Vol. LXVII No. 3039. 
NEW YORK, APRIL 25, J90S. 
WEEKLY. $1.00 PER YEAR. 
CROWDING THE SMALL FARM 
One Acre for a Cow. 
Part II. • 
M'y farm is divided up about as 
follows: Total number of acres, 56; 
occupied by house, grounds, barns, 
yards, henhouse, vegetable garden, 
etc., 8; maple grove and cedar swamp, 
6; orchard, 8; Alfalfa, 10; beets, 2; 
corn, 10; potatoes, 2; land for soiling 
crops, 6; oats or new seeding, 4. 
There must always be a Fall crop 
put in, consisting of rye or Winter 
wheat, of about one acre, which will 
come up early and be ready to feed 
green, by June 1. I keep an old 
mowing machine standing in the lot, 
always ready to cut two or three 
swaths around the piece every morn¬ 
ing, which is immediately raked up 
and thrown upon the wagon and 
drawn to the barn; the stock arc fed 
from that load that day, and this is 
repeated every day as long as the 
rye lasts, and after that the same 
process is applied to the other soil¬ 
ing crops as they become old enough 
to feed. Just as early in the Spring 
as we can get on to the land, we 
sow one acre to three bushels of oats 
and peas mixed in equal parts; if this 
can be done in April so much the bet¬ 
ter, but it is frequently May before 
we are able properly to till the land. 
About three weeks after the first 
acre of oats and peas is sown we put 
in a second acre in exactly the same 
way, and in about two weeks later 
put in a third acre. About May 20 
put in an acre of very early corn 
for fodder, and also an acre of field 
corn. 
Just as soon as the rye is cut and 
fed from the first acre (which will 
probably be about June 20), we plow 
and sow to German millet, and begin 
to feed the first acre of oats and 
peas; when the first acre of oats and 
peas is fed, plow and sow the land 
to cow peas; when the second acre 
of oats and peas is fed, plow and 
sow the land to Soy beans; when 
the third acre of oats and peas is fed, 
plow and sow the land with a cover 
crop of Crimson clover. After the 
early corn is fed we plow and sow 
a crop of rye for next year’s early 
feeding. If any portion of these 
crops begins to ripen before they are 
fed we discontinue feeding from that 
portion and let it ripen, and it may be 
harvested in the usual way; the grain 
will be found useful for poultry, etc. 
I find that this process of cultivation 
Rives an abundance of milk-producing 
food, sufficient to maintain 40 to 50 
head of stock from June 1 to Octo¬ 
ber 1; and they will be better fed, 
in better condition and produce more 
milk than would be possible on 100 
acres of the ordinary pasture land. 
! droughts do not parch and dry up 
tbeir feed, grasshoppers cannot rob 
diem, and they repay me for much 
°f the extra labor in the most valu- 
CORN TWO WEEKS AFTER PLANTING (JUNE 19). Fig. 154. 
READY FOR THE SILO 17 ^ FEET LONG. Fig. 155. 
HARVESTING CORN— 99 DAYS FROM PLANTING. Fig. 157. 
ble of farm products—manure. In 
short, I believe that six acres prop¬ 
erly cultivated for soiling purposes 
are equal, if not superior, to 100 acres 
of ordinary pasture land. So much 
for soiling and Summer feeding. 
For Winter feed I use 10 acres of 
Alfalfa, from which I cut about 50 
tons during the season, and a addi¬ 
tional .amount of perhaps 25 tons is 
secured from the orchard, as the trees 
arc yet too small to require it all 
for mulching. For silage I plant 10 
acres of Learning corn; I plant with 
a two-row planter, three feet be¬ 
tween rows and 20 inches between 
hills, and about three kernels to the 
hill. Corn is planted, if possible, 
about May 20, and I generally use 
about 100 pounds of commercial fer¬ 
tilizer per acre, dropped in the hill 
with the planter. The land does not 
really need the fertilizer, but the corn 
seems to start earlier and stronger, 
if treated in this way. When the 
corn is up about three inches high 
the whole field is harrowed with a 
very light smoothing harrow, or a 
weeder, and this may be repeated a 
week later to advantage. The next 
week cultivate deep and close to the 
plants, but after that cultivate light 
and at each succeeding cultivation 
keep farther away from the plants. 
After the last cultivation, sow cow 
peas or Crimson clover in the center 
between the rows, and go through it 
again with a light, straight-tooth cul¬ 
tivator, and this crop will furnish 
a splendid Fall crop for pasturage 
if we get short of soiling feed; at 
all events, it makes a splendid green 
crop to plow under, and the corn 
land generally needs it. 
This 10 acres of corn should grow 
to an average height of 12 feet, and 
much of it to 14 feet, and every stalk 
should have an ear as large, and 
nearly as long, as a man’s arm. It 
should be allowed to ripen so that 
the kernels are practically hard, and 
then all cut up and carefully put 
into the silo. We. should have from 
150 to 200 tons of the richest silage, 
and from October 1 to June 1 it will 
furnish a stock ration requiring no 
other grain whatever. I never have 
been able to devise any other feed, 
at whatever cost, which would take 
the place of good, sweet, rich silage. 
My experience leads me to believe 
that silage, made from stalks without 
ears, whether by reason of not hav¬ 
ing developed or having been husked, 
is of very little or no value as feed 
for dairy cows; especially is this true 
if the crop is husked and the stalks 
allowed to dry out in the field. On 
the other hand, I believe that every 
effort should be put forth to secure 
a large growth of ears, if we expect 
to produce first-class feed for stock. 
It has always seemed to me that the 
most wasteful and short-sighted 
method in the world of feeding stock, 
is the way farmers usually handle 
