3] O 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
us 90 quarts a day. One is nearly dry, one is fresh in 
January, one next June, one was fresh early in Sep¬ 
tember and the other two the last of September. If 
the price of grain were low'er or the price of milk 
higher we might realize a good sum from our cows; 
as it is we have to be contented with a small margin. 
If the time ever comes when the non-farming class 
can be made to believe that milk really costs the 
farmer something and does not “come down like the 
dew,” there will probably be money in a small dairy 
farm; at present it is a serious question. 
In looking over the poultry house we found there 
were about 50 good hens, and in March we bought 
some prize cockerels and set eggs from our own 
flock. In May we had 200 chickens, and, strange to 
say, there were more pullets than roosters among 
them, so in the Fall we had about 120 pullets. The 
roosters we fattened and sold at 25 cents a pound, net¬ 
ting nearly $60. Each year we have increased our 
flock somewhat, raising pullets and killing off the 
older hens. We now have four poultry houses with 
flocks of from 50 to 60 in each. We never use an in¬ 
cubator, and Persis is a “master hand” at chicken rais¬ 
ing, so we rarely lose any considerable number from 
our young broods. We keep an exact account of 
every cent spent for hen food and every cent received 
for eggs and poultry. With 200 hens we cleared in 
the six months January, 1907, to July, 1907, just 
$326.28. The grain bills for the Summer have been 
heavy on account of the 300 chicks, but we expect the 
Fall sale of poultry and eggs will counterbalance them. 
Even in August and September, while the hens were 
moulting, we cleared a fair sum each month, and we 
have never “run behind.” We keep the poultry houses 
clean and whitewashed, with good nests and a fair¬ 
sized scratching shed for each flock. A supply of 
fresh water is always on hand and ground bone or 
oyster shells. In Winter they have warm water twice 
a day and a warm mash once. A good part of the 
year the fowls have free range of the farm for at 
least a part of the day. 
The strawberry patch yields a good profit in its 
season, and we had some raspberries and blackberries 
this year and will have more next Summer. We sold 
apples last year to the amount of $50 and received 
various small sums for green corn, peas and beans. 
In the Fall of 1906 we sowed a two-acre field of 
Winter rye and began cutting this early in the Spring 
for green feed, using it until the fodder corn was 
ready. After the rye the field was plowed, manured 
heavily and sown with Hungarian, and after the 
Hungarian plowed again, a good fertilizer harrowed 
into the soil and permanent seed sown. This Fall 
we are starting a new piece of Winter rye, as we 
have found it very satisfactory. Every year we have 
tried to turn over from one-fifth to one-sixth of our 
land, so we have now pretty nearly “gone the rounds,” 
and the improvement is quite noticeable. We fenced 
off about an acre and a half of the pasture, plowed 
and sowed to a mixture containing a permanent pas¬ 
ture and some oats, Timothy and clover. The first 
year we cut a fair crop of hay from this section 
and in August, when the pasture elsewhere was grow¬ 
ing poorer, we turned the cows into this field for a 
short time every day. We still keep the place fenced 
from the rest of the pasture as a “reserve,” and the 
grass and clover are in excellent condition. We 
drained another part of the pasture and a third part 
we harrowed, fertilized, scattered grass seed and har¬ 
rowed again. We have cut down some old apple trees 
that were “non-producers” and filled their place with 
others; we have put in covered tile drainage in a 
ditch that divided two good fields, and have made 
other improvements that seemed necessary. We em¬ 
ploy one man all the time, with extra help for haying 
and the extra Spring and Fall work, ditching, etc. 
Perhaps you think we haven’t worked ourselves to 
accomplish all this? Indeed we have! It has meant 
hard, often dirty and unpleasant work, more especially 
for Persis than for me, as she is “on deck” all the 
week, and has almost the entire care of the hens and 
chickens, and she is a good “all around man” capable 
of turning her hand to anything from building a hen¬ 
house to getting in hay. However, we feel repaid for 
what we have done and we can grin at the discom¬ 
fited people who prophesied our defeat and who 
haven’t had a chance yet to say, “I told you so!” 
Would I recommend general farming as an occupa¬ 
tion for women? Not unless they love outdoor work, 
don’t mind dirt and have the wisdom of Solomon and 
the patience of Job, and are of a temperament that 
can “bob up serenely” if their prize calf dies or all 
the chickens have the roup. If they fulfil these con¬ 
ditions they will find lots of fun in farming, plenty of 
good healthy exercise and success in the end. To a 
woman who wants to live in the country and isn’t 
afraid of work I would recommend poultry raising. 
It is not an “easy job,” but it gives better returns for 
a small outlay, if properly managed, and if the loca¬ 
tion is near a city the eggs and poultry will find a 
ready market. In every case I would advise small 
beginnings, two or three good cows are better than 
half a dozen “scrubs,” and 50 good hens, well cared 
for, are better than double the number badly housed 
and cared for, and the numbers can be increased by 
“home raised” stock gradually and at little expense. 
If any of the readers of this “o’er true tale” feel 
THE FEBRUARY LAMB IN VERMONT. Fig. 133. 
called to go and do likewise, here’s health and happi¬ 
ness to you. May you have none of our discourage¬ 
ments and many more successes! m. b. noyes. 
Massaschusetts. 
PLAN FOR A MARYLAND FARM. 
We have two farms of 150 acres each. One is satisfac¬ 
torily rented, the other, the home place, is not. We are 
undecided what to do. There are 150 acres, of which 105 are 
cleared, one-half slate, the other half limestone. All well 
set with a splendid growth of Timothy and clover, except 
32 acres, which were seeded last Autumn. The farm is 
Improved with an 18-room house and a 50x112 foot barn, 
silo, hogpen, corncrib, blacksmith shop, carriage house, 
machinery 6beds, modern poultry houses, and other build¬ 
ings. Also about 400 yeards from the barn an eight-room 
modern tenant house, small barn and other outbuildings. 
The question is, shall we divide the home farm, making 
about 50 acres cleared each and rent separately, or hire a 
salaried educated manager for the land and engage in by¬ 
products, such as onions, vegetables, potatoes, poultry, 
hogs, beeves, draft horses, etc.? In other words work the 
land intensely and scientifically, improving it continuously, 
or rent it out on the shares and permit the attendant de¬ 
preciation which follows such renting? It is impossible to 
get our four per cent at best in our section with good ten¬ 
ants. Of course, we would have to stock the farm and put 
on it all the modern machinery if we employed a salaried 
man. Remember we have slate, a black loam and lime¬ 
stone soil to deal with, some hilly, some level. I live 
about 30 miles from the farm, with excellent rail and tele¬ 
phone communications, but am engaged in the practice of 
medicine. We have a good local market; also the Balti¬ 
more market about 100 miles distant. Nearest raillroad 
two miles; local market six miles; roads piked. What 
must we do? a. o. s. 
Maryland. 
A. O. S. claims it is impossible to get over four per 
cent at best in his section. This looks like a very 
small per cent for a good farm to pay. I would keep 
it as one farm, as he has a good tenant house on it. I 
have two plans in view. As A. O. S. wishes to keep 
up the fertility of the farm, which is very important, 
my first plan would be to stock the farm and put on 
it all necessary machinery, and then get a good, hon¬ 
est business man to take it on shares, or rent as you 
may call it, the landlord to furnish everything except 
labor and board for labor. The tenant, in my judg¬ 
ment, should get one-fourth of everything, even to in¬ 
crease of stock; so that would give him an interest 
April 4, 
in the management of the farm and stock that you 
could not expect from a salaried man. In reference 
to farm crops, I would try mixed farming, such as 
corn, tomatoes, if cannery is not too far off, potatoes, 
wheat and hay a specialty, cow-pea hay, including V/ 2 
bushels of Whippoorwill or New Era, and one-half 
bushel of millet per acre with 300 pounds of some 
good phosphate per acre. There is no better hay on 
the market. He could sow after hay was removed 
field that was intended for corn coming Spring. As 
to stock, I would get several good brood draft mares, 
and raise draft horses for sale, as there is a heavy 
demand for them at high prices. I would keep suf¬ 
ficient dairy stock and beeves, as far as profitable, and 
sheep, poultry and hogs. A. O. S. would have the 
management of the farm to a great extent, and a man 
who was interested in it, too. My second plan would 
be to rent it to a good, reliable farmer and have a 
binding contract that the tenant should comply with. 
This would give A. O. S. less trouble, but it might 
not be quite as satisfactory. j. s. j. 
It is evident that there is some sentiment behind 
this proposition which has considerable weight with 
the owner of this farm. If this is to count for any¬ 
thing, I' would advise A. O. S. to get a good man, a 
good local man, who will do what he directs honestly 
and faithfully to the best of his ability, and if he 
knows anything about the farm, he could probably 
go at least once or twice a week and look over the 
situation, and give general directions for the work 
until his next trip, and grow what crops he finds pay 
him best. I think, to a certain extent, every man has 
to figure this out himself. If the money considera¬ 
tion is the only one that we are to consider, then I 
woud advise him by all means to sell the farm and 
invest his money somewhere else. There are no doubt 
instances where farms are being run profitably with¬ 
out the owner being in constant touch with it, but the 
duties on the farm are so varied, the conditions so 
changeable, that it requires some one in authority who 
is thoroughly interested to be on the spot all the time 
to make the greatest success, and if this cannot be, in 
most cases the best thing would be to sell the farm to 
some one who could. w. f. allen. 
There are five farms I know of owned by business 
men who have bought them for the combined purpose 
of investment and Summer residence. They all have 
tried to make them “pay,” and their experiences may 
be of value to A. O. S. Farm No. 1 is worked on 
shares. The last tenant turned over from $300 to 
$600 a year to the owner. He stayed nine years on 
the farm, and then bought one for himself. Farm 
No. 2 is worked by a manager who told me that he 
did not sell enough from the farm to pay for what 
was bought. Farm No. 3 is worked by a manager. 
The owner goes in for intensive farming; he has 
about 300 acres, and I have seen 600 cattle being win¬ 
tered at one time. He has silos, buys cotton seed by 
the carload, more improved machinery than any three 
farms I know of, and brags about losing $ 10,000 in 
one year. Farm No. 4 was worked by a manager, 
who, with all the farm hands, has just been dis¬ 
charged, and the farm is for rent. Farm No. 5 is 
worked by a manager. This owner goes in for truck¬ 
ing, the farm being particularly adapted to vegetables 
and fruit. The owner told me the first year he ran 
behind $ 1 , 200 , the second only nine, and he hopes 
eventually to come out even. Down here any man 
who can make a farm pay 10 per cent is working 
for himself. If A. O. S. has any money to burn let 
him try to work a farm scientifically and intensely by 
telephone, and it will soon be burnt. The best thing 
he can do it to plant an orchard of York Imperial 
apples and take care of them. p. b. Crosby. 
NOTES ON SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA. 
I have read a good many articles calling attention to 
other sections of the country, telling of their many ad¬ 
vantages, but I have never seen anything regarding south¬ 
western Nebraska, and I am therefore writing you in 
regard to this country. Benkelman. the county seat of 
Dundy County, is a progressive and enterprising little 
city of about 800 people, situated on the main line of the 
Burlington railway, midway between Omaha and Kansas 
City, and Denver, Col., in the midst of a very fine agricul¬ 
tural and stock raising section. Lands of as good quality 
as can be found anywhere can be had for from $5 to $15 
per acre close to town, while a little farther away, good 
homesteads can be taken. Our farmers raise principally 
corn, wheat and Alfalfa, and feed hogs and cattle. We 
have no hog cholera here and our Alfalfa and corn-fed 
hogs top the market. A two-year-old steer can be raised 
for between $7 and $8 that will sell for $35 to $40, which 
leaves a nice profit when done on $5 and $10 land. Schools 
and churches are found all through the country, and it 
is a rare thing to see a farmhouse without its telephone. 
Th6re are great opportunities here for the poor man and 
the man of moderate means to get a good start. 
Benkelman, Neb. f. e. w. 
Whatever you write in ordinary ink will be faded out 
within 75 years. Better write your record in something 
more permanent. 
