Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1921-07-08
Rusk County Man Reads Farm
Department and Follows
Rusk County Plan For Farm
Operations. Has Built Up a
Reputation and is Making
Good


Reputation and is Making
Good
Many men in Rusk county are read
ing the farm department of this paper
and are following it to greater or
lesser degree.
We have been watching one of these
farmers and his success is the envy of
his neighbors.
Last spring he spring-toothed the
land he wanted TO put to garden and
potatoes before he plowed it. After
blowing he worked the land up we'll
before planting He had his crops
half tended before planting. After
planting. heavy rains drowned out part
of his potatoes but he kept the land
clean. and keeps the ground worked up
so that he had fine dust mulch during
the dry season. and at no time this sea-
son to date has the moisture sunk more
than an inch or two below the surface
of the ground. He planted rutabagas
in every spot where potatoes were
missing, and will have full crop on
all the land
His garden is considered to be the
best in his neighhOrhOOd. Last year
he was one who followed our brushing.
logging. and leveling program, seeded
large patch of land to grass, and cut
few tons of hay with the young
brush in if last fall. This year he
has a heavy crop of clover ana tim
othy on that land and this week he is
putting up his hay.
He has burned and seeded his pas
ture land for a few years and now has
the finest of pasture. and some OF 1t IS
so good that he will cut it for hay with
scythe.
This man has large farm and is
getting it seeded to hay as fast as he
can.
Flowing Was a Mistake
He saws that he made a big mistake
when he pl0wed up three acres OF land
for garden and crops. He thinks that
the last two acres that were put to pO-
tatoes did not pay him for the reason
that he struck time for planting that
was followed by heavy rains which
drowned part of his potatoes both
years
He sold his potatoes in digging time
as per our suggestion and got the high
est price that was paid last fall for
all he had to spare and sold them di-
rect from the field
Here is the way he figures it ont:
Clearing these two acres for potatoes
took lots of time and some cash. Seed
pOtatoes and care of the land was an
other big item.
His returns from the potatoes were
about half of what they would have
been if the land was growing grass
for hay. and in the two years he would
have had around eight tons of hay
worth S16O which would have re-
duired about four days work or $50
worth of time. thus netting him $40
for the two years hay crop. The time
spent on this land would have brushed
and seeded at least ten acres OF land on
the Rusk County Plan, i'll the two
years This would have given him at
least 20 tons of hay for the period
and at $40 per ton which was lower
than the average price for two years
he would have had $500 more. Thus he
says that he can prove that the plow-
| ing and planting of those two last
acres of land cost him over $500 more
than if he had been working toward
| hay crops and left the stumpS he could
, not burn or pull out. He c0ntemplates
seeding one of these acres down 70
grass this fall and will put one acre III
rutabagaS next year. If he was start
ing again on a new farm here he would
pillow only one acre for garden and
spuds and that is the right amount for
any new settler who has team. One
half acre is plenty of garden and spuds
for the beginner who has has no team.
! BY farming only two acres this man
and his boys will devote all their time
in brushing their land for hay.