farmers' institutes. 717 



follow.s: I'assagoway through the center, with four jjeiis on each side 

 8x10 feet, with outside runways; in one end we have corn and oat bins, 

 in the other end ground feed bins, feed grinder, feed coolier and pump. 

 To this building is attached a power mill which furnishes power and 

 plenty of it to run grinder, pump, corn sheller, and for any other use you 

 might put it to. There is not an eighty acre farm in Fulton County that 

 ought to be without this kind of improvement, considering the cost and 

 benefit, as you will use more ground feed than if you depend on going to 

 mill and hiring your grain ground, and there can be no doubt but what 

 your grain will go much farther if ground than fetl in the whole grain. 

 I have no hesitancy in saying that I considei- this one of the most profit- 

 able improvements I have yet made. And now with the granerj' (which 

 I made too small) and smokehouse concludes the list of buildings, except 

 the old dwelling house, which we have converted into an implement house. 

 While these improvements have been going on I have often been reminded 

 by persons of much more experience than 1 ever had that I was very 

 foolish for going to so much expense; that I would never get my money 

 out, and while I don't care to take issue with my friends who take a kindlj- 

 interest in advising me, I have never changed my mind but that I was 

 right in providing good buildings to properly care for everything raised 

 on the farm, both as to stock and feed of all kinds. My theory being 

 that feed properly kept is more valuable. Stock properlj- housed will 

 require much less feed to winter through, and .mII the regrets that I have 

 in the matter is that I have not more and better improvements. If I never 

 get my money out I will always know just where it is, and coupled with 

 this the fact that you can feel assured that your stock is not suffering for 

 want of proper care. At this time there is not an animal on the farm 

 but what has good comfortable quarters, neither is there any part of last 

 year's crop, not even to a shock of fodder, outside. 



We now come to the matter of ditching. When 1 bought the f.-ii-iu 

 I was informed that it was thoroughly ditched, and while the party did 

 not intend to misrepresent the matter, he w.is simply mistaken, as I have 

 I»laced at least 300 rods of tile, and an] net <lone yet. as I believe it is 

 money well spent. There is very little ground but what is benelited by 

 tiling, and especially take a place where Avater stands only in wet Aveather 

 and that same place as .n rule needs tile in a dry season. I am very much 

 in favor of a tile instead of an open ditch where it is possible to use tile, as 

 the amount of ground required t(» maintain ai\ open ditch and ihe satis- 

 faction of having your 15elds squared up certainly more than pays th" 

 cost of tiling. Vou start out .ilmost any direction from Rochester and 

 you will find here and there <>ii .ilmost every farm more or less low land 

 that might be reclaimed with a small outlay of money, and in many cases 

 the owners are amply able to do it without cramping themselves in the 

 least, and about the only reason one can a«;sign for not doing it is that 

 they can not hejir tlm ide.i of burying their money wlioro tli<^y were un- 



