The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-05-09
The Farm and The Farmer

L ~ Vs"'osu
Charles Weadick, living on Webster
pike. is the only man in Wayne coun-
ty, SO far as we are aware, who raises
tobacco. He formerly grew tobacco in
Preble county and says that he is
growing as fine tobacco as he did over
in the cigar leaf belt. He tells US. too.
that his tobacco was the most profit
able crop on his place last year. even
when sold at Is cents, owing to the
great decline in grain and live stock.
His four acres produced 1000 pounds
of choice Spanish leaf.
Mr.. Weadick claims that it costs
less to raise tobacco now, than former
ly. Plants are set with a planter, a
time and labor saver. He will set out
for acres as usual this season. and
now has a lot of thrifty plants under
cloth. He has a spraying outfit which
saves a lot of "worming," a large
element of cost in tobacco culture.
With reference to wheat he says his
is looking pretty good, but that we
have had too much rain and too little
sunshine to force growth. He Is plan
ming to plant 80 acres of corn.
Sheep Shearing at 10 Cents.
The Lee county, Illinois, farm bu-
reau has arranged with a man having
a power machine to shear sheep at IS
cents per head. This seems cheap
enough, but when you consider an
average fleece of Z pounds and the
fact that some buyers are now bidding
as low as 10 cents in Lee county you
will note that Is cents takes quite a
bite" out of the proceeds. Lee coun-
ty pooled wool sold above 20 cents
last winter, some OF the highest grade
bringing up to 80 cents.
TackIing Nitrate Project.
The American farm bureau has
tackled a big job. Gray of Missouri,
Jamison of Colorado, and Brown of
Indiana, have been appointed a COM
mittee to inspect the nitrate project
at Muscle Shoals, Alabama. They are
on a trip of inspection now and are
empowered to hire engineers to make
a report. The government has spent
many millions on the plant, has actu-
ally made nitrate, and in some Wash
ington circles there is a feeling that
no more money be spent in perfect
ing it.
The farmers are greatly interested,
of course, in the manufacture of nj
trates in this country in the hope that
1t Will build up an American indus
try and lower the cost of fertilizer.
There has been talk Of abandoning the
plant. ii it cannot be sold to advant-
age, 1t being whale of a proposition.
1t was originally started as war
measure for the supplying of nitrates
for powder The farmers want to save
the plant and the nitrate industry.
England Buying Our Cattle.
The first American cattle to reach
England since 1913 were received at
Liverpool on March 9. Several con-
signments have been shipped of late
But this trade cannot become large
| under the regulations that have been
In force 20 years. The cattle cannot
be kept for fattening but must be
slaughtered within ten days of arrival
Seed Money for Farmers
AS was stated some time ago, con-
gress appropriated 100000 to be
loaned to northwestern farmers in the
drought-str1cken districts with which
to buy seed. The loans were limited
to 5000 and were only available to
those who harvested less than five
bushels per acre because of the great
demand for money. In view of the
ington, this appropriation seems pitt
fully small. The department of agri-
culture reports that ''it ha been nee
essary to refuse applications from
farmers who harvested more than five
bushels but who were in financial dis
tress because of having devoted their
crop receipts to payment Of debts"
All farmers receiving seed money
have been required to give crop
mortgage notes, paya BILE at the federal
reserve bank next fall. The smallness
Of these loans. some Of them under
500, connected with a first mortgage
| on the crop, seems almost ridiculous,
but Uncle Sam is needy and can Ie-
gally take no chances on his money.
Sunfowers for Silase
Frank r. Arnold, a Utah farmer
contributes the following interesting
information regarding sunflowers and
their feeding value in the form of
slage as tried and proven in his state.
| He writes as follows:
! There are three remarka BILE things
about the sunflower silage. 1t will
mature at an altitude of $500 feet in
growing season of only three
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