■■^^^5n 







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IT COULD HAVE BEEN A GULLY 

 Cosgrove never plowed the waterway that runs 

 across his field. It is 40 feet wide, thickly covered 

 with rank orchard gross, permits run-oH water to 

 escape without eroding. 



TURKEYS, A DDTICULT CHOP TO RAISE 

 Much oi Gilbert Malach's yearly income comes irom 

 500 turkeys. Foul Cholera took the flock in 1935, wire 

 Qoorg ond clean range now prevent it. Day-old poults 

 cost 40c and 80% raised is a high arerogc. 



Cosgrove began to farm it. He saw the 

 possibility of gullying and left the chan- 

 nel in blue grass. 



In a few years Cosgrove observed that 

 his grass waterway was not wide enough. 

 Washing continued along the sides dur- 

 ing heavy rains. He left a wider strip 

 whenever he found it necessary. Now 

 the strip, averaging 391/2 f^^t '" width, 

 totaling about four acres, has been rein- 

 forced with a seeding of orchard grass. 



"We aren't worrying about the lost 

 income from this strip. Its saving soil 

 for this boy and the likes of him," John 

 pointed out indicating a youthful member 

 of the party. "Any way, we're getting 

 more corn from our fields than ever 

 before. Limestone, sweet clover and 

 Hybrid seed are responsible for the 

 increase." 



A. C. Hensel, Bureau county, has been 

 even more successful than Cosgrove in 

 building soil fertility. He, too, is more 

 interested in having a good living in the 

 country than in accumulating wealth. It 

 is interesting to note that both men, 

 striving for a higher standard of living, 

 have increased the fertility of their land 

 and thus have increased its value. 



Mr. and Mrs. Hensel live in a neat, 

 well landscaped bungalow, have the ad- 

 vantages of electric power and live more 

 comfortably on the income of their 160 

 than most city folks with similar invest- 

 ments do. There are no children. 



Hensel's farm shows more than the 

 other two farms visited on the tour the 

 benefits of barnyard manure. The 

 Hensel's income is derived largely from 

 purebred Hampshire hogs and Shorthorn 

 cattle. Many of the 4-H Club calves 

 fed in Bureau, Lee and surrounding 

 counties this summer came from the 

 Hensel herd. These calves made enviable 

 records in all the 4-H Club shows this 

 fall. 



Hensel surprised the group when he 

 told them that he works his 160 acres 

 with horses and does not hire help. He 



12 



stated that his yearly cash outlay for labor 

 is less than $25. He trades labor, how- 

 ever, with neighbors. 



Prof. Mosher pointed out that Hensel's 

 cropping system which includes 29 per 

 cent corn, 22 per cent small grain, and 

 16 per cent alfalfa levels off labor peaks 

 and makes it possible for Hensel to do 

 his own work. He showed, too, that 

 Hensel is getting the same amount of 

 corn per acre that other farmers harvest 

 from two acres. 



Hensel's crop land has all been limed 

 heavily and grows legumes easily. Practi- 

 cal application of farming methods that 

 were tested 20 years ago is paying Mr. 



THIS association must avoid poli- 

 tics and political entanglements 

 as it would avoid the devil if he 

 were actually abroad in the land 

 seeking whom he might devour, the 

 example oi the Nonpartisan League 

 to the contrary notwithstanding. We 

 hove difficulties, even grievances, to 

 be sure, but they must be adjusted 

 by the ordinary processes of busi- 

 ness or by the orderly procedures 

 of government We d6 not need 

 ond we must not aspire to get pos- 

 session of the machinery of govern- 

 ment in order to obtoin our rights 

 ond privileges. In that way too, 

 lies oblivion, for society will com- 

 bine ogoinst amy doss that under- 

 takes either to force its demands 

 irrespective of others' rights, or to 

 get possession of the government. 

 The recent experience of Labor both 

 in Englond and in the United States 

 has demonstrated this fact in free 

 government. It has even given rise 

 to a paraphrase on Lincoln's famous 

 words to the effect that no single 

 doss is good enough or wise 

 enough to govern society without 

 that society's consent. Public opin- 

 ion is set upon this point, ond pub- 

 lic opinion is the one thing in the 

 world that is stronger even than 

 government. It is public opinion 

 that has just taught its lesson to the 

 Lobor party in England and to strik- 

 ing labor in this country. — Eugene 

 Davenport Before Sth LAA Annual 

 Convention, Jan. 14, 1920. 



and Mrs. Hensel enormous dividends in 

 better living, Mosher said. 



The first farm visited on the tour is 

 operated by Gilbert Malach and owned 

 by his father. His chief sources of in- 

 come are a Holstein herd and turkeys. 



Until recently, Malach has been send- 

 ing his milk to the Chicago market. 

 When one of his neighbors sold his herd 

 there was not enough milk in the vicin- 

 ity to pay the hauler to travel 50 miles 

 for it. He is now selling his milk to 

 a local cheese factory at a reduced price. 



Malach buys 500 day old poults each 

 spring. They are raised on wire until 

 they have feathered sufficiently to sur- 

 vive heavy rains. Then they are put 

 on clean range. With average success, 

 Malach raises 80 per cent of the birds. 



In the fall and winter he dresses and 

 sells the fowls to butchers thus avoiding 

 loss through fluctuations of city produce 

 markets. Four persons can pick, pin and 

 dress about 40 birds a day, Malach says. 



He buys Narragansett poults because 

 that breed matures early, fattens at 10 

 to 15 p>ounds and are hardier than some 

 of the other breeds. The biggest advan- 

 tage of the breed is early maturity and 

 small size thereby producing fowls that 

 bring premium prices. 



The Malach turkeys are fed "cafeteria 

 style." They have access to hoppers of 

 24 p)er cent protein mash, com and oats 

 at all times. In this way they balance 

 their own ration. 



While the com yields on the 240 acre 

 Malach farm are better than average, 

 Gilbert is constantly striving to increase 

 them. He knows that the first step to a 

 greater income is to secure high crop 

 yields. 



Says Mrs. J. V. Stevenson, president 

 of the Illinois Home Bureau Federa- 

 tion, "It is possible that rural electri- 

 fication may cause people to flock from 

 the city to the country through provid- 

 ing modern conveniences in small 

 towns and on farms." 



r L A. A. RECORD 



AFLYI 

 Andrew Nofiige 

 son. Eldon Deo 

 Mr. and Mrs. Eld 

 ancles, John, A 

 Tenewell Count 

 bers. Uncle Ro^ 

 of both Form Bit 

 pony. 



"LEI 



Ebb Harris, 



committeeman 



choirmon Toln 



members. 



■l:;.;-:^: ;.; ..1 



where thtf~2| 

 V oiy 26, 27 

 reserved. '" 

 hotels." MT 



