THE GENESEE FARMEE. 



273 



A WHEAT FAEM BECOMING A FARM OF ALL WORK. 



When it became a confirmed fact that the wheat 

 farms in Western New York could no longer be 

 depended upon for that especial crop, many land 

 owners stood appalled, and the first impression at 

 once gained ground that lands must very nmch 

 dejireciate in value. Now, it is as hard for a man 

 to admit that he is growing poor, with the old 

 number of acres on his liands, as it is for a woman 

 to own that she is growing old. 



The effect of this invasion of insect vandals 

 among us was two fold : while it seemed to dis- 

 hearten and even completely discourage some, pride 

 stepped in to the rescue of others, making better 

 farmers of them, and thus leading them not only 

 to retain but to enhance the value of their forms by 

 making them more prf)fitable, and at the same time 

 improving their condition by a salutary rotation 

 of crops. I claim to belong to the latter class, and 

 although my land, in the main, is pre-eminently 

 adapted to wheat, I have entirely changed my plan, 

 coming down from an annual seeding of 50 or (30 

 acres to from 12 to 20 acres of wheat. The basis 

 of my present system is to let no land run to waste, 

 but put something tliat will grow and yield a cer- 

 tain, though sometimes a moderate profit, upon 

 every arable acre. I pretend to no extraordinary 

 cultivation, and it is but to show the success of 

 this variety in produce that I record the last year's 

 result. 



My farm includes about 270 acres, 240 of which 

 are improved, with no extraordinary improvements 

 in buildings, &a At the full value put upon my 

 land when wheat was in its glory, the capital in- 

 vested in f;arm, stock and utensils, is $25,000. I 

 proceed to sum up the wliole amount received on 

 the investment, and will tiien charge the farm with 

 seed, labor, and other outlays, pertaining to pro- 

 duction. Let me premise that I raise my own 

 team, — re-place with young animals the number 

 sold annually as beef, pork, mutton, or cows. I 

 feed all my corn and hay at home, and make my 

 woodland pay its interest. My present purpose 

 does not require me to give a detail of the crops 

 per acre, or the quantity in the aggregate, but in 

 round numbers the cash value of products. 



Commencing the year with July, the following 

 is the result: 



Wheat, $430 00 



Eye, 185 00 



Barley, 825 00 



Oats 450 00 



Early rolatoes, 120 00 



Late do., 225 00 



Pork-, 3T0 00 



Beans, 75 CO 



Clover Seed 55 00 



Buckwlieat, 20 00 



Beef, 135 GO 



2 young Cows, 80 CO 



Wool, 253 00 



Lambs, 195 00 



Dairy, ISO 00 



Wood and Heading, 50 00 



Apples, no crop, ) 



Indian Corn, 5u0 bushels, Vnone sold. 



Hay, 65 tons, ) 



$3,153 00 



It is proper to remark that I had about average 

 luck in hitting the market at the right time for a 

 jA-ice. I have kept my accounts with sufficient ac- 

 curacy to know that $1,100 will cover all expense, 

 including tax, repairing tools, threshing, and labor 



of all kinds pertaining to production. The balance 



will stand : 



Amount of income, $3,15'? 00 



Expense of producing, 1,100 00 



$2,053 00 



I am aware that the above variety of crops must 

 be modified by circumstances, such as access to 

 market, assortment of soil upon the same farm, &c., 

 so that my statement only forms a general indica- 

 tion of what may be done upon a wheat farm. 



To those who may be incited by what I call an 

 accidental escape of the wheat crop this year, to 

 throw in, hap-hazard, upon poorly prepared stub- 

 ble or late plowed fallows, I would suggest that the 

 certainty of fair profit, with a judicious variety, is 

 preferable to poor wheat farming, or perhaps a tan- 

 talising growth of straw and no wheat for the 

 granary. j. b. smith, m. d. 



Ogden, Monroe county, N. Y., August 5, 1S59. 



STORING AND FEEDING TTTKNIPS. 



Editors Genesee Farmer : — There is no small 

 amount of difficulty in storing turnips safely. A 

 little too much heat and they are lost. Four years 

 ago I had 130 bushels in a long pit, sunk 18 inches 

 deep ; the man who covered them was told to put 

 on 10 inches thick of earth, instead of which he 

 put on 18 inches; a ventilating hole was left at the 

 top ; the snow fell deep, and added to the warmth, 

 and the whole decayed. 



My root house is built in a side hill. It is 

 walled up with pine logs; poles are laid across from 

 plate to plate, and it is filled in tightly with straw 

 between them and the boarded roof. The earth is 

 banked up the roof about two feet above the eaves. 

 The front, Avhere the entrance is, is of course out 

 of the ground, and is double; that is, there is a 

 space of five feet between the wall, and a tight 

 board partition within. 



This root house was filled to the roof, and it held 

 800 bushels. Fearing they would heat, the inner 

 door was left open, when a sudden and unexpected 

 fall of the temperature took place on the 25th of 

 November, going as low as 4 deg. below zero. 

 The turnips at the exposed end of the building 

 froze partially, but were quite good for use ; the 

 main bulk kept well and were sweet and fresh in 

 the spring, and some lasted till June. Tlie root 

 house is so constructed that at the end, level with 

 the top of the bank, there is a trap door, into 

 which the turnips are thrown from a tilt cart, so 

 that there is no handling in the unloading. 



The turnips should be trimmed of roots, as well 

 as the tops, as they are more liable to heat if stored 

 with the roots on, on account of the earth which 

 then adheres to them. I lost some bushels, and, had 

 I not discovered the mischief in time, should have 

 lost more one season from this cause. 



My root house was constructed in haste, of ma- 

 terials which were on the spot, otherwise I should 

 prefer one of stone, with a roof of stout poles and 

 earth well turfed. 



Feeding. — On this head I might content myself 

 with saying that all the animals I have live in part 

 upon them, but it may perhaps be useful to go- 

 more into detail. 



1st. My horses for three winters past have had' 

 very little grain until toward spring. Each has- 



