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Yol.X D-DIMAPOUS, INDIANA, JULY 3rd, 1875. No. 26. EIGHTEENTH DUKE OP AIRDRIE (11,678) AT FIVE YEARS OP AGE. --■ Bred by A. J. Alexander, of Kentucky. Owned by Aimer Strawn, Ottawa, Illinois. LiYG Stock. INDIANA AS A GRAZING STATE. Read Before the Indiana Short-Horn Breeders' Convention at Indianapolis, May 26,1875, by S. F. Lockridge. Greencastle, Ind. The smbject selected as the basis of my remarks does not, I think, properly include the enumeration and history of the grasses, but more particularly confines me to the discussion of the State's material resources for grass producing purposes, its capabilities, and possibilities in this direction as compared with \ other grass-growing States of the Union. It is now generally conceded that ours is destined, at no distant day, to rank with the best of grass-producing States, if, indeed, it has not already attained to that eminence. Lying, as we do, between the 38th and 42d parallels of latitude, as it were within the great GRASS BELT OF THE NATION; skirting the immense basin of the Mississippi, the natural grain field of the continent; and possessing a climate peculiarly suited to the raising of live stock, we have every reason to be satisfied with the situation in which our lines have fallen to us. And when we sum up our material resources we congratulate ourselves upon the fact that we are possessed of all, or nearly all the advatages and facilities for the successful operations and experiments of the agriculturist and stockgrower. OUR SOILS ARE RICH AND VARIED, deep and loamy in the valleys for tillage purposes, and strong and compact on the uplandH where it requires a firm, tough sod for the grasses. Water facilities are pre-eminents Perhaps no State in the Union is better supplied with this all important article. Rivers intersect the land in every direction, with smaller streams and bubbling springs, while in the norther portion numberless lakes, some of them thousands of acres in extent, insures us against serious injury from aridness and drouth. Our timber resources were once unsurpassed; and are still sufficient, with proper care, for fencing, shade, and the_ protection of those grasses which require more or less protection. It has been said _ that soils are the most productive which derive their substance from the greatest variety of rocks, which by chemical process furnish the proper nutritive force for the roots of plant life. This being the case, the great abundance and rich variety of stone found in nearly every part of the State are guarantees of the extraordinary fertility of the soil. Added to these natural advantages is the fact that no mountain chains interpose their barriers to occupy and render useless a vast amount of country, but nearly every acre of the soil is capable of being reduced to a condition of cultivation, or to the production of the grasses. Neither, as a whole, is it too flat,but sufficiently rolling for natural drainage Purposes, and, in case it should ever require it, for easy and economical irrigation. Nearly EVERT VARIETY OF GRASS ican be successfully grown on our soils. Uover and timothy yield abundant harvests all over the State, and in a large section the blue_ grass grows luxuriantly, and and is rapidly proving itself capable of being sustained in soils once theught uncongenial. For in those parts where it is still a stranger, the native forest grows in unchecked magnificence, and the soil retains its original coldness and moisture. When these forests^ have been thinned to the proper condition, letting in the sunshine and air, and the soil warmed and dried by a systematic courso of drainage, it will be found, in my opinion, that the blue grass will there grow freely and vigorously and afford rich and abundant pasturage. BENEFIT OF UNDERDRAINAGE. Very few graziers appreciate the benefits to be derived from a thorough system of underdrainage, and of that number but a small proportion put their knowledge to a practical demonstration. The grasses, like the rest. of the vegetable kingdom, require more or less care and_ cultivation. Some soils require drainage before they will produce grass, others require enriching. Drainage and manuring in fact, are important subjects in the future economy of the farmer and grazier. As it is, some of our soils are becoming worn out and exhausted from over work and lack of proper sustenance. Nature is a munificent mother when kindly treated, but vigorous and sparing of her gifts when neglected. We often tax her beyond her endurance and then unmercifully condemn her • if she fails in the task imposed. Here is a man who has never practiced a rotation of crops, but year after year plants his fields in corn, and when ten or fifteen, or twenty years have passed and instead of raising 60 or 75 bushels to the acre he only gets half _ that amount, he becomes dissatisfied with his fields and declares he will not remain in a country that will not afford him an honest livelihood, and so disposes of his lands at less than half their value and goes elsewhere to repeat his system. Yet, nature is wiser and more liberal when left to herself, and constantly contributes the refuse of the old life to the nourishment of the new. As before remarked all the more useful grasses grow kindly in our soil, but for grazing purposes in THE OLDER PORTIONS. of the State where it has been thoroughly tried, nothing equals the much praised blue grass. It may, I think, be truly said to be indigenous to our State. For though many claim to have been the first to introduce it from otherand older States, it is still a fact that when the Northwestern army, under General Harrison, was serving on the Maumee river and other parts of the State,, in the war of 1812, it frequently came upon the sites of old Indian towns where the blue grass grew in rich abundance. Nearly the whole of the now State of Indiana was then a dense and pathless forest, except the northern part across which ran a broad belt of prairie. In the Indian towns and clearings exposed to the sun and atmosphere, the blue-grass sprang up in great abundance. Whether the seed was introduced by strolling hunters and traders before the advent of the whites, or whether it is indigenous to the soil and only needed exposure to the sun and air to quicken it into life, is a question now not easily determined; but the familiar sight met the eyes of the soldiers of 1812, and many a worn and famished army horse reveled for a day or night on the exuberant herbage. Blue grass may, I think, be truly called the QUEEN OF THE GRASSES. • Perhaps no other grass, or combination of grasses meetsthe requirements ofthe grazier so well in countries where it flourishes. Whether for summer, autumn or winter grazing it is in this country the surest and most valuable. It is more than anything else the natural food of our domestic animals, and except for one or two months of the year, no other grass is so nutritious and fat-producing. They nip it eagerly in its first shoot in the early spring, and when sere and brown from summer suns and autumn frosts, and in the dead of winter they will patiently seek it under drifts of snow. Even in that short period of late summer when it has become withered and apparently lifeless from excessive heats and drought it still retains a vast amount of nutriment, and it is doubtful if_ a substitute can be discovered that will serve the purpose so well. THE BEST SOIL FOR IT. ■ It is generally conceded that blue grass delights in a gently undulating country, with a strong top-soil, and clay sub-soil on a limestone foundation. Yet, it is a question, whether, with thorough drainage and a liberal use of proper fertilizing substances the most stubborn and unprofitable of our soils may not be rendered suitable to thc_ production of this valuable grass. It is a question for future graziers to determine. OTHER. GRASSES. For curing purposes timothy and clover are, of course, the chief grasses. As a winter feed for cattle the_ last is especially esteemed, many considering it almost equal to corn. And certainly as a single variety of food it combines more good qualities, perhaps, than any other kind known to our soil. If cut and properly cured before it becomes too ripe, and stacked under shelter in large ricks, or put away snugly in the barn, it forms the finest of winter food for stock, affording excellent nutritive matter with the necessary bulk. _ Clover prepared in this manner, when it retains its green color, is greatly relished by stock, and is nearly equal as a diet to winter pasture. Mixed timothy and clover is highly recommended for pasture by those who have tried it in countries where the blue grass does not flourish ; and doubtless it would form an excellent substitute for the latter, during the portion of the year, for it is claimed that stock fatten rapidly upon it. But in most portions of our State where blue grass is queen, it yields to the encroachments of the latter, and constantly requires new settings to keep it in vigorous growth. VARIETY FOR STOCK. The brute creation are like the human in the respect that they like variety in their food, and will put themselves to some trouble to procure it. I once had occasion to observe the movements of cattle that had a range of pasture including blue grass upland and clover bottom. All the morning and until the middle of the afternoon they contented themselves with the blue grass, but regularly about 3 or 4 o'clock they would begin to move towards the lowlands where they would end the day with a meal of clover, and often eating with a relish the coarse sedge and bunch grass that grew about the wet and marshy lands. The following morning would find them on the upland again ; and this programme they repeated daily. The grazier will find it profitable to allow his animals a variety of pasturage, for they will greatly appreciate the favor, and return it by many additional pounds of excellent beef. , , Since grass is the natural food of our domestic animals, if it can be furnished them through the winter their health and improvement are more certainly secured, while the cost of their keeping is greatly lessened. In blue grass regions this is not difficult, and in my own section this grass sometimes affords one- half or two-thirds of the winter forage of many animials. The pastures are grazed until the middle of summer or later and their being suffered to grow rye during the autumn, a healthful and cheap food is furnished your animals which they greatly relish. As a substitute for winter grass, roots of various kinds, such as turnips, mangle-wurtzels, etc.which our soils produce readily, can be fed with profit. They are laxative in nature, cooling and nutritious, and prore an agreeable charge to the apeti'es of animals fed chiefly or grain and other dry foods. Cattle that have access to winter pasture, or that receive a daily feed of nutritious mangle-wurtzels or turnips, rare slough off the hair,_ or suffer from a superabundance of thick, unhealthy blood. Your own experience will teach you that fruits and vegetables of eome kind or an occasional winter diet add greatly to your health and spirits. Why should not the rule apply to the domestic animals? GRAND FUTURE BEFORE US. In concluding these random remarks I repeat; that our geographical position, our-material wealth, and our very respectable climate warrant us in the be- belief that we are destined for a place in the first rank of stockraising and grass- producing States. As we grow older we shall grow better and richer in this respect. What we most need is the application of science to the labors of the agriculturist, tho grazier and the breeder. Tho countries of Europe know this better than we, and the eastern part of our own country better than the western. Science isoften condemned as fit only for the inside of college walls, but tho map of the future who rejects it from his economy does so at the peril of hispocket and his social position. The agriculturist who cannot analyzo the soils of his own fields which annually pour into his_ granaries their bountiful harvests can in the future certainly aid but little in the advancement of his country and his profession. For tlie Indiana _ armer. SHORT-HORN SALES. I have made the following sales of Short-Horns this spring: Duke of Black Hawk, by 2d Airdrie Duke 9,416, out of A. C. Stevenson's 2!)th, to W. M. Robe, Jessup, Iowa. Piae Apple, of the celebrated Bates Wild Eyes tribe, to H. F. Brown, of Minneapolis, Min. Bull calf, got by 2d Airdrie Duke, out of Stevenson's 9th, to J. W. McGrew, Putnamville, Ind. J. AV. Robe. Greencastle, Ind. Some Fine Lambs. Editor Indiana Farmer: I see quite a number of reports of heavy clipping from sheep, and I thought I would give you one that I think is hard to beat. A flock of lambs which I think would not weigh over 70 lbs. after shearing, averaged from eight to eleven pounds clear wool. This beats anything I have sheared in the last forty years of my experience as a shearer. This flock is owned by John C. Long, of Delaware county, Ind. _ I also sheared one male sheep for William Carroll, of Blackford, Ind., that yielded 174 lbs. Brethren, beat it if you can. John S. Bliss. Montpelier, Indiana. NOTES AND QUERIES. Editor Indiana Farmer: Seeing there is some hog cholera in the country, I send this recipe, as one which has been tried and proved successful in a number of cases. I copied it from the Rural New Yorker a few years ago: Madder, 1 lb.; saltpetre, 1 lb.; sulphur, 1 lb.; resin, 1 lb.; black antimony, J tb.; asafoctida, 2 oz. Dose, in case of sickness, 4 tablespoonfuls for 5 hogs, once a day. Once a week as a preventive. Mix in slop. Herd Book.—A subscriber asks several questions about the American Herd Book. Lewis F. Allen, of the Live Stock Journal, Buffalo, New York, is the publisher of the book. A copy has has been ordered for our State Library. Owners claiming pure blood in animals have their pedigrees registered in these books, and if the claim is not genuine, the fraud may be detected by an examination. The Willows.—Inform D. M. Lett that if he will cut through the bark of the common willow some three or four feet from the ground and pull the bark down in strips to the ground, letting it remain fast to the tree at the ground, he will find it a successful way in getting rid of them. Have had no experience with the button alder. J. B. W. Hall, Indiana. The King of Siam has appointed J. H. Chandler, a native of Pomfret, Conn., but who has resided in Siam for the past thirty-two years, to represent the kingdom at the Philadelphia International Exposition. . s» « The Red Cloud aud Spotted Tail Indians have signed an agreement to sell and relinquished their right in Nebraska lands, for $11,600 in horses, $9,000 in cows, $2,100 in harness and $2,300 in wagons. Indiana Farm.? Family. Onr Portal Card Correspondenoe. Crops along; tne I. P. s_ C. Railroad. EDITOR'S POSTAL CARD. It was raining when we left the city, and the dripping clouds are still hanging over us seventy-live miles north. Marion county. Corn generally small and weedy. Wheat rank, and ls much fallen down,—meadows In same condition. HAMILTON COUNTY. Corn some cleaner than ln Marion, and averages larger. Wheat and gross about the same. HOWARD COUNTY. ' The corn is all clean, has a good stand and color, and averages 12to 15 Inches high. Wheat looks well. MIAMI COUNTY. Some of the corn ls quite poor, bnt most of lt promises extremely well, and the same of wheat. Potatoes look well all along tlie way, and show no signs of the bugs. J. G. K. DAVIESS COUNTY. In this part ol the county wheat will not be more than half a crop. Both oats aud grass are short. B. Pnirrs. BENTON COUNTY. Weather very wet. Six Inches or rain feU here on the 21st Instant. Fine prospect for corn. More grass on the ground now than for two years past. Nursery stock looking splendid. W. M. S. VIGO COUNTY-June 22nd. Our wheat ls not so good as was anticipated it would be Bome time back. Corn looks only tolerable. We have had heavy rains during May and June, making it rather wet for our crops, generally . A Patron. FROM ANOTHER. Most too much rain for wheat, although the prospects are good for an average crop in this, tho northern part of the county. Corn looks well on high, sandy land, but ln low and bottom lands, it ls small and very foul. Early potatoes will be good. Grass will be above an average crop. Fruit will be scarce —no peaches, and very few apples. The Farmer Is growing in favor in this vicinity, ls read with interest, and ls a welcome visitor to all. RUSH COUNTY—June 21st. Early sown wheat looks well, while that which was sown ln corn ground is very thin. There will be abouthalf a crop of wheat in this county. Harvest will be late. Corn looks well. A large crop was planted. Onas*co_t_.of lallure j of wheat, many flelds were plowed and planted ln corn. More ought to have been planted ln corn, as the wheat will not pay, especially that which was sown broadcast in corn. Oats and flax look well, except some which was sown early and killed by the freeze. A great deal of flax was sown. Fruit will be very scarce. Apples, peaches and cherries were about all killed. Some small fruit, such as strawberries, gooseberries raspberries and blackberries. Potatoes look well and promise a good crop. Stock hogs are scarce and hard to buy, commanding a good price. Fat hogs fed far spring and summer market are about all sold. The Farmer Is a welcome visitor. Grangers are numerous and in good working order. J. H. A. PIKE COUNTY-June 20th, Crops look well. Corn all planted. Wheat crop light. Oats look well, and promise a good yield. Meadows fine. Early potatoes large enough for use. Fruit will be scarce. Old corn ls getting scarce. Wheat ls wortli fl; corn 60 cents. Stock hogs scarce, and still dying with cholera. Grangers are working well, and the membership ln good spirits. The older we grow ln the Order the better we like it, and the more we are benefitted by it. Laf. Taylor. MARION COUNTY-Near Acton-June 19th. The crops look well. Wheat is coming out better than was supposed it would a while back; yet some flelds can't make much of a crop. I learn by a friend from Decatur county that the wheat crop in that county would be very poor. Com looks very well considering the chance it has had. The late heavy rains have left some in a bad fix, as nearly all the corn is drilled, and the grass threatens to choke out the corn unless the ground gets dry enough to work it soon; If so, much Of it can be redeemed yet. Some say they can plow it better than hill corn. I heard an old neighbor say the other day he would rather plow than eat, and he Is sixty years old. Henry Copeland. BENTON COUNTY-June 20th. There ls but little wheat ln this county, and it looks quite indifferent. Some oats have been plowed up on account of the ravages of the chinch bug; otherwise oats are looking well. Corn is small for the season. The acreage ln corn is very large. Potatoes are doing finely, there being but few bugs to disturb them this season. Apples, peaches and cherries were about all killed. Cattle plentiful and in good condition. Hogs rather scarce and high. M. V. Bowman. ' ORANGE COUNTY. Many acres of wheat have been plowed and put in corn. There are a few fields that look reasonably well; but much the greater portion will make but little more than the seed sown. Wheat harvest will be later than usual, giving its enemies more chance to prey upon it. I hear but little complaint of the chinch bug's depredations. More corn was planted than usual, and It is generally in fine growing condition. Oats were sown late, and the April freezes Injured them considerable, but the past two weeks have been favorable for them, and they now promise a fair yield. Meadows and pastures are doing well just now. Apples and peaches are almost an entire failure. Fanners generally seem to be neglecting the Improvement of their herds, being content with the common kine. Their flocks might be much benefitted by the introduction of other blood. There are, however a few good sheep ln the county. They are paying some attention to the improvement of hogs. W. C. Shirley. GIBSON COUNTY-June 29th. Gibson county is very wet. Com all planted. Harvest commenced. Wheat will average eight bushels per acre. J. K. MONROE COUNTY-June 26th. Weather warm and very wet. Com looks fine. Oats never much bett«r. Wheat looks bad. Potatoes best ever known at this time of the season. Stock hogs are very scarce, and consequently high. No fruit except the small varieties. J. H. Tarkinoton. KOSCIUSKO COUNTY-June 28th. The weather is fine. Wheat ls much better than we expected it would be lnthe spring. Corn and grass are d oing well. Oats the best I ever saw In Indiana. Pasture good. Stock Is doing well. Wheat harvest will be late. Stock hogs are scarce and selling high. Not much doing in tbe cattle line, as regards sales. We are getting some Short-Horns here in Kosciusko and Marshall counties. But few localities can beat us on grass, we think. Wash Iden. HENDRICKS COUNTY-June 29th. It has been very wet here for several weeks, and will be too wet to plow for some days yet. A great deal of corn not planted, and hundreds of acres not plowed over yet. Foxtail is about as high as the corn, and a good stand (of foxtail)^ Some wheat very good, and some not worth any thing. Oats are generally good. J. K. S, MORGAN COUNTY-June 28th. We had a wet spring, and still lt rains. Considerable damage has been done to the growing crops in the bottoms. Fruit all killed. Timothy rather light. Clover excellent, except where it was pastured too close last summer and fall—a common mistake among farmers. Stock hogs scarce, and worth 6 cents. Success to thj Indiana Farmer. Would not be without it for any reasonable amount. Hoosier. JASPER COUNTY-June 26th. Corn ls looking exceedingly well. Oats never looked better at this season. Apples very scarce. Peaches an entire failure, but grapes, berries, etc. in abundance. Chinch bugs have put in an appearance, and the result of their coming is yet to be learned. The Farmer is welcomed by us all. Grangers in good cheer, and looking forward with glorious anticipations. J. G. Culp. HANCOCK COUNTY-June 25th. ' We are having considerable wet weather, however, corn looks well. Wheat about an average. Oats and flax as good as ever seen. Timothy meadows good, but clover Is light. Early potatoes are splendid—large enough to use. No fruit and few berries. J. A. C. PUTNAM COUNTY-June 26th. We are having very heavy rains in Putnam county, weather entirely too wet for working corn, which is getting very foul, and turning quite yellow in the low wet places. The crop of clover is light, and the weather too unsettled for making it into bay. Other grasses in abundance. The weevil is reported as injuring the wheat very badly, also has the rains. J. W. Robe. PARKE COUNTY-June 27th. Prospects for a good crop this year are not flattering by any means. Our prospect for a wheat crop was not good at all, and now comes the midge and is destroying it very fast. Entire flelds are at this time rendered useless, and not worth cu tting. How much damage will be done can only be conjectured, but I fear that we will pretty nearly fall entirely, from present indications. The grub worm (or what is called grub here,) ls Injuring our corn considerably. We have had a good deal of wet weather, In consequence of which there is a good deal ol weedy corn. No clover cut as yet in consequence of rain and unfavorable weather. E. Thomas. DECATUR COUNTY-June 26th. The present season for excellence has no parallel in the history of our county. All vegetation is growing nicely, weeds Included. Corn ls all planted, and its present appearance indicates a fine crop. Wheat is very thin, but what there is of it is good. Oats are good. Potatoes look well. Large acreage planted. Bugs scarce. No panic caused by the grasshoppers, of which there are a few. Grangers are happy, and are reaping the benefits of the Order ln spite of middlemen,monopolists,politicians, and all other enemies. Hereafter if no one else represents old Decatur In your columns, you may hear from W. S. Fleck, GRANT COUNTY-June 24th. Of late the weather has been very wet. On the 17th we had a rain and flood of water that washed away many bridges and culverts, and drowning out much corn. Our corn is \ery uneven, and touch of it is missing by rotting in the ground. Our land is not well ditched. We must have thorough ditching for such seasons as this has been. Our wheat does not look so well as it did amonth ago. The chinch bugs are damaging it ln many places, and of late the red midge or weevil is eating out the forming grain, bnt it ls yet too early to say what damage they will do. Our flax and oats are too rank In growth, which we fear will lodge and be of no account. Clover Is heavy, but one fourth of the ground is bare of it. It rains nearly every day, and we cannot cut it, nor plow our corn, or do much other work. The apples' have all fallen off, except a very few. This is one of the odd seasons thus far, but we hope for better weather after a while. Our Grange, Sweetser, No. 221, ls in a prosperous condition, and bids fair to do better hereafter. John Jao.ua. SWITZERLAND COUNTY-June 25th. J thought I would like to let the readers of the Farmer know something about this almost God forsaken county. When compared with the abundance of last year, It seems that the blessings of a beniflcent Providence have forsaken tbe people of Switzerland county to a great extent. We were blessed with the largest wheat crop last year we ever raised. Fruit of all kinds was abundant. The hay crop was an average. Corn was excellent. Potatoes were plenty. Hogs were no object. But to .lay lt is truly gloomy. Our wheat ls an , entire failure. All kinds of fruit have failed except currants and gooseberries. Potato bugs. seem to be determined to live and devour tho'J potato vines. Corn looks badly on account of the cold backward season. Stock hogs very scarce, and selling at 7 to 10 cents ps_r pound.' Beef cattle very scarce. The hay crop will be very Ught. I*. «• Boyd. ' _B
Object Description
Title | Indiana farmer, 1875, v. 10, no. 26 (July 3) |
Purdue Identification Number | INFA1026 |
Date of Original | 1875 |
Subjects (LCSH) |
Agriculture Farm management Horticulture Agricultural machinery |
Subjects (NALT) |
agriculture farm management horticulture agricultural machinery and equipment |
Genre | Periodical |
Call Number of Original | 630.5 In2 |
Location of Original | Hicks Repository |
Coverage | United States - Indiana |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Collection Title | Indiana Farmer |
Rights Statement | Content in the Indiana Farmer Collection is in the public domain (published before 1923) or lacks a known copyright holder. Digital images in the collection may be used for educational, non-commercial, or not-for-profit purposes. |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Date Digitized | 2010-11-01 |
Digitization Information | Original scanned at 300 ppi on a Bookeye 3 scanner using internal software. Display images generated in CONTENTdm as JP2000s; file format for archival copy is uncompressed TIF format. |
Description
Title | Page 1 |
Subjects (LCSH) |
Agriculture Farm management Horticulture Agricultural machinery |
Subjects (NALT) |
agriculture farm management horticulture agricultural machinery and equipment |
Genre | Periodical |
Call Number of Original | 630.5 In2 |
Location of Original | Hicks Repository |
Coverage | Indiana |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Collection Title | Indiana Farmer |
Rights Statement | Content in the Indiana Farmer Collection is in the public domain (published before 1923) or lacks a known copyright holder. Digital images in the collection may be used for educational, non-commercial, or non-for-profit purposes. |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Digitization Information | Orignal scanned at 300 ppi on a Bookeye 3 scanner using internal software. Display images generated in CONTENTdm as JP2000s; file format for archival copy is uncompressed TIF format. |
Transcript | Yol.X D-DIMAPOUS, INDIANA, JULY 3rd, 1875. No. 26. EIGHTEENTH DUKE OP AIRDRIE (11,678) AT FIVE YEARS OP AGE. --■ Bred by A. J. Alexander, of Kentucky. Owned by Aimer Strawn, Ottawa, Illinois. LiYG Stock. INDIANA AS A GRAZING STATE. Read Before the Indiana Short-Horn Breeders' Convention at Indianapolis, May 26,1875, by S. F. Lockridge. Greencastle, Ind. The smbject selected as the basis of my remarks does not, I think, properly include the enumeration and history of the grasses, but more particularly confines me to the discussion of the State's material resources for grass producing purposes, its capabilities, and possibilities in this direction as compared with \ other grass-growing States of the Union. It is now generally conceded that ours is destined, at no distant day, to rank with the best of grass-producing States, if, indeed, it has not already attained to that eminence. Lying, as we do, between the 38th and 42d parallels of latitude, as it were within the great GRASS BELT OF THE NATION; skirting the immense basin of the Mississippi, the natural grain field of the continent; and possessing a climate peculiarly suited to the raising of live stock, we have every reason to be satisfied with the situation in which our lines have fallen to us. And when we sum up our material resources we congratulate ourselves upon the fact that we are possessed of all, or nearly all the advatages and facilities for the successful operations and experiments of the agriculturist and stockgrower. OUR SOILS ARE RICH AND VARIED, deep and loamy in the valleys for tillage purposes, and strong and compact on the uplandH where it requires a firm, tough sod for the grasses. Water facilities are pre-eminents Perhaps no State in the Union is better supplied with this all important article. Rivers intersect the land in every direction, with smaller streams and bubbling springs, while in the norther portion numberless lakes, some of them thousands of acres in extent, insures us against serious injury from aridness and drouth. Our timber resources were once unsurpassed; and are still sufficient, with proper care, for fencing, shade, and the_ protection of those grasses which require more or less protection. It has been said _ that soils are the most productive which derive their substance from the greatest variety of rocks, which by chemical process furnish the proper nutritive force for the roots of plant life. This being the case, the great abundance and rich variety of stone found in nearly every part of the State are guarantees of the extraordinary fertility of the soil. Added to these natural advantages is the fact that no mountain chains interpose their barriers to occupy and render useless a vast amount of country, but nearly every acre of the soil is capable of being reduced to a condition of cultivation, or to the production of the grasses. Neither, as a whole, is it too flat,but sufficiently rolling for natural drainage Purposes, and, in case it should ever require it, for easy and economical irrigation. Nearly EVERT VARIETY OF GRASS ican be successfully grown on our soils. Uover and timothy yield abundant harvests all over the State, and in a large section the blue_ grass grows luxuriantly, and and is rapidly proving itself capable of being sustained in soils once theught uncongenial. For in those parts where it is still a stranger, the native forest grows in unchecked magnificence, and the soil retains its original coldness and moisture. When these forests^ have been thinned to the proper condition, letting in the sunshine and air, and the soil warmed and dried by a systematic courso of drainage, it will be found, in my opinion, that the blue grass will there grow freely and vigorously and afford rich and abundant pasturage. BENEFIT OF UNDERDRAINAGE. Very few graziers appreciate the benefits to be derived from a thorough system of underdrainage, and of that number but a small proportion put their knowledge to a practical demonstration. The grasses, like the rest. of the vegetable kingdom, require more or less care and_ cultivation. Some soils require drainage before they will produce grass, others require enriching. Drainage and manuring in fact, are important subjects in the future economy of the farmer and grazier. As it is, some of our soils are becoming worn out and exhausted from over work and lack of proper sustenance. Nature is a munificent mother when kindly treated, but vigorous and sparing of her gifts when neglected. We often tax her beyond her endurance and then unmercifully condemn her • if she fails in the task imposed. Here is a man who has never practiced a rotation of crops, but year after year plants his fields in corn, and when ten or fifteen, or twenty years have passed and instead of raising 60 or 75 bushels to the acre he only gets half _ that amount, he becomes dissatisfied with his fields and declares he will not remain in a country that will not afford him an honest livelihood, and so disposes of his lands at less than half their value and goes elsewhere to repeat his system. Yet, nature is wiser and more liberal when left to herself, and constantly contributes the refuse of the old life to the nourishment of the new. As before remarked all the more useful grasses grow kindly in our soil, but for grazing purposes in THE OLDER PORTIONS. of the State where it has been thoroughly tried, nothing equals the much praised blue grass. It may, I think, be truly said to be indigenous to our State. For though many claim to have been the first to introduce it from otherand older States, it is still a fact that when the Northwestern army, under General Harrison, was serving on the Maumee river and other parts of the State,, in the war of 1812, it frequently came upon the sites of old Indian towns where the blue grass grew in rich abundance. Nearly the whole of the now State of Indiana was then a dense and pathless forest, except the northern part across which ran a broad belt of prairie. In the Indian towns and clearings exposed to the sun and atmosphere, the blue-grass sprang up in great abundance. Whether the seed was introduced by strolling hunters and traders before the advent of the whites, or whether it is indigenous to the soil and only needed exposure to the sun and air to quicken it into life, is a question now not easily determined; but the familiar sight met the eyes of the soldiers of 1812, and many a worn and famished army horse reveled for a day or night on the exuberant herbage. Blue grass may, I think, be truly called the QUEEN OF THE GRASSES. • Perhaps no other grass, or combination of grasses meetsthe requirements ofthe grazier so well in countries where it flourishes. Whether for summer, autumn or winter grazing it is in this country the surest and most valuable. It is more than anything else the natural food of our domestic animals, and except for one or two months of the year, no other grass is so nutritious and fat-producing. They nip it eagerly in its first shoot in the early spring, and when sere and brown from summer suns and autumn frosts, and in the dead of winter they will patiently seek it under drifts of snow. Even in that short period of late summer when it has become withered and apparently lifeless from excessive heats and drought it still retains a vast amount of nutriment, and it is doubtful if_ a substitute can be discovered that will serve the purpose so well. THE BEST SOIL FOR IT. ■ It is generally conceded that blue grass delights in a gently undulating country, with a strong top-soil, and clay sub-soil on a limestone foundation. Yet, it is a question, whether, with thorough drainage and a liberal use of proper fertilizing substances the most stubborn and unprofitable of our soils may not be rendered suitable to thc_ production of this valuable grass. It is a question for future graziers to determine. OTHER. GRASSES. For curing purposes timothy and clover are, of course, the chief grasses. As a winter feed for cattle the_ last is especially esteemed, many considering it almost equal to corn. And certainly as a single variety of food it combines more good qualities, perhaps, than any other kind known to our soil. If cut and properly cured before it becomes too ripe, and stacked under shelter in large ricks, or put away snugly in the barn, it forms the finest of winter food for stock, affording excellent nutritive matter with the necessary bulk. _ Clover prepared in this manner, when it retains its green color, is greatly relished by stock, and is nearly equal as a diet to winter pasture. Mixed timothy and clover is highly recommended for pasture by those who have tried it in countries where the blue grass does not flourish ; and doubtless it would form an excellent substitute for the latter, during the portion of the year, for it is claimed that stock fatten rapidly upon it. But in most portions of our State where blue grass is queen, it yields to the encroachments of the latter, and constantly requires new settings to keep it in vigorous growth. VARIETY FOR STOCK. The brute creation are like the human in the respect that they like variety in their food, and will put themselves to some trouble to procure it. I once had occasion to observe the movements of cattle that had a range of pasture including blue grass upland and clover bottom. All the morning and until the middle of the afternoon they contented themselves with the blue grass, but regularly about 3 or 4 o'clock they would begin to move towards the lowlands where they would end the day with a meal of clover, and often eating with a relish the coarse sedge and bunch grass that grew about the wet and marshy lands. The following morning would find them on the upland again ; and this programme they repeated daily. The grazier will find it profitable to allow his animals a variety of pasturage, for they will greatly appreciate the favor, and return it by many additional pounds of excellent beef. , , Since grass is the natural food of our domestic animals, if it can be furnished them through the winter their health and improvement are more certainly secured, while the cost of their keeping is greatly lessened. In blue grass regions this is not difficult, and in my own section this grass sometimes affords one- half or two-thirds of the winter forage of many animials. The pastures are grazed until the middle of summer or later and their being suffered to grow rye during the autumn, a healthful and cheap food is furnished your animals which they greatly relish. As a substitute for winter grass, roots of various kinds, such as turnips, mangle-wurtzels, etc.which our soils produce readily, can be fed with profit. They are laxative in nature, cooling and nutritious, and prore an agreeable charge to the apeti'es of animals fed chiefly or grain and other dry foods. Cattle that have access to winter pasture, or that receive a daily feed of nutritious mangle-wurtzels or turnips, rare slough off the hair,_ or suffer from a superabundance of thick, unhealthy blood. Your own experience will teach you that fruits and vegetables of eome kind or an occasional winter diet add greatly to your health and spirits. Why should not the rule apply to the domestic animals? GRAND FUTURE BEFORE US. In concluding these random remarks I repeat; that our geographical position, our-material wealth, and our very respectable climate warrant us in the be- belief that we are destined for a place in the first rank of stockraising and grass- producing States. As we grow older we shall grow better and richer in this respect. What we most need is the application of science to the labors of the agriculturist, tho grazier and the breeder. Tho countries of Europe know this better than we, and the eastern part of our own country better than the western. Science isoften condemned as fit only for the inside of college walls, but tho map of the future who rejects it from his economy does so at the peril of hispocket and his social position. The agriculturist who cannot analyzo the soils of his own fields which annually pour into his_ granaries their bountiful harvests can in the future certainly aid but little in the advancement of his country and his profession. For tlie Indiana _ armer. SHORT-HORN SALES. I have made the following sales of Short-Horns this spring: Duke of Black Hawk, by 2d Airdrie Duke 9,416, out of A. C. Stevenson's 2!)th, to W. M. Robe, Jessup, Iowa. Piae Apple, of the celebrated Bates Wild Eyes tribe, to H. F. Brown, of Minneapolis, Min. Bull calf, got by 2d Airdrie Duke, out of Stevenson's 9th, to J. W. McGrew, Putnamville, Ind. J. AV. Robe. Greencastle, Ind. Some Fine Lambs. Editor Indiana Farmer: I see quite a number of reports of heavy clipping from sheep, and I thought I would give you one that I think is hard to beat. A flock of lambs which I think would not weigh over 70 lbs. after shearing, averaged from eight to eleven pounds clear wool. This beats anything I have sheared in the last forty years of my experience as a shearer. This flock is owned by John C. Long, of Delaware county, Ind. _ I also sheared one male sheep for William Carroll, of Blackford, Ind., that yielded 174 lbs. Brethren, beat it if you can. John S. Bliss. Montpelier, Indiana. NOTES AND QUERIES. Editor Indiana Farmer: Seeing there is some hog cholera in the country, I send this recipe, as one which has been tried and proved successful in a number of cases. I copied it from the Rural New Yorker a few years ago: Madder, 1 lb.; saltpetre, 1 lb.; sulphur, 1 lb.; resin, 1 lb.; black antimony, J tb.; asafoctida, 2 oz. Dose, in case of sickness, 4 tablespoonfuls for 5 hogs, once a day. Once a week as a preventive. Mix in slop. Herd Book.—A subscriber asks several questions about the American Herd Book. Lewis F. Allen, of the Live Stock Journal, Buffalo, New York, is the publisher of the book. A copy has has been ordered for our State Library. Owners claiming pure blood in animals have their pedigrees registered in these books, and if the claim is not genuine, the fraud may be detected by an examination. The Willows.—Inform D. M. Lett that if he will cut through the bark of the common willow some three or four feet from the ground and pull the bark down in strips to the ground, letting it remain fast to the tree at the ground, he will find it a successful way in getting rid of them. Have had no experience with the button alder. J. B. W. Hall, Indiana. The King of Siam has appointed J. H. Chandler, a native of Pomfret, Conn., but who has resided in Siam for the past thirty-two years, to represent the kingdom at the Philadelphia International Exposition. . s» « The Red Cloud aud Spotted Tail Indians have signed an agreement to sell and relinquished their right in Nebraska lands, for $11,600 in horses, $9,000 in cows, $2,100 in harness and $2,300 in wagons. Indiana Farm.? Family. Onr Portal Card Correspondenoe. Crops along; tne I. P. s_ C. Railroad. EDITOR'S POSTAL CARD. It was raining when we left the city, and the dripping clouds are still hanging over us seventy-live miles north. Marion county. Corn generally small and weedy. Wheat rank, and ls much fallen down,—meadows In same condition. HAMILTON COUNTY. Corn some cleaner than ln Marion, and averages larger. Wheat and gross about the same. HOWARD COUNTY. ' The corn is all clean, has a good stand and color, and averages 12to 15 Inches high. Wheat looks well. MIAMI COUNTY. Some of the corn ls quite poor, bnt most of lt promises extremely well, and the same of wheat. Potatoes look well all along tlie way, and show no signs of the bugs. J. G. K. DAVIESS COUNTY. In this part ol the county wheat will not be more than half a crop. Both oats aud grass are short. B. Pnirrs. BENTON COUNTY. Weather very wet. Six Inches or rain feU here on the 21st Instant. Fine prospect for corn. More grass on the ground now than for two years past. Nursery stock looking splendid. W. M. S. VIGO COUNTY-June 22nd. Our wheat ls not so good as was anticipated it would be Bome time back. Corn looks only tolerable. We have had heavy rains during May and June, making it rather wet for our crops, generally . A Patron. FROM ANOTHER. Most too much rain for wheat, although the prospects are good for an average crop in this, tho northern part of the county. Corn looks well on high, sandy land, but ln low and bottom lands, it ls small and very foul. Early potatoes will be good. Grass will be above an average crop. Fruit will be scarce —no peaches, and very few apples. The Farmer Is growing in favor in this vicinity, ls read with interest, and ls a welcome visitor to all. RUSH COUNTY—June 21st. Early sown wheat looks well, while that which was sown ln corn ground is very thin. There will be abouthalf a crop of wheat in this county. Harvest will be late. Corn looks well. A large crop was planted. Onas*co_t_.of lallure j of wheat, many flelds were plowed and planted ln corn. More ought to have been planted ln corn, as the wheat will not pay, especially that which was sown broadcast in corn. Oats and flax look well, except some which was sown early and killed by the freeze. A great deal of flax was sown. Fruit will be very scarce. Apples, peaches and cherries were about all killed. Some small fruit, such as strawberries, gooseberries raspberries and blackberries. Potatoes look well and promise a good crop. Stock hogs are scarce and hard to buy, commanding a good price. Fat hogs fed far spring and summer market are about all sold. The Farmer Is a welcome visitor. Grangers are numerous and in good working order. J. H. A. PIKE COUNTY-June 20th, Crops look well. Corn all planted. Wheat crop light. Oats look well, and promise a good yield. Meadows fine. Early potatoes large enough for use. Fruit will be scarce. Old corn ls getting scarce. Wheat ls wortli fl; corn 60 cents. Stock hogs scarce, and still dying with cholera. Grangers are working well, and the membership ln good spirits. The older we grow ln the Order the better we like it, and the more we are benefitted by it. Laf. Taylor. MARION COUNTY-Near Acton-June 19th. The crops look well. Wheat is coming out better than was supposed it would a while back; yet some flelds can't make much of a crop. I learn by a friend from Decatur county that the wheat crop in that county would be very poor. Com looks very well considering the chance it has had. The late heavy rains have left some in a bad fix, as nearly all the corn is drilled, and the grass threatens to choke out the corn unless the ground gets dry enough to work it soon; If so, much Of it can be redeemed yet. Some say they can plow it better than hill corn. I heard an old neighbor say the other day he would rather plow than eat, and he Is sixty years old. Henry Copeland. BENTON COUNTY-June 20th. There ls but little wheat ln this county, and it looks quite indifferent. Some oats have been plowed up on account of the ravages of the chinch bug; otherwise oats are looking well. Corn is small for the season. The acreage ln corn is very large. Potatoes are doing finely, there being but few bugs to disturb them this season. Apples, peaches and cherries were about all killed. Cattle plentiful and in good condition. Hogs rather scarce and high. M. V. Bowman. ' ORANGE COUNTY. Many acres of wheat have been plowed and put in corn. There are a few fields that look reasonably well; but much the greater portion will make but little more than the seed sown. Wheat harvest will be later than usual, giving its enemies more chance to prey upon it. I hear but little complaint of the chinch bug's depredations. More corn was planted than usual, and It is generally in fine growing condition. Oats were sown late, and the April freezes Injured them considerable, but the past two weeks have been favorable for them, and they now promise a fair yield. Meadows and pastures are doing well just now. Apples and peaches are almost an entire failure. Fanners generally seem to be neglecting the Improvement of their herds, being content with the common kine. Their flocks might be much benefitted by the introduction of other blood. There are, however a few good sheep ln the county. They are paying some attention to the improvement of hogs. W. C. Shirley. GIBSON COUNTY-June 29th. Gibson county is very wet. Com all planted. Harvest commenced. Wheat will average eight bushels per acre. J. K. MONROE COUNTY-June 26th. Weather warm and very wet. Com looks fine. Oats never much bett«r. Wheat looks bad. Potatoes best ever known at this time of the season. Stock hogs are very scarce, and consequently high. No fruit except the small varieties. J. H. Tarkinoton. KOSCIUSKO COUNTY-June 28th. The weather is fine. Wheat ls much better than we expected it would be lnthe spring. Corn and grass are d oing well. Oats the best I ever saw In Indiana. Pasture good. Stock Is doing well. Wheat harvest will be late. Stock hogs are scarce and selling high. Not much doing in tbe cattle line, as regards sales. We are getting some Short-Horns here in Kosciusko and Marshall counties. But few localities can beat us on grass, we think. Wash Iden. HENDRICKS COUNTY-June 29th. It has been very wet here for several weeks, and will be too wet to plow for some days yet. A great deal of corn not planted, and hundreds of acres not plowed over yet. Foxtail is about as high as the corn, and a good stand (of foxtail)^ Some wheat very good, and some not worth any thing. Oats are generally good. J. K. S, MORGAN COUNTY-June 28th. We had a wet spring, and still lt rains. Considerable damage has been done to the growing crops in the bottoms. Fruit all killed. Timothy rather light. Clover excellent, except where it was pastured too close last summer and fall—a common mistake among farmers. Stock hogs scarce, and worth 6 cents. Success to thj Indiana Farmer. Would not be without it for any reasonable amount. Hoosier. JASPER COUNTY-June 26th. Corn ls looking exceedingly well. Oats never looked better at this season. Apples very scarce. Peaches an entire failure, but grapes, berries, etc. in abundance. Chinch bugs have put in an appearance, and the result of their coming is yet to be learned. The Farmer is welcomed by us all. Grangers in good cheer, and looking forward with glorious anticipations. J. G. Culp. HANCOCK COUNTY-June 25th. ' We are having considerable wet weather, however, corn looks well. Wheat about an average. Oats and flax as good as ever seen. Timothy meadows good, but clover Is light. Early potatoes are splendid—large enough to use. No fruit and few berries. J. A. C. PUTNAM COUNTY-June 26th. We are having very heavy rains in Putnam county, weather entirely too wet for working corn, which is getting very foul, and turning quite yellow in the low wet places. The crop of clover is light, and the weather too unsettled for making it into bay. Other grasses in abundance. The weevil is reported as injuring the wheat very badly, also has the rains. J. W. Robe. PARKE COUNTY-June 27th. Prospects for a good crop this year are not flattering by any means. Our prospect for a wheat crop was not good at all, and now comes the midge and is destroying it very fast. Entire flelds are at this time rendered useless, and not worth cu tting. How much damage will be done can only be conjectured, but I fear that we will pretty nearly fall entirely, from present indications. The grub worm (or what is called grub here,) ls Injuring our corn considerably. We have had a good deal of wet weather, In consequence of which there is a good deal ol weedy corn. No clover cut as yet in consequence of rain and unfavorable weather. E. Thomas. DECATUR COUNTY-June 26th. The present season for excellence has no parallel in the history of our county. All vegetation is growing nicely, weeds Included. Corn ls all planted, and its present appearance indicates a fine crop. Wheat is very thin, but what there is of it is good. Oats are good. Potatoes look well. Large acreage planted. Bugs scarce. No panic caused by the grasshoppers, of which there are a few. Grangers are happy, and are reaping the benefits of the Order ln spite of middlemen,monopolists,politicians, and all other enemies. Hereafter if no one else represents old Decatur In your columns, you may hear from W. S. Fleck, GRANT COUNTY-June 24th. Of late the weather has been very wet. On the 17th we had a rain and flood of water that washed away many bridges and culverts, and drowning out much corn. Our corn is \ery uneven, and touch of it is missing by rotting in the ground. Our land is not well ditched. We must have thorough ditching for such seasons as this has been. Our wheat does not look so well as it did amonth ago. The chinch bugs are damaging it ln many places, and of late the red midge or weevil is eating out the forming grain, bnt it ls yet too early to say what damage they will do. Our flax and oats are too rank In growth, which we fear will lodge and be of no account. Clover Is heavy, but one fourth of the ground is bare of it. It rains nearly every day, and we cannot cut it, nor plow our corn, or do much other work. The apples' have all fallen off, except a very few. This is one of the odd seasons thus far, but we hope for better weather after a while. Our Grange, Sweetser, No. 221, ls in a prosperous condition, and bids fair to do better hereafter. John Jao.ua. SWITZERLAND COUNTY-June 25th. J thought I would like to let the readers of the Farmer know something about this almost God forsaken county. When compared with the abundance of last year, It seems that the blessings of a beniflcent Providence have forsaken tbe people of Switzerland county to a great extent. We were blessed with the largest wheat crop last year we ever raised. Fruit of all kinds was abundant. The hay crop was an average. Corn was excellent. Potatoes were plenty. Hogs were no object. But to .lay lt is truly gloomy. Our wheat ls an , entire failure. All kinds of fruit have failed except currants and gooseberries. Potato bugs. seem to be determined to live and devour tho'J potato vines. Corn looks badly on account of the cold backward season. Stock hogs very scarce, and selling at 7 to 10 cents ps_r pound.' Beef cattle very scarce. The hay crop will be very Ught. I*. «• Boyd. ' _B |
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