Does the Small Farm Pay
A Massachusetts man buys a fifty acre, two century old farm and plans to profit through dairy Shorthorns, calf raising, and corn. He notes milk at two cents a quart and high feed costs, urging growing legume crops and corn, using a manure spreader and lime to enrich soil, while stressing careful cattle selection and area expansion for sustained fertility and milk production.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Joseph E. Wing
Massachusetts
Boston
America
New England
Self Opening Sliding Door Mechanism Brief
A self opening sliding door is hung on a perfectly horizontal track bar with a cord or small rope attached near the top. The rope runs over a pulley at the end of the track and is fastened to a bucket or paint key for sufficient balance.
Door Openers Run Cord Across Barn for Easy Access
A design note from American Farm World describes placing weight to draw the door open when the catch is raised. The cord should run the full length of the barn so the door can be opened from any driveway point or even reach a post in the barnyard for access while in a wagon or on horseback.
Practical Farm Notes on Crops and Pasture Management
Practical farming advice favors sticking to known crops and using barnyard manure rather than expensive experiments. The note shares past experiences: reseeding sod pasture with clover and timothy boosts recovery, mentions orchard grass as a productive hay crop, and cautions about the cost of soybeans and cowpeas.
Working Notes On Dairy Feeding And Milk Quality
The author argues dairy profitability hinges on feeding efficiency and cow health. Past pasteurization claims are questioned while Jersey versus Holstein roles are analyzed. Practical feeding, milk quality factors, and odor absorption research are discussed by J M Kelly and J B Lathimer.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kelly
Jersey
J. B. Lathimer
Pennsylvania
Russell
J. M. Kelly
How to Kill Gophers in the Garden
A reader recalls a gopher plague that sank ground and damaged plants. After failed traps and poisoned bait, the writer used lobelia smeared with cyanide honey in holes, noting the gophers were killed and the garden remained free of them. The account attributes success to the lobelia honey method.
Value of straw as soil fertilizer for crops
A farmer’s guide argues straw from wheat oats and rye has substantial fertilizer value per ton though less immediately available than commercial fertilizer. It adds humus to soil and should be applied rather than discarded, with estimates showing nitrogen potash and phosphorus content and eventual crop uptake.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Warrington
Gadwalen
A. J.geeg
Albion, W. Va
Corn Crop Breaks Record by L M D H Michigan
A Lenawee county farmer in southern Michigan shares a successful small farm method for corn. From fourteen acres he produced 600 bushels of ear corn, 140 tons of silage, and 20 tons of shredded fodder, detailing early spring plowing and winter barnyard manure fertilization.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Michigan
Lenawee County
Gate building and seed selection notes
The instructions describe a gate with a 4x6 inch timber, a 2 foot latch, and a 3x6 inch notch, with posts set to gate height and heavier latch end for stability. Also advises selecting disease resistant seed to reduce plant disease transmission.
WE ROB OUR OWN FARMS
We are a nation of soil robbers continually depleting fertility by removing nutrients via dairy sales without returning value. The text argues soil quality declines on dairy farms despite manure stocks, stressing that milk profits cannot sustain fertility if inputs back to land are lacking. It highlights the unsustainable cycle of exporting produced feed as milk.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Elsie Schick
Michigan
Corn Growing and Harvesting Practices for Cuban Giant Seed
The text details annual corn cultivation from plowing to harvest. It covers planting in drills, row spacing, weeders and cultivators, and varying cultivation frequency by weather. It notes Cuban Giant as the main crop for seven years, valued for fodder and multiple ears per stalk, plus Leaming and Whitecap Yellow Dent for different soils. It reports 578 bushels from six acres and 20 tons of shredded fodder, all fed on site. It mentions seed selection and occasional buying from seedsmen to ensure quality.
Mulch Benefits for Small Fruit Vines by A G Finn
West Virginia raspberry grower A G Finn outlines mulch advantages: weed suppression soil moisture retention humus addition cleaner fruit during picking and reduced labor. Mulching with forest leaves or straw costs under 315 per acre and helps prevent deep freezing and soil baking, improving cultivation and shipping.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
A. G. Finn
West Virginia
Small versus Large Flocks and Poultry Management
The piece argues amateurs overestimate profits from big poultry ventures. It notes fifty hens allow attentive care, varied feeding, and quick problem detection, while five hundred require hurried routines, more labor, and less owner oversight. The moral urges starting small, growing gradually, and keeping personal management central to profitability.
Lamp Chimney Safety Wire Prevents Spills
A copper wire device shown in a cut prevents lamp chimney displacement during carrying. Wire is easily applied to any lamp and can be sprung to release the chimney when needed. It does not interfere with the chimney and uses flexible copper wire for best results.
Eggs Cause Feud Sparks Violent Factional Fight
In a northwestern Missouri town a feud has begun over more than a dozen eggs. The dispute promises violence including a killing. Already there have been about twelve separate fights on the issue. Last winter eggs were valued at 24 cents per dozen.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Missouri
The Best Method of Farming for Restoring Soil Fertility
A detailed discussion for dairying as a profitable farming pursuit emphasizes preserving soil fertility. It notes four acres per cow, rent as a cost, manure value, and the need for balanced nutrients beyond milk output. It compares grain feeding to manure value and stresses using fertilizers to offset nutrients removed by milk.
The Value of Household Purchases and Neighbors
A farmer cites a crokinol board as a wise purchase for family use and contentment at home. The piece argues farm life offers luxuries through sugar, highlights the importance of morals among youth, and warns that good neighbors matter when buying land.
Home Grown Feeders Best for Profitable Cattle Raising
The article argues that local, uniform feeders outperform distant sources. It warns that acclimation and domestication affect starter success and cautions against selling cattle too early. It advises raising high quality feeding animals, feeding them well with alfalfa, clover, corn stover and grain, and selling when prices are favorable.
Fence Rail Philosophy
This short column blends moral maxims with rural life observations. It urges fair dealings, neighborly deeds, prudent spending, and thoughtful choices in marriage and domestic life, reflecting farm community values and practical wisdom.
The Hired Man's Side on Farm Efficiency and Morals
A compact reflection on rural life praising farm work ethics and family roles. It extols the farmer’s leadership, careful animal breeding, road clubs, and practical chores, noting the benefits of teamwork, timing, and self-reliance in the farm setting.
Following Peas With Celery By EB 3B Rushing
Two high paying crops peas and celery can share ground in one season. Winter cover manure aids early soil work, peas planted in two-foot drills yield two harvests, vines cut for hay. Celery varieties Winter Queen and Pink Plume grown between rows, with careful furrow depth and soil mounding through stages to market.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Alaska
Maule
Valuable Ice House for Storeroom Use
A storehouse four to six feet square fits in an icehouse or any convenient size. Include a ventilator at the top and sash top doors. The interior shows the storeroom with sawdust filled walls, the ice outline indicated, and sawdust pile storage for vegetables or fruits.
Work In The Poultry Yard Brooder And Incubator Tips
Advice emphasizes brooder importance over incubator for chick growth and flock health. Notes include buying well-bred poultry, replacing roosters, rotating duck runs to grow rye and disinfect soil, and managing brooder temperatures from 90 toward 75 degrees by four weeks.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Practical Farm Notes
Re Owe
West
Kansas
BY the
Way
Fence Rail Philosophy
Illinois
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