Oklahoma Farmer (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 20, No. 7, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 20, 1910 Page: 2 of 16
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OKLAHOMA FARMER, WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 1910
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JJ
All Communl'
cations on Farm
Matters will be
welcome here.
HOW TO CULTIVATE.
Shallow cultivation of corn, accord
<ng to official experiments, seems to
be most in favor at a number of state
experiment stations, as opposed to
deep cultivation. Deep cultivation, aa
underotood in those states, is from
three to six inches. Kansas is in-
clined to advise cultivation to a depth
of from three to four inches, but not
too close to the Mills. In dry climates
this cultivation Is reported to have
given better results than shallower.
Over a period of five years, 1893-7, a
mixture of deep and shalow cultiva-
tion gave better results in Kansas
than a continuance of either system
througout the season. Much seems
to depend on climatic conditions. In
dry seasons a thicker dust mulch
should be maintained to hold the
moisture in the soil. In the early part
of the season a thick mulch is not so
necessary, and a medium cultivation,
close to the hill, while the p'ants are
small, may be given without danger.
In July and August a heavy mulch
is desirable and may be required to
maintain moisture.
ALFALFA SOWN ON SOD.
Even under dry land conditions a
stand of alfalfa may be secured on
some kinds of prairie sod. by simply-
disking the ground thoroughly, sow-
ing the seed and covering it with a
harrow. The disking must be thor-
ough. This will only answer well in
instances where the prairie or bench
land sod is not very thick or dense,
and where the soil conditions natur-
ally favor the growth of alfalfa. Fair
stands of "alfalfa have thus been ob-
tained.
REAL NATURE STUDIES.
Nature study has come to have an
Important place in the curriculum of
our public schools and colleges, and
the most successful teachers fully ad-
mit that greater progress is made by
taking classes into the fields and
demonstrating by actual sight what
great things are being wrought in
nature's great workshop, than by any
research in books, though the latter
act as aids and incentives to study.
BLIZZARD
Guaranteed
Ensilage Cutter
\ Sold on merit kicked by SS years' (uicress.
i Proved stronmst, most dtirtilde, smoothest
running. Cuts fma 01 df| (Nd mid cle-
vntes nuy height. Knives adjustable at
anytime. Perfected construction tliroujjh-
out. Mounted or unmounted. Ask
free book, "Why Silajjo I'ays "
ra$o
there can be but one answer. Ihe silo
is a splendid aid to farm success. It
comes before prosperity, not after it.
The man who has a silo can keep al-
most ns many catt'.e again as the one
who has none, and he can make those
cows pay him better.
Take it along in the summer, and
grass in the pasture gets Ury and
hard. There is not nearly as much
substance to it as there was earlier In
the season. Unless something is done
the cows will drop off in their milk
yield and away will go the chances
for success for the season. Now, if
the farmer has a good silo to fall back
on he can keep up his flow of milk
and keep more cows and keep them
EMM:
mmm
SILO BRINGS SUCCESS.
On a trip up through the heart of
New York state recently a dairy ex-
pert's attention was called to the fact
that wherever he found the silo there
was a general air of thrift about every
thing. The farm buildings would al-
most universally be in good condition,
well painted and kept up in good
shape, the fields would appear trim
and in fine state of cultivation and the
catt e sleek and prosperous in appear-
ance. On the other hand, when he
struck a locality where the silo was
not in evidence he could not help no-
ticing that there was a marked con-
trast both in the appearance of the
buildings and in that of the farms
themselves.
Now, was this the result of the work
of the silo, or was the silo itself the
result of the generally prosperous con-
ditions? This is a question to which
credit and in the traditional habit ot
raising but one crop.
It is no longer true that the financ-
ing of southern lanns rests upon couo.i
alone; that without co.ton there wouu
be no credit line through the merchant
and the ban't to centers of capital.
This improvement result from ttse di-
versification of crop3, as preached by tuo
department of agriculture during a cam-
paign of education that has been long
but which has proved effective.
Kegions that lormeily shipped coUo.i
alone now sent to market carloads or
caUle, hogs and poultry. This is true In
Texas, Mississippi, Alat ama, and Geor-
gia. Farmers have learned in Texas i.o
gather a crop of potatoes and then plant
the same land to cotton.
Simultaneously, it was demonstrated
that good cotton, if grown from the ngi't
kind of seed, would flourish right next
to an invasion of boll weevil.
Accordingly, the abandonment of co-
lon was checked, while the lesson Jf
raising foodstuffs also was retained.
This must mean that it will cease to
be a statistical fact that the average
farm in borer in Mississippi products an-
nually only $150 in wealth, against SDW
produced bv the farm laborer in Iowa.
What is true of other cotton growing
«tates is trie of Oklahoma.
In this state versatile farming is trie
method practiced by all careful tillers ot
the soil.
Oklahoma fared well regarding
meager ravage of the boll weevil, but
our farmers on the Texas border ha
enough scare to get into line for other
crops.
A Cement Block Silo.
better than if he were dependent on
the pasture alone.
Then, too. grain is costly in these
days, whether we grow It on our own
farms or buy it. The silo cuts the
grain bill down splendidly and thus
adds to the farmer's bank acount.
The first cost of a silo is most always
what stands between the farmer and
building one of them. But if he puts
up a good one it will last for many
years without any expense for repairs,
there is always a temptation to build
a cheap silo.
That is the poorest kind of economy.
Anything cheap is always expensive.
It wears or gives out soon, and we
are compelled to go all over it again.
"The truth is. no one man can say
he had more to do with the formation
of the Poland-China breed than an-
other. It was the result of the labors
of many. It grew out of the intro-
duction of the China hogs by the
Shakers of Union Vil'age, Ohio, thei
crossing with the Russian and By-
field. and the subsequent crossing
with the Berkshires and with the
Irish Graziers. After 1841 or 18J .
these breeds ceased to exist in either
Butler or Warren counties and have
had nothing whatever to do with the
Poland-China breed for the last
years." Controversies as to the pre-
cise crosses and by whom and under
what particular circumstances they
were made, prior to the middle of the
last century, to form the breed, may
interest a few: but what is vastly
more important to the practical swine
breeder is the fact that there was,
produced a race of swine now bear-
ing the name of Poland-China that
has been able to hold its own for
three-fifths of a century as the most
popu'ar and most widely distributed
porlc-making machine in the foremost
pork-producing region of the world.—
From Coburn's "SWINE IN AEMER-
ICA."
Jo>. Dick Mfg. Co.
1448 W.Tuscarawas St.
Canton, Ohio
TILLMAN COUNTY PRODUCE.
An incrtns of nearly $2,SCO,000 in
a single year in th value o! farm pro-
ducts raised ic shown bj the <909 ag-
rieul'ural statistics lrom Tillman
county, just loceived by the state
board of agriculture. The total jump-
ed from $2 391,534 in :908 to 34.802.-
089 in 1909. The acreage ii. cultiva-
tion last year is shown to be 303,657
against 215,287 "cr the previous year.
The increased acreage was olanted
principally to corn, wheat and alfalfa.
The 'orri acreagt last year was 102,-
312 as comparia with with 65,165 in
1908. The .vheat acreage in 1909 was
59J.H0 ns compared with 7,117 in
1908. There were 18,. <.i: acres of oats
in the county last year against I .',351
for the previous year. '1 lie broom c( rn
acreage was raised from 188 to 340
acres and the alfalfa acreage from
2,350 in 1908 to 5,240 in 1909.
Eggs, sold for f 82,840 last year
against $10,207 i-< 1908. Butter re-
ceipts were $103,478 compared with
• • (fl -.'or the prev aus y^ar '■ h
'•nine of ar.imalJ killed for slaughter
was CI,540,890 corr.pa-ed with $526,659
for the previous year.
SOUTHERN FARM PRODUCTS.
The boll weevil has wrought indirect
benefit to the southern planter, in tins
view of Harris Dickson, after a tour ot
carcful inspection.
The paradox is explained by the changa
that lias been wrought in the system ot
monkey-wrench in hand, red in face.,
and covered with grease. The trouble
•was located in 10 minutes, remedied
in less time, and the "fool thing"
worked as well as ever. The young
man gazed at the machine reflective-
ly as it moved off, while he wiped the
grease from his face and hands with
a wisp of grass and remarked: "I
guess after all 1 was the fool by not
knowing how to find the trouble. I'm
going to take that machine apart and
study its innards until I know how
works—no more guesswork."
COTTON PICKER.
WASHINGTON, July 20.- patents were
issued today to Crawford Elliott, the .n-
ventor of the book typewriter, on a cotton
picker or harvester which he has perfect-
ed as the result of nearly seven years
constant effort. The basic patent grantoi
covers forty different claims. The ma-
chine has been tested for two years n
the cotton fields, and with it one man and
a team of mules will do the work ot
forty hand pickers. Only the ripe cotton
is picked, and this is done without in -
jury to the green cotton or the flowers.
The successful cotton picker has at last
arrived and will enable the planters to
greatly increase tho present acreage un-
der cultivation.
The principle of the machine :s a double
row of bristle brushess about one and
one-half inches in diameter and tour-
teen inches long, spinning rapidly in
such a manner that the revolving brusnes
are introduced into the plants close to
the ground fnd drawn up in a vertical
line through the plants, the brushes pen-
etrating the bushes from both sides or
(1 - row. The ripe cotton adheres to
the brushes vhile the rest of the plant
is not in any we ''ected, ti.e brushes
traveling to a receptacle where they are
: ipped of the cotton and the opera-
tion is repea*
It has been thoroughly I s'.ed and dem-
onstrated that it will do the work at a
quarter of the cost of "iand labor, wnicn
me ns a saving of $150,000,000 a year to
the cotton growr-s.
The invention which has been pur-
chsed by the National Ha "Ster Com-
pany of Chicago, 111., means much to tne
growth and expansion °f the cotton in-
dustry. and it will undoubtedly add im-
mensely to the annual wealth of tne
cotton growing states.
Have refepeet for the opinion of
others. No one man knows it a'l. We
can all learn something from others.
If the farmer would cultivate the
garden better, and thus save some of
the money he spends for provisions at
the store—articles he could easily
grow—bis field products would come
nearer being clear profit than under
his present system.
The theory that a nurse crop will
prevent the weeds choking the alfal-
fa is apparently, as a rule, not well
founded. In the first place alfalfa
should not be sown on foul land, and
in the second place proper disking
and harrowing, at near intervals for
four or six weeks before sowing, will
disturb or kill far more weeds than
can any nurse crop. Besides, the oats
or barley sown as a nurse will when
cut leave weeds in good growth, or
dormant and ready to spring up as
fast or faster than the alfalfa. No
nurse crop is ever used with fall sow-
ing. When ground has been thor-1
oughly prepared for the preceding
crop, and then properly cared for,
and made ready for alfalfa by the
preliminary weed destruction, it will
be found advisable to sow alfalfa
alone, even in the spring.—From Co-
burn's "The BOOK OF ALFALFA."
Poultry manure is very suitable for
the garden. Clean out the houses
frequently and scrape up all drop-
pings about the coops and runs and
spread them on the surface after the
garden is p'owed or spaded. Rake or
harrow in the manure lightly and It
will diffuse itself more evenly through
the soil than if plowed under. It is
more available than barnyard ma-
nure and may be applied ^successfully
to any garden crop ordinarily grown.
Gooseberry bushes need thinning
out to let in sun and air; by doing
this the fruit will increase In size ana
quality, besides being partially pro-
tected from mildew. For cannifr*?
they should be gathered just befora
they have attained their full growth.
They will then be tender and not
quite so tart and still have a good
flavor.
One of our neighbors' boys was re-
cently heard "cussing out" a new
mowing machine. "The fool thing
won't run right and it's no good," he
exclaimed, rising from the ground,
It may surprise many of our sheep-
men to know that of the more than
67,000,000 sheep in Argentina between
50,000,000 and 60,000,000 are of the
Lincoln breed. Is it the stranger that
this should be so when Australia,
England's other big sheep co'ony,
goes almost whollto Merinos?
ALFALFA SEED
FOR FALL SOWING. From locality
where it grows best and most abund-
antly. Our seed won the Gold Medal
at the St. Louis Worlds Fair, in competition with the world. All our
seed is native grown, plump and v igorous. Write us today for prices
and free samples. Address
MoIiETH As DALLAS, Gnrden 011 , Kioi.
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Greer, Frank H. Oklahoma Farmer (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 20, No. 7, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 20, 1910, newspaper, July 20, 1910; Guthrie, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc88297/m1/2/: accessed April 24, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.