1895 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
5o3 
weighed into its proper box and fed directly from it. 
We watch the cow carefully, and regulate the propor¬ 
tion of bran or corn meal as she takes on or loses fat.” 
“ How long do you keep this up ?” 
“ At least three months. By that time, we can tell 
what is most profitable for that cow. With most of 
them, our regular mixture will answer ; but some 
need more or less bran or corn meal. We remember 
them in the regular feeding. The feeder carries in 
bis car of the regular grain mixture, boxes each of 
bran and corn meal, and it is an easy matter after 
giving a large scoopful of the regular mixture, to add 
a little of the needed grain.” 
“ You believe, then, that it pays to study the indi¬ 
vidual characteristics of cows ?” 
“ There is no doubt about it. It is the great secret 
of successful feeding in any herd. Why, take the 
members of any human family, sitting at the same 
table day after day. They all show different tastes, 
and naturally select different combinations of the 
food on the table. Take a man and his wife—the 
former would starve to death in time if forced to eat 
just exactly what his wife does, and no more. Why 
is it not the same with a big herd of cows ? The 
individuals vary greatly in their tastes and habits. 
Here are two Guernseys side by side. This one is 
thin and bony, and you can’t possibly fatten her. You 
might give her all the corn meal she would eat, and 
still her bones would show. The other is naturally 
disposed to lay on flesh, and extra feeding of corn 
meal would ruin her as a dairy animal. Bran is what 
she needs. You can see from this how necessary it is 
to study these cows as individuals, if we are to feed 
them to the best advantage, both as regards economy 
of grain, and quantity of milk. That is why we weigh 
the ration for fresh cows separately, and watch them 
carefully, changing the bran and corn meal until we 
get the ration to suit us. Of course this takes time— 
though not so much as one might think ; but 
in a herd like this, it pays very well.” 
This principle of regulating the grain to 
the individuality of the cow, is sound, and I 
believe dairymen generally might well study 
it. H. w. c. 
THAT SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL 
PROBLEM. 
HOW DEBTOR AND TENANT MAY WORK OUT. 
The problem presented is not confined to 
the cotton belt of the South, but so far as I 
can see and learn, is almost a general com¬ 
plaint from Kentucky to the Gulf. Hero in 
Eastern Tennessee the corn and wheat crop, 
stand good for the summer’s store bill. For 
the “cotton farmer” who owns the land he 
cultivates, it seems to me the answer is easy— 
quit raising cotton at a loss, and raise all he 
eats. There is no excuse whatever for the 
Southern farmer who buys Northern meat, wheat, 
flour, corn, potatoes, etc. He can raise them in 
abundance if he will. He can raise winter oats 
and Crimson clover as well as other grasses and 
common clover; but instead he buys oats, corn, and 
hay. So I say, raise all his own feed stuff, bread, 
potatoes, meat, fruit, vegetables, etc. ; this will leave 
less ground for cotton, and with less cotton, there 
will be eventually a higher price. As to the supplies 
that he must buy, such as groceries, clothing, hard¬ 
ware, etc. ; quit buying “on account,” and buy on a 
cash basis, and save not only 25 to 50 per cent, but 
many times, 100 to 200 per cent on small articles. 
If he is in debt and can’t pay cash, and can’t borrow 
the money at fair rates to do so, let him sell part of 
his acres, and cultivate the rest better, sell enough to 
start even, and still make income meet outlay. He 
can if he will. Merchants will be glad to sell him 
goods for cash at a fair price if they know that he will 
go elsewhere if they don’t. But so long as he must 
buy on credit, they have him by the throat, and will 
hold on. As an example, recently a dealer said to 
me, “How much twine will you need this year?” I 
said, “ At least 100 pounds.” 
“ I want to sell it to you; I want your order to-day.” 
“ At what price ? ” I asked. 
“ Seven cents per pound for sisal, 7 3^ for standard.” 
I replied, “You will have to cut that price if I buy 
from you.” 
“ How much ? ” was the next question. 
“ A good deal,” I replied and started out. 
They began to call, “ Well, being it is you, we will 
let you have it at six cents.” 
“ Which kind ? ” I asked. 
“Standard, if you want it,” was the reply. 
“ I will let you know later,” I said. 
“ We will shade that another quarter,” came the 
answer, and there it rests; 5% instead of 7% cents. 
How much is that saved ? I fully expect to get it at 
53 4. cents, as that was the offer I left. These are not the 
parties from whom I bought last year ; but they want 
trade, and I save 25 per cent; it works all along the 
line. This may be sound advice to follow, for the 
desire for more land is almost a mania with our South¬ 
ern land owners ; but as it looks now, they must come 
to it sooner or later. I did. 
As to the tenant farmer, the same advice as to z-ais- 
ing his own supplies will apply with equal force, and 
if his landlord will not allow him to do this, he would 
better leave him and go to one that will. Another 
thing I notiee about most of our tenant farmers is, as 
soon as they get able to rent a good farm, they want 
to ape the landlord, and keep a saddle horse and go to 
town, “ tend court,” etc., and hire some other fellow 
to do the work. To this class, I would say, stick to 
your business ; the court can run vez-y well without 
you, and you can save the board and wages of a hand, 
lots of waste, and breakage, and get more out of the 
other hands by staying with your work. If you do 
this and can't make ends meet, you are raising the 
wi’ong cz-op, or have mistaken your calling and need 
to try something else. 
The statements above do not apply to all tenant 
farmers, and my observation is that those who stick 
to their work and let the coizrts run theznselves, are, 
as a rule, prospering and saving money every year, 
and will eventually become owners of good farms 
themselves. We have many of the latter class here, 
and they az-e among our best citizens, and their habits 
of thrift stay with them when they become land 
owners. The one cozzrse suggested by M. C. S. is per¬ 
fectly feasible. We finished putting a fine crop of 
Crimson clover hay into the barn May 22. The land 
was planted to coz-n immediately, and as soon as 
ready, the corn will be pizt into the silo, and the land 
sown to wheat, to be followed again by Red clover. 
This is easily pz-acticable, as az-e also the two crops of 
potatoes, and either is on the right z-oad. These az-e 
some of the methods I wozzld suggest for getting out 
of the old way, and these or some others, will have to 
be adopted before the general Soizthern farmer will 
be as prospez’ous as his natural advantages entitle him 
to be. K. L. GIFFIN. 
Loudon County, Tenn. 
DO FARMERS’ CLUBS COLLECT IGNORANCE? 
here’s one, at least, that does not ! 
In The R. N.-Y. of June 29, I noticed this question, 
“ Do Farmers’ Clubs Collect Ignorance ? ” As I have 
been a member of a live “club” for the last three 
years, this was rather a startling inquiry, to say the 
least. The members of this club realize that “ in 
union there is strength,” and “ in council there is 
wisdom,” and that the old slipshod method of farm- 
ing is neither pleasant nor profitable to the farmer or 
any member of his family. 
The purpose of our club was to better our conditions 
mentally, socially and physically, as well as finan¬ 
cially. In looking around, we saw societies, lodges 
and clubs innumerable, but none that had for its sole 
purpose the elevation of agriculture or agriculturists. 
I am sorry to say that the organization of this club 
was not entirely unselfish, but we were anxious to 
meet regularly for the purpose of discussing our busi¬ 
ness with our fellow farmers and neighbors who were 
enthusiastic in the work as well as we, and who were 
anxious to rise above the common level. The club 
consists of 12 families, each selected for some particu¬ 
lar reason, and all because they were thought to be 
congenial spirits. The head of each family is actively 
engaged in farming, some not exclusively. All are after 
the money there is in it, but at the same time, are not 
so foolish as to zneasure their success in life by a 
money standard, and are well enough off in this 
world’s goods to engage in any line of “fancy farm¬ 
ing ” or stock raising that they may desire. 
The purpose in restricting the membership to 12 
families was that as the meetings were to be monthly, 
each wife would be hostess once a year, and the pro¬ 
gramme could be distributed before January, showing 
the exact work for the entire year. The active mem¬ 
bers are husband and wife; the visiting members are all 
the children of active meznbers, and any othez-s the host¬ 
ess of the day may invite. At each meeting, we expect 
to have for dinner at least 30 pez-sons, and any one can 
see that the farmhozzse and dining-z-oozn might be 
cramped by a larger znembez-ship. The host and 
hostess of the day pz-ovide both shelter and food for 
every member of the club, and their carriage hoz’ses 
on clzzb day, as we think it more pleasant than to take 
a lunch 12 times per year. While there has never been 
any rivalry in the getting of the dinner, yet each mem¬ 
ber expects—and has never yet been disappointed—a 
real, good menu, the best, in fact, that the farm and 
season can prodzzee. 
The work of the year is laid ozzt by the prograznme 
committee who, since the fiz-st year, have 12 months 
to arrange in, and suggestions fz-om any znember as to 
futzzre work are always welcome. Each member is 
given the same amount of woz-k as nearly as possible, 
and if it is known that any one is more than ordinarily 
proficient in a certain line, he or she is allotted that 
subject. There az-e znany subjects always coming izp 
in progressive faz-ming, with which none of us is con¬ 
versant ; such az-e given out indiscriminately, the club 
feeling perfectly assuz-ed that the one on dzzty will 
sift the subject thoroughly, getting both the scientific 
and pz-actical sides in so far as they can be obtained 
by conversation, coz-respozzdence or reading. Instead 
of doing as your coz-respondent on this subject sug¬ 
gests—sending our collective opinions to a scientist in 
order that the ez-z-ors or chaff might be blown ozzt and 
nothing bzzt grains of truth be preserved—we first con¬ 
sult the azzthorities, and combine their theory with 
our practice ; if both woz-k well together, the subject 
is then, and not till then, thought fit to come befoz-e 
the club. .Instead of our club being a collector of 
ignoz-ance, it is a “ seaz-ch light,” and dispels the same. 
We go at nothing any znore in a haphazard way, and 
trust very little to luck. 
As to the practical reszzlts, the club has 
most admiz-ably fzzlfilled evez-y purpose for 
which it was oz-ganized. The attendance and 
interest have far exceeded ozzr most sangzzine 
expectations. At no meeting has there been 
less than half the members pz-esent. Two 
members have never missed a zneeting in the 
three years, and others but one. In the very 
busiest seasons, woz-k is so az-ranged as not to 
interfere, and inclement weather has very 
little terror when we know how much good 
cheer awaits us at the club. Socially, we are 
much improved, not only with each other, 
bzzt with all our neighboz-s. Whether we 
meet a member in town or country, at home 
or abroad, the meeting is a pleasant one ; and 
I judge that each one feels that in case trouble 
of any kind ovez-takes him, he would have, 
at least, 11 families to help and sympathize 
with him. 
We have been surprised at our mental capacity— 
don’t think us egotistical—for we, with the majority 
of farmers, had almost tacitly decided that brawn was 
more powerfzzl than brain on the farm, at least, and 
that our minds did not need cultivation. But in this 
club work, our minds have not only been cultivated, 
but cultivated deeply. In fact, the plow of investiga¬ 
tion has brought to light elements of fertility that 
have laid dormant since our school days. Thin spots 
in the field have been specially enriched by The R. 
N.-Y. Rotation of thozzght is of just as much import¬ 
ance as rotation of crops, and while we have learned 
that the land can be cropped heavily, and gz-ow con¬ 
stantly richer, or “rested” until it will produce noth¬ 
ing, we have learned at the same time, that the mind 
constantly employed in a variety of pleasant work, 
grows brighter and our club is a “ catch crop” that 
will gather and hold fertility till needed, equal to 
Crimson clover. mrs. w. w. stevens. 
Cor. Sec. Salem, Indiana, Farmers’ Clzzb. 
A Change to Hogs. —I have a farm of (500 acres— 
300 rather rough hills, 100 of which is cleared and in 
grass, not vez-y good, the rest of the hill in original 
timber. On the 300 acres of bottom land, I follow a 
three-years’ rotation of clover corn and wheat, and 
generally get good crops. I keep cattle enozzgh to eat 
the grass on the hill pasture, and sell my corn, wheat 
and some of my hay. Will it be more profitable to 
keep hogs enough to eat all of my corn, and, perhaps, 
some of my wheat and clover ? I could not keep hogs 
on the bottom unless I fence it, and make each field pig- 
tight. If I keep them on the hills, I shall have to cut 
and haul all of their green feed to them, clover, peas, 
oats, etc. This is the point I am most in doubt about 
—will it pay me to cut and haul the clover, etc., to 
the hogs ? If it will, should they be kept in a small 
field so that the manure can be saved, or should they 
have the run of the woodland V Fences are expensive 
to build and repair. Besides, fences on cultivated land 
are much in the way and are a breeding place for weeds. 
West Virginia. c. 
ST. JOHN’S WORT, HYPERICUM, MOSERIANUM. Fig. 158. 
See page 507. 
