VOL. XXIII.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, MARCH 10,1888. NO. 10
ti
OUB PRIZE ESSAY
A LlttlB Fan Well TUlefl."
—The following essay by Nelson E.
- rt'oods, of Pecksburg, Hendricks county,
was given second  place on the list by our
immittee.—Eds.
There should be no material distinction
n a little farm well tilled and a large one
well tilled. As it should stand the one in
hand who is the owner of a little farm, to
raise all varieties of grain as well as all
kinds of stock, so that he may be'ready to
ell this or that grain, or this or that kind
)f stock for the highest price. There is a
;reat difference however, in the cares on a
mall and on a large farm. ■
The man with the little farm, in a gen-
>ral sense, lives all at home, that is he is
xmtented, is not worrying his mind how
he stock are doing,this cold stormy night
on the farm miles away; is not stinting
himself and family of this or that thiDg in
rder to raise money so that he  may add,
ohis now large farm, more land the coming year.
A little farm  can not be tilled with suc-
ess without proper cultivation and care-
■J 'ul feeding,   rotation  of crops, thorough
preparation  of the  soil before  planting,
inoving when to  plant, planting good
*ed and keeping no "more"stock than can
ie properly housed in winter.
Ground  should  not be broken  deeper
han six or seven inches for any crop un-
ess subsoiled.
The little farm may be divided into fields
nd cultivated and rotated as follows, by
jnumbering the fields one,two, three, four,
and five.
\
'.
—,::„] - l0 be cultivated.!, „	
!
field No.
• to be cultivated In	
:. to be cultivated In	
18.53
Oats.
1-88
Wheat.
Wheat.
1889
Clover.
1S90
Clover.
■lo be cultivated in _
• •<> be cultlva-
tM ln	
Clover.    Corn.
Corn,    ■ Oats.
1890
Corn.
1890
Oats.
1890
Wheat.
1891
Corn.
1S91
Oats.
1891
Wheat.
1891
Clover.
Pasture. Pasture. Pasture. Pasture.
Ground  should  never   be  broken  or
larked when the dirt will pack.
'   COBN GROUND
sj">u_d be broken in the fall, or as early in
,  sPring as the ground is in proper con-
jllon, and prepared for planting, and
Planted from first to tenth  of May if pos-
'We.   Comes up quicker and  more even
Planted with a good corn planter, for the
reason it u put in the same depth, and the
lrt is packed  or rolled  on the  kernels,
smg more moisture to be retained near
he surface,  than if  turned  on  loosely.
w° inches is plenty deep to plant, but if
*°°d seed, it will come up if planted'twice
^*t depth. Hill culture Is to be preferred
__. *nse ^e corn can be kept clear of weeds
"n less work,   and is less liable  to be
•°wn down.
hen the corn can be seen plainly across
9 fiel<1 the cultivation should at once
^mmence and be continued until the
r/11. la in tassel,  or partly  so at  least,
Sh°g the corn clear of weeds-
ado "uS™ 8nd l6T81 oumvaUon should be
... y*d and large plows should never be
us^ in a cornfield.
leY?rncan  be overplowed, but it is very
*eel_m d°ne-   0ne 8tirrlnS  of the 80il a
l)r      ^^  k* sufficient,   unless weedy.
nghtcan be partially overcome by fre-
ln^t Plowing.
*«ed corn should be plucked before the
orn toiii    _   , ^
'horn Crib' and nung   up to dry
U .v".81---*' before winter; it should never
Celled until ready to plant,
neat ground should be broken  some
weeks before time to sow so that it can
settle well, it should be harrowed and put
in fix as fast as plowed.
The ground should be thoroughly pulverized before sowing, drilling \\i bushels
per acre, from the 1st, to 15th of September. Ground should.be rolled immediately after sowing. It will be cheaper for
the man with a little farm to hire his
wheat cut with a self binder than to own
one, or to cut his wheat any other way, as
a binder saves almost enough more wheat
than can be saved any other way to pay
for cutting, and the interest on the
money invested in a binder will cut his
wheat without any wear or tear.
Wheat should be stacked as soon as it
will do, and when thrashed hauled directly to market, this saves handling twice,
shrinkage, ratage, etc.
Oats is a crop
VERY PROFITABLY GROWN
on a small farm. It makes the best feed
when properly cured, cut and mixed with
bran or corn meal for summer feeding for
horses. Oats can be cut with a self binder,
if bound in small bundles and set two in
a place to partially cure before  shocking.
Farmers make a mistake in thrashing
their entire crop.
Oats ground should be broken in the fall
and drilled or^sowed broadcast two bushels per acre in the month of March.
If Oats is to follow corn thestalks should
be-broken-down in the winter and after
being sown as above run a disc harrow
each way on the field and then roll.
The season being favorable and ground
properly enriched the crop will be insured.
Clover is one of the most valuable crops
to be grown on the farm.
Its culture as a special crop is often
found desirable both for hay or seed, and
for plowing in as a preparation for other
crops.
A clover sod turned makes an excellent
fertilizer for corn or wheat. It should be
sown on wheat, oats, or rye ground in the
spring.
The clover may be pastured in the fall
following, if it has made a rank growth,
but otherwise it should be left on the
ground.
Calves and sheep are preferable for pasturing young clover.
The next year it may be mowed for hay
in June. The growth after the hay is. taken off furnishing a crop of seed, or abundant pasturage.
If the ground requires it, it should be
turned in the fall fortcorn instead of taking a crop of seed. 4
Common red clover if mown at the proper time and cured , without rain and too
much sun and dew, will make the very
best hay for cattle and sheep, and very
good for horses if not fed constantly on it.
Clover should be cut when in full bloom,
when weather is dry and the dew is off.
Before night it should be raked and made
into small cocks, to stand until next day,
when they should be turned or made over
to air awhile, then hauled to the barn.
Add to each large'load of hay, almost one
bucket of salt. When in the barn cover
well with clean straw.
To make
pasture land:
One bushel and one-fourth of blue grass
and orchard grass, of equal parts may be
sown with wheat in the fall, eight pounds
of common red' clover per acre, in the
spri-i,;. All kinds of stock should be
raised on the little farm and the surplus
disposed of every year.
It should at least support enough horses
to carry on the farm work, enough cows
to supply the family with milk and butter
the year round, ot Ihogs a sufficient number to have some to sell and enough sheep
to eat the surplus grass and haj.
Sheep" 'are indispensable on any farm.
If kept in small numbers they will supply
the pocket-book with big returns for the
money invested, and pay their way by destroying weeds and enriching tho soil.
Colts and calves always Bell for enough, so
that it will not pay to winter them. There
is money in having sows, and pigs to sell,
if there is not sufficient grain to rear and
fatten.
The farmer should keep in mind the importance of breeding good stock, as well as
good poultry. Nothing is lost by judiciously spending money in the improvement of stock
Fences kept in good repair will not only
enhance the value of the farm but will induce others to do likewise.
A limited amount of poultry can be
kept on a little farm with pleasure and
profit, but if allowed to roost on fences
and in trees the income will be small.
Last, but not least comes
THE OKCIIARD, GARDEN AND LAWN.
There should be on every little farm well
tilled, a large orchard planted with good
varieties from tho earliest to the latest
kinds. The ground should be broken in
the fall very deep, and the trees planted
out in the spring as early as the ground is
in condition.
Trees should be set out as deep as they
were in the nursery, but the holes ought
to be dug two feet deep and three wide,
and filled in with surface soil. The ground
should be cultivated and kept clear of
weeds and sods, and  manured  annually.
There also mustbei)ears,plumsjeherries,
raspberries and blackberries in the orchard. Raspberries and blackberries can
be planted among the trees, in rows seven
or eight feet apart and 134 feet in row. If
the farm is small the garden should be
large and in it should be cultivated strawberries, currants, gooseberries, potatoes,
sweet corn, beans, cabbage, tomatoes, etc.
Strawberries are planted out in the spring
in rows four feet apart, cultivated' and
kept clean and in matted rows. The lawn
and door yard should be neatand inviting.
Trees, shrubs and flowers should be planted so that the surroundings of the home
will be attractive to all, even the birds.
The outward surroundings of the home of
any one are the truest indications of prosperity and intelligence, it matters not
whether the dwelling is a mansion or cottage. The secret of success in farming or
any other calling is slyly bound up in
diligence and is in close alliance to duty.
How One Farmer Grows Potatoes.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
In last week's paper you asked your
Rushvllle correspondent to tell what varieties of potatoes he plants and how he
plants and cultivates. If it is not out of
order I will give my experience during
the past season. The tirst thing to be considered is the soil. Potatoes should never
be planted on land where water will stand
very long. The ground should be naturally or artificially well drained. This
drainage is not only beneficial in wet seasons but is the one thing above all others,
together with thorough cultivation, that
can carry a crop of any kind through such
a drouth as we had last season.
Last April I planted 5J-;. acres of what I
consider ideal potato land. It is what is
called second bottom river land, naturally
well drained, and the soil a sandy clay
loam. I plowed it 11 inches deep, turning
under a partial crop of clover, marked it
three and one half feet each way, followed
the marker one way with a larg»- single
shovel plow making deep furrows, and
dropped two and three pieces of seed at
each cross. By marking first I insure
straight rows both ways. I used a double
walking plow to cover with, taking off the
outside  and giving  the inside   shovels a
ight turn toward the furrow. When
clover is turned under, or there is tia.h of
any kind in the soil, this plow will do the
work while the one-horse bar share will
choke every  few .feet.   I used  the same
plow to cultivate with, and plowed seven
times, using bull tongues mostly, until
the last plowing when I put large shovels
on the outside shanks. I set the shovels
so that the water was conveyed to the potato hill rather than from it. I plow as
near the hill as 1 can without actually
plowing the tubers loose, and always stop
plowing when the vines indicate that they
are nearly done growing. I am opposed
to "hilling up," or planting one way as it
always ends in hard soil, and your Rush-
ville correspondent goes right to the heart
of the matter when he says the tuber must
have loose soil to expand in. I think March
planting a little soon as the ground is so
cold that there is great danger of the seed
rotting even on well drained land. I believe in planting all kinds, early and late,
at the same time and about the 10th of
April is, I think, soon enough.
From my 5Ji acres planted last April I
dug 310 bushels of good potatoes. Two
acres were planted in Early Ohio and the
rest (except a few Lee's Favorite) in Magnum Bonum. The first is the favorite
early potato, being from ten to twelve
days earlier than Early Rose, and ripening in time to escape to a great extent the
grub of tho Colorado beetle, which I believe to be able to eat more for its size than
any other living thing.
Magnum Bonum is a great yielder, and
ripens any time from the middle of August.till the first of .October depending up?'
on the rains. Last season it seemed barely to live for about six weeks, when occasional showers made it a good crop: yielding Vi more to the same amount of land
than Early Ohio, but it is not of as good'
quality as the latter. In ordinary seasons
my crop would not be considered large,
but last year the number of bushels raised
meant about that many dollars. Yet had
it not been for the good soil and cultiva-
aion I would be in the same predicament
that the most of our farmers find themselves this spring, viz., without seed. Ordinary seasons 80 bushels of potatoes to
the acre is not a large yield while 40
bushels of corn is a fair return. The potato brings as much or more per bushel
than corn. In the same lield where I grew
this crop a man planted 12 acres in corn.
The soil and general conditions were the
same. lie gave thorough cultivation and
raised about 20 bushels to the acre. I often
wonder why farmers still presist in planting the entire field in corn, when there
are thousands of bushels of potatoes being
imported not only from the Canadian provinces but also from Germany and Scotland. X.
Muncie.
The Indiana Farmer has grown to be
not only one of the best of agricultural
papers, but an institution of great usefulness. It has established a system of agricultural statistics and of weather signals
that is really more effective than those under the control of the State. Hon. John
B. Conner, one of its editors, was at one
time State Statistician, and the report he
made is the fullest and most valuable ever
published by the State; but, to use an expressive street phrase, he was "incontinently fired out" by the liquor interest
because he compiled the statistics of the
liquor traffic. The array of official figures
was alarming. Besides its agricultural
and statistical information, no paper in
the State has done so much to educate the
youth of the State to hate drunkenness
and drunkaid-makers. It well deserves
its immense circulation.—The Indiana
Christian  Advocate of March 1.
A cyclone struck Newton, Kan., on the
1st, and, though lastingbut a few minutes,
did, much serious damage. The total damage to property is estimated at $50,000.
Two persons were kllled,and many others
more or less seriously injured. ,