VOL. XXXII.
1
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fc^i:
INDIANAPOLIS, IND.. JULY  24, 1897.
NO. 30
EXPERIENCE DEPARTMENT
Mistakes Made Last Tear.
• I think a mistake I made when I took
charge of my horns after marriage (there
waa quite a family to start with, and my
husband not a widower either) was that
I took too mnoh responsibility on myself.
Thore was a competent girl to do most of
the housework, so I did not have to look
after that, as I have had to do later. The
most of the sowing was done at home,and
as I liked that work lt fell to me. Most
of it was done by myself, bntoocaslonally
I had help. Then the knitting waa to be
done, which was nice work for long evenings, and pick np work when some one
came in. Then the mending came in for
a share of time. Business was not done
by telegraph and telephone. When a
man wished to buy stock or grain he
made a trip to the place where he wished
to make his purohase; these men were to
bo entertained at dinner or over night.
We had a good deal of this. It waa all
very pleasant but It made work. Company in those days usually stayed over
night and maybe longer. True we enjoyed those nights well and lt was not so
hindersome then as now. Our house was
the old homestead, so we had a good deal
of company. Then of course I had to
help with the work. We had a family of
ohildren, and they were siok a good deal.
My husband was a very busy man, so I
usually had the care of them.consequent-
ly I got to be too much of a stay at home
woman. It seemed there was no time
for me to visit, I stayed at home till I did
not want to be away, felt that all would
go wrong if I took a day oft, and think
the family felt so too. I am not one of
the lonesome kind so I felt no need of
recreation. Such a life will tell on one
after awhile. The monotony of farm life
ruins more lives than ls usually supposed.
My health gave way and for several years
I was a physical wreck. No one was to
blame. I felt 1 was doing my dnty and
enjoyed doing it. This was my mistake.
As to failure, those I had shielded to
make their lives snore pleasant, were not
prepared to rely on themselves, and I was
an expense and burden that I saw might
have been avoided had I put part of this
care'on others. I sometimes think it is
unfortunate when one can do all kinds of
work, for they usually have it to do. I
don't wish it to be understood that a woman, espeolally a farmer's wife, should
shun home cares and be on the road two
or three times a week. Bat when she
feels cross and irritable she should dll a
halt, and if possible spend some time
with a congenial friend, who may not
seemingly have as many comforts as she
has. It seems strange that this breaking
down is not seen by friends, and a warning given in time to prevent it.
Tippecanoe Co. Saba Landers.
21 Premium.—1. I made » mistake
when I bought swamp land in thick
timber, black ash, elm, sycamore and
blaok alder, eat swamp clay lands.
2, Tried to farm it with open shallow ditches.
3. Laid it with tile too shallow.
■1. Laid it with tile too small to carry
off the water soon enough to save the
crop.
5. Plowed up wet meadow land to
raise corn on.
6. Tried to raise the third orop of corn
in rotation on one piece of ground.
7. Did not seleot my seed corn in Sept.
and take proper care of same.
8. Planted in hills insteadlof drilling
It
9. Did not cnt np corn early enongh to
make good feed of the stalks.
10. Did not tie fodder in bundles to
stack or mow away.
11. Did not reclean and grade seed
■wheat before sowing.
12. Not plowing oats ground ln fall so
as to sow early in spring.
13. Sowing and planting all kinds of
grain too thick.
14. Going in debt for farm machinery.
15. Allowing agents of every description to persuade me to buy or take stock
ln companies for public improvements.
Agents are a curse to the farmer and a
public nuisance and ought not to be tolerated.
16. With that lawyer when I counseled with htm. Your case is all ri.sht when
there is money in it.
17. When I sold that good brood mare
and bred a common one.
ia When I bought a grade bull $20
cheaper than I could a good one.
l'J. Whon I hired a lively spirited boar
when a lazy one is better.
20. letting the young pigs lay in a wet
nest.
21. Feeding too muoh corn aud not
enough clover and slop.
22. Selling young calves for veal and
steers as stockers.
23 Sailing corn, oats and rye instead
of feeding it on the farm.
24. Farming too much land and planning too muoh work.
25. Not confining ourselves strictly to
the farm in all its branches.
23.* Not having an education thoroughly in all branches.
Starke Co. D. C. W.
3rd Premium.—I have made mistakes,
sometimes by not changing methods.
But mostly, the greatest mistakes were
made by making any change from well
established method-, with which I was
familiar. Whenever a mistake in my
farm practice occurred I always investigated the matter, how, when and in what
way it camo about; so that it might not
occur again. I havo made this mistake
at times, by thinking that I knew about
all there was to know about farming. So
1 got rid of that idea as quickly as I
could. It is a mistake in myself, or any
one else, to set up a theory on radical
lines. All succesful farmers have improved by degrees; they become like the
plants they cultivate, reaching out for,
and appropriating for use material that
will make a steady, solid growth, they
fertilize their brain as abundantly as
they do their soil. Farmers of this kind
make few mistakes.      Jamkh Haslkt.
Carroll Co.
Some of us made a big mistake ln soiling our wheat last fall at 51 cents per
bnshel, while if we had waited till Christmas we could have gotten 81 cents for it.
We often make a mistake in trying to
winter more stook than we havo feed and
stable room for. By so doing we are
stunting onr stock and throwing our feed
away.
It is no uncommon thing, as we are
passing through the country, to see
plows, barrows, mowing machines, cultivators and binders without even a canvas spread over them, taking the rain
and sun from harvest till late in the fall,
rotting and rusting down. This is why
so many farmers have to buy new
machinery every three or four years
while others make a piece of machinery
last|ten or littoen years.
Again, we will cut and shock our corn
and let it stand out all winter, and when
spring comes the fodder and corn are
both spoiled; while if it had been hauled
in at the proper time it could all havo
been saved. I have also seen large stacks
of hay stand in the field until thoy were
perfectly rotten.
AVe make another mistake by working
our ground too wet, or by not making it
fine enough.
We have made mistakes in past years,
and are doing it by sowing poor and foul
seeds, or seed that contains seeds of obnoxious weeds or grasses.
Why not sharpen our plows, harrows,
sickles and such tools in the wintor, and
have them ready for use when needed.
Whon we need a barn, house or other
buildings, we should not put our whole
purse in a fine house and do without the
others, but divide it up, and havo them
all according to our purse. U. B,
Corydon.
The greatest mistake of recent years
was stocking the farm with brood marcs
at $1.75 per pound, to raise colts to sell at
$100 per dozen at weaning time. The
next greatest, and the ono that has
caused the most worry and greatest loss
of sleep, was buying the most extensively advertised incubator, porfoctly self-
regulating, that always hatched as
proven by hundreds of testimonials—on
papor—but to get the chicks I had to almost sit up with lt. Kxperlonco is a dear
schoolmaster in the poultry business. An
hour's talk with a thoronghly practical
man is worth a hundred testimonials.
X. Y.
I will mention a few mistakes that I
think are the worst. One is that of leaving the machinery and tools out over
winter in the weather. More harm is
done by neglect than by use.
Another ls the negloct of roofing and
painting of buildings and keeping them
in repair. If left too long when they
need roofing, they rot in the frame and
cost a great deal more to repair. Another
is iu not keopiDg the fences In repair, so
that the stock got in the grain fields.
Never keep any moro stock than you
have stable room for. If you have, sell
part and build stables for the rest.
Too many farmers plant their crops before they properly prepare theground;
this I call a bad mistake.
Whatever yon do, don't let corn fodder
sot out in the shock till spring. If you
don't need it don't cut itnp; pull the
corn and when the ground is frozen pasture the stalks, and do not waste corn
and fodder also.
Lastly, do not forgot to look after the
woodpile before the bad, cold weather
sets in, and then there will be no troublo
in having good fires. David.
not greatest, is in farmers not studying
their business. Farming ls a bnsiness,
and we should avail ourselves of every
opportunity to secure knowledge, It we
expect to succeed. In all kinds of business knowledge ls necessary to success.
Anothor mistake ls ln exhausting tho
fertility of the soli by continuance ot
sowing and reaping wheat and corn, and
leaving nothing but tho stubble to keep
tho gronnd alive.
Broad cast upon thewater may bo gathered up many days henco; jnst so in letting a crop of clover rot on tho ground.
The farmer may not feel tho effect of it
immediately, but ho will reap his reward. Somo farmors havo made mistakes by going beyond their means and
building silos, buying machinery, eto.
Others have made mistakes by endeavoring to economize so closely that they
wore not willing to spend a few dollars
in hiring that deadening cleared, that
thicket grubbed, that pond ditched, etc.
ln social life wo havo failed to grasp
many opportunities that wore offered us
Bandolph Co. J.
Put out a larger acreage than you can
farm properly, then blame something
else because you do not raise as much as
your neighbor who did not make this
mistake.
Buy a thoroughbred animal and
then half starve it, thinking because
it is a thoroughbred it is all right anyway. If your neighbor makes this mistake his stock like yours won't amount to
much. Buy an expensive farm implement, leave it out in the weather tho
year round, thenblamo the manufacturer
if it is no good in a year or two. Cat up
yonr corn and then let lt stand out In the
shock all winter, some of the corn may
be soft by that time, the easier for the
stock to eat, and winter will be past and
you wont have to feed tbe fodder. You
can burn lt then;it's so muoh easier than
to feed it.
Let your fences down when you have
occasion to go into your fields; gates cost
money, and besides you can leave thom
down till you get through with that field.
If tho hogs got in and root up your sweet
potato patch you wont  need to dig them.
Plant out a nice yonng orchard, _3Wit
down to grass, then tnrn your calves>
sheep, horsos and cattle ln. If you still
succeed ln raising an orchard lt will be a
miracle. If you don't succeed in raising
ono, curse the nurseryman.
Don't tako any farm paper, for you
know enough already and theso fellers
who write for tho papers are only "smart
Elicks," anyhow.      Wm. II Pkfit.kt.
Carroll Co.
One mistake I made with many other
farmors, was engaging in too many othor
kinds of bnsiness in connection with
farming, thereby making farming a failure by falling to give tho farm that attention and systematic treatment necessary
to success. The limo has coins whon tho
farm must have our ontire attention to
mako it a . ucce. s_. i). . 1. Lett,
Jackson Co.
Our failures are largely due to mistakes. As onr mistakes and failures are
many, I will atthmpt to name only a few
of tho most Important. First, but perhaps
KKVIKW.
One writer says he tries to not repeat
mistakes. I suppose as long as we aro
linlto wo shall make them. The successful farmer avoids many and repeats very
few. Is it not common, have you not
heard it, that some people render excuses
in place of succes?
Did you ever notice in a base ball game
no remarks aro allowed? If a runner's
foot slips he is not expected to give it as
an excuse. It was his placo to see that It
didn't slip. If he fumbles a ball he must
take all the blamo and keep silent The
bleachers pay littlo attention to why a
player failed; they yell for tho man who
is skillful enough to see contingencies
and avoid them. This ia the key to
avoiding mistakes. And if used faithfully will bring any man success.
'•I'd have raised a big crop of taters if it
hadn't been for one big rain that just rnn
the gronnd together hard." Ans.—You
didn't havo enough humus in the soil.
"My taters were good on up gronnd,
but a wot spell killed them on low
ground "   Ans.—Larger tile.
"My old sow farrowed on the only cold
bluo day in April. Ans.—Caro and shelter.
Lot us conclude that no excuse should
be givon except unavoidable events, as
hail, wind, continned wet or very extreme dry.
If we fall let us acknowledge It like
men and not try to shift the blame.
L9t the umpire say "out" and we
"never squeal." Yot we may grind our
toeth and resolve that we will never,
never bo so awkward and fumblo again.
1 see a good many of that kind of men
They smllo and say I didn't get there
this timo, and stop and not whine about
reasons.   Their neighbor got there.
The railroads are glad to pick up these
"get theres."   So are all business men.
Many of them leave the farm, but
many remain. Wo have men on the farm
of fino business ability. And if a city
tenderfoot wants to see grim, common
sense in homespun let him go to a large
public sale in a farm community and try
to buy a lot of property. He'll find so
many complications that he will soon
sidle up to some old farmor and ask for a
"tip" on whether to buy or not.
Farming  ls  so  complicated.   That  is
->iiU«_«I on loth page.