
ity. Otto Groethe Isl living on the.
place and lis making money for him
self and Mr.. Fink f.
Dan n firm believer in the farm
bureau idea, and he and County Agent
Quist often hold zcommuniOn with
each other and discuss IDEAS, and air
their opinions. II was through the
county agents Office that Dan was able
to secure the best farm hand he has
ever Had on the place In the person
Of Sam Stewart, who halls from To.
peka, Kans., and while he is not of
the Carrie Nation order, he has some
opinions about politics as we'll as mat
ters pertaining to the farms. Quist
and Dan expect to operate an expert
ment station on the Fink farm this
coming year, and will invite inspec-
ton apd criticism. n
Of course, Dams good worker,
planner and overseer, but leave it to
Mrs. Dan when it comes to chickens
or caring for milk, and doing the
house work, and we would not put
field work past her, for we believe she
Is as capable in this line as Sam Stew
art or even Dan. She has 800 pure
Rhode Island Red chickens and has
sold any number of eggs this spring.
In fact she had more orders for eggs
than she could possibly supply.
George Novotne, Of section 9, West
Side township was among the many
farmer friends whom we met during
the week. George has not been in
very good health for some time, and
he told us that his wage scale for the
month OF June would be 5000. When
poor health became imminent George
decided to sell his 80 acre farm, and
~ i. 49, L. I~k rf