VOL. XXVII.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., APRIL 2, 1892.
NO. 14
HOBT-CHLTUBAI. BUILDIHG AT THE COL-
UMBiAir Bxposinoir.
Immediately sonth of the entrance to
Jackson Park from the midway plal_a_.ce,
and facing east en the lagoon, is the Horticultural Building. In front ia a flower
terrace for outside exhibits including
tanks for Nymph _- and the Victoria Regia.
The front of the terrace, with its low parapet between large vases, borders the water,
and at its center forms a boat landing.
The building is 1,000 feet long, with an
extreme width of 250 feet. The plan is a
Central pavilion with two end pavilions,
each connected witb the central one by
front and rear curtains, forming two interior courts, each 88tby 270 feet. These
courts are beautifully decorated in color
and planted with ornamental shrubs and
flowers. The center of the pavilion is
roofed by a crystal dome 187 feet in diameter and 113 feet high, under which are exhibited the tallest palms, bamboos, and
tree ferns that oan be procured.
The cost of this building was about f 300,-
000. . ~ ' '
Leaks on the Farm.
Kditors Indiana Farmer:
In my estimation one of the greatest,
if not the greatest leak in pro ti _ of farming, is in the care and feeding of stock, especially at this time ofthe year. How-
many of us have our stock in as thrifty a
1 condition now. as when .they were taken
from pasture Uat'falT? "fi tliis"i_bt a serious leak in the profits if we allow our cattle to go on to pasture next spring lighter
in weight than they were last fall? I
believe I am safe in saying that it is the
case with 90 per cent of the cattle of Indiana every spring. Could not this leak
be stopped by a better method of feeding,
sheltering, eto? It is a question every
farmer should consider.
Cass Co. John P. Maktin.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
One of the "leaks" of farming is idleness during the winter. It has been well"
said "a farmer need not be idle a single
day during the year." This is true of any
successful business man. Where is the
prosperous merchant or banker who leaves
his business to take care of itself, virtu-
ally three months eaoh year ?
Business men take vacations and so
ought the farmers, but winter is the time
for weeks of work that have to be dine
some time. This is the way many talk:
"Spring ia here and no manure hauled;
will have to hire a man for a week" ' It
is getting so late that I'll just hire all my
wood cut this year." -"It's right to begin
Plowing but the plows will have to go to
the shop first." Another saya: «'I will
have to hire that field of stalks cut; wish
i had broken them some cold morning
last winter." Fences and gates to repair,
and a multitude ot other things that could
and ought to have been done before the
rush of spring work. Consequence, late
crops and lots of money paid out.
This getting nothing done is a very ex-
Pensive leak on some farms. I like the
discussions in the Fabmkb very much.
Hamilton Co. jHo. S.
Wltori Indiana Farmer:
Thegreatest leak on the farm in my mind,
w: through the cracks in the barn, and
•tables. Scarcely ten out of thousand
we __ir stables warm enough in winter.
«e greatest leak is Inthe cow stable; or
"ther in the cow stables, through the
openings. The worst opening is tinder
«• sills; sometimes a board is loose, or a
__?i, **** or two ta out 5 ««» droppings
™nie like rocks in the morning.   In such
r** the mll* has leaked out, and only a
w q_MaMtyto,0ft *<> go Into the pail.'
jr ******** say cows don't pay;
«•> cows lose flesh, and it takes about half
s--»__.mmert0 wcrnlt theal- 'M-roy*
■••""ed good farmer houses hia tools and
machinery, but fails to house his stock
properly; too many openings for 'the
warmth to go out, and the cold in. Often
the cattle aud horses face the cold barn
floor. It iii handy to feed, but the stock
suffer torture most all winter; such cattle
show it in their staring look, and rough
dry coat. I cannot think of a greater leak
on the farm. I feel sometimes like I
would wish to have the power to tie the
owners of such stock in their stables, for
one night. I believe they wonld see the
leak, and remedy it the next day. True,
a beast can stand exposure better than a
man, but there is a limit to the endurance
even in a beast. John Bennett.
Sunman.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
I,was pleased with the article by Frank
Meader in the Fabmeb ofthe 13 h inst.,
in regard to housing farm implements.
While his judgmentis good and very good
chine is injured more by exposure than by
use. Henry Baker.
Worthington.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
You call for short contributions on
"Some of the leaks'in farming." This is a
very important subject. Aud there are so
many leaks with many farmers that one
can hardly begin with a short article. If
we consider all the mismanagements and
poor judgments of farmers which occasion
losses, and call them leaks there would be
no end to it.
As a farmer myself, I make the confession at the outset, that as a class we
have yet much to learn. Perhaps no other
branch of industry is less systematized
than ours. And in no other business, is
there more to learn. The most intelligent
farmer is a student his entire life. The
shallow headed politician who said, it required  no  education  to    be   a  farmer,
is-resting his land,  makes a mistake; it is
a "leak."
The man who habitually plants wheat
on wheat stubble, and corn on corn stubble, and falls to properly rotate his crops
with clover, Is impoverishing his soil, and
is a robber. He is stealing his own watch.
It is a "leak." The man who persists in
breeding and raising scrub stock, instead .
of thoroughbred, is sustaining a "leak."
The man who fails to subscribe for a good
agricultural paper, snch as the Indiana
Fabmer, and keep up with the times, is
sustaining quite a bad "leak.". The man
who does subscribe for a good agricultural
paper, and makes no improvement whatever in his methods of farming, had better have saved his dollar, it is a "leak."
The man who becomes overzealous in the
cause cf religion, and leaves his farm for
weeka at a time, in the supposed cause of
his Master, and then forgets to pay his
threshing bills, has met with the greatest
"leak," of all. He loses his grip, In this
world, and all hope in the next.
Marshall Co. Wm. B. Davis.—
HOBTICUI.TOBA-. BUILDlNd AT THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION.
on the housing of machinery, there was
one thing he must have overlooked or forgotten, that is the covering of a binder
while in the field to protect it from sunshine, rain and dew; neither of which
should be allowed to fall on a binder. The
first expense I was to after I got a binder
was a covering for it, at a cost of Sl 35 for
15 yards of heavy muslin (yard wide).
This made a covering nine feet wide and
fifteen feet long—heavy drilling would do
better. Yellow ocher and linseed oil for
painting one side cost 40 cents, total, f 175.
If made of heavy drilling it would last 10
years and save 10 times the cost.
Mr. Meader, estimate of 10 years of a
housed binder Is all right, but he has certainly overestimated it In making the last
at five years lf unhoused. At the end of
three years lt would only be worth the
price of tbe old iron. A . binder that costs
{125 dollars, if unhoused, at the end of
four years would be a total loss minus the
use of it.
As my trade, when a young man, was
that of a house carpenter I am able to
make a close estimate of the cost of a shed
that would hold all the farm machinery,
and farm implements needed on a common ordinary sized farm, thus showing
what the saving would be in five years as
estimated by Mr. Meader.
A shed 16x24 would answer the purpose.
Set posts on rock, let In gronnd; siding
seven feet high, shingle roof. Shingles |2
per thousand, siding and frame timber, $15
per thousand, double doors in end, cost of
material $28. Any ordinary mechanic
could do the work for f 12. Total cost f40.
This cost will be savfld inthe value of a
binder in one year, to say nothing of the
saving of other machinery housed in the
same shed.   Any wagon, buggy or ma-
showed a wonderful capacity for Ignorance. True, it does not require great intelligence to pitch hay, or dig potatoes, but
that does not constitute an intelligent
farmer. Nor ia the intelligent farmer
measured by hia acrea or the number of
bushels of wheat or corn he raises, nor by
the number of pounds of wool he produces
nor the number of bullocks he sells. But
it is he who shows system, and good judg
ment, in all the details ofthe farm; he
who cares for the comfort, aud well doing
of all his stock; he who brings every foot
of his land under cultivation, and increases its fertility year by year, and has
caused two blades of grass to grow, where
one grew before. The reverse of these
things may be justly termed "leaks," and
they exist, more or less, over the entire
land. I know men who appear to have
been'born tired, they lose from one to
two hours each morning, the very best
part of the day, laying in bed. This is a
bad "leak" and it has become chronic, and
will stay right with them.
I know men who appear to have studied
to see how near they can come to doing
everything wrong, notone particle of their
work ls done right, from year in to year
out. To my vision that is another bad
"leak." The man who neglects to thoroughly drain his wet fields, plows around
his ponds, etc., receiving half ;the crop
he should receive, is sustaining a bad
"leak." The man who throws his manure into a heap, and lets It lay until it ferments, and throws off most of its value ln
gases, and by leaking, is sustaining _
"leak" which he cannot afford. The man
who lets his stalk field lie idle the year
following his crop of corn, and grow up
with weeds, under the impression that he
As to Cos  of Raising: Wheat.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
I have been reading the many reports
from farmers on wheat raising, and its
cost. And in my humble way would like
to take the floor, by the side of brother
Hustle, in your Issue of Feb. 13, and advance a few-ideas of my own: whether
light or wrong I will leave the readers of
the Fabmer to judge. I think my brother
farmers are making a sad mistake vying
with each other in reports on the cheap
production of wheat. ,
The farmers and laborers all over the
country have been organizing under different names to present a. solid front, and
for what? To make demands of our Congress and State Legislatures to bring
about some measure to relieve the farmer
of the present burden or depression under
which he is groaning, (whether real or imaginary).
Now, brother farmers Inthe very faoe of
these ft cts are we not laying the foundation for lower prices for our produce?
When the controlling power of the mar-'
ket!-, the gambling boards of trade, can
confront us with our own figures showing
that we can raise wheat, and deliver it in
the market for the small sum of 50 cents
per bushel, can we reasonably expect any
more? Certainly not. Is farming a business that requires brains, or is it an occupation that any half idiot may follow and
be successful in?
If classed with the former, then in making our reports why not allow ourselves
such dally wages as other intelligent
workmen demand?
Suppose the farmer wants to build a new
house: he calls on the stone mason to lay
the wall. Will he tell you he will work
for 75 cents per day; no indeed. He will
charge you f 2 50 or $3 for eight or 10 hours
work, and you must board him. And the
carpenters muat have the same wages,
either by the day or job.
When we call on the painter he also
must have more for eight hours' work,
and board for himself and horse, than you
allow yourself and team for 12 hours' hard
toil and board yourself.
I would not have you understand me to
be a chronic grumbler or fault finder, but
let us be careful brother farmer how we
report the expense and profit on our forms,
lest we suffer In the future more than at
present.
I am a farmer and from experience and
observation for the last twenty years, considering failures and losses, over which
the farmer has control I think we can not
raise wheat for less than fl per bushel and
net 10 per oent on our investment and no
business man counts - less than 10 per cent
a paying profit.
Whitley Co. J. M. D.