VOL. LXVI
INDIANAPOLIS, JULY 8, 1911.
NO. 27
TROUBLES   WITH    Ofl.   IIAY.
By J. H. Haynes.
Idltors Indliuia Farmer:
Intelligence in the making and handling of the hay crop is a thing of much
importance. The scarcity and poor
Quality of hay on the makets, combined
with high prices, make it all the more
Important. Then again the probability of a further decrease in quantity,
due to poor stands of clover, add intensity to the situation. The great
trouble with us is that at hay making
time help is almost impossible to get
and the rush of other farm work seems
to detract interest from the hay crop
and what is done is done hastily and
carelessly.
Improperly cured hay is poor feed,
for any farm animal and when oxeye
daisy and other weeds form a large per
cent of the crop it is dear feed at any
price.
If we could have a clover or grass
that could be cut at a later period than
our red clover and timothy requires, it
would give the farmer more time and
help to care for his hay.
Even with timothy better results
might bo had if one acts properly with
it The greater part of this is not cut
until the seed is ripe or overripe and
dropped.
The hay is then little better than
weeds. The same excuse lack of help
and time is given. One other item
worth noting is that too many farmers
have to begin feeding their hay very
early because . of lack of pasturage.
It this could be remedied so as to
have pasturage through the fall, and
especially in drouthy years, the saving
of hay would be considerable. In the
Southern States the farmers sow other
grasses and clovers, which give them
ample time for cutting, as the season
ranges from August to October. In
several of the Southwestern States they
•ow the ]_espedeza or Japan clover,
both for pasturage and hay.
This is a low growing clover very enriching to the soil and on rivei* bottom
or alluvial soils it makes excellent hay.
On such soils it attains a height of 20
inches or more, and yields from two to
three tons to the acre. It thrives under conditions that no other clover nor
grass will ,and is valuable for pasturage up to the winter months.
If not cut nor pastured too close it
*H1 reseed itself. On poorer soils its
value lies either in pasturing or for
'urning under. The good feature in this
'lover la In the lateness in cutting.
In the South the hay making ranges
'rom August until October.    In Arkan-
as it Is the clover to plow under for fer-
I'llzing.      in   Mississippi   thousands   of
'"es are sown for hay.     The quality
' the hay is flrst class, owing to the
"eness of the  stems  in  growth.      We
ave a patch of this clover for a test
J* to what it   will do for    this section.
.   8 sown the same as red clover using
' Pounds per acre of the seed.     If it
*r"ves as valuable in the north as vetch
doing in other lines It will be a bo-
at,za to our farmers.
w« can not see why the Agricultural
<hPvtment  dId   not  l"11"0"1"06  ll  into
e North for test when they put lt In
•^uthern fields.
ABOUT   SEED   CORN.
Edltora Indiana  Farmer:
"It does make a difference, Thomas;
many years ago I commenced trying to
improve my corn," said Uncle Parker
to a neighbor, who was watching the
seed corn testing. "At flrst I selected
two varieties having qualities I wanted
to flnd in a new variety. I planted
them; one row of the one I wished to
keep the tassel, then a row of No. 2.
Next a row of No. 1, then No. 2 again.
Watching the growth I pulled all the
tassels off No. 2 as fast as they appeared. In the fall I selected six ears,
numbered them and attached a card to
each ear, on which all the details of
growth that were apparent were written.
market If better seed corn can be had.
"The co-operative store has sold a
large amount of seed this season, of
one kind and another, but the farmer
who plants corn, flax, oats, or barley
without testing and knowing he has a
90 per cent seed is more than foolish.
I have none to sell, hut my experience
with weak vitality in seeds makes me
wish everybody could have good seed,
have it planted at the right time, ln
a flne seed bed, then give it proper cultivation, aiming to raise a large crop."
An Old Agriculturist.
FARMING IN THE SIGNS.
Editor* Indiana Farmer:
I wish to reply to your comment on
Farm Home of Ira F. Bryson,  Johnson County.
For 3everal years I selected the best I
could find and give details. My corn
improved to such an extent that In 1872
I sold every ear I could spare for seed
at an advanced price. If I had been
less soft hearted my income would
have been doubled.
"Yes, Thomas, that ear of corn has a
backing. It has been grown right, it
was selected from the stalk at the
right time and from a right kind of
stalk. It has been kept dry and in the
proper temperature ever since. Weigh
that ear in your hand. Of course I am
not farming now. If I was it would
make a great difference with me where
my seed corn came from. A gardener
does not raise fleld corn.
"The idea that one ear of seed corn
Is as good as another if it will grow, is
a great mistake. All seed corn may
sprout, but the way it sprouts ls material. A strong healthy sprout that
has the power to overcome the setbacks
of an unfavorable spring is the proper
seed.
"This best corn was selected early.
You see it tests high. That sackful over
there is some George Evenson selected
as he cut and husked. Not an ear has
tested over 80 per cent, and he has
been charging a high price for it.
"You know stock to be the best must
have been bred in a certain line and for
certain purposes. It is the same with
my seed. Certain details must have
been complied with for years. Each
spring It must demonstrate a strong
germinating power. If I then ask a
fair price for it the buyer is satisfied.
Certainly if he does his part, and gives
it a proper seed bed and necessary care.
A weak seed, be It corn or something
else bas no excuse for  being on  the
my article in the Farmer in regard to
deadening timber in the signs.
First I wish to thank you for your
kind and complimentary words; second
thank you for your comments, until I
come to the word falsity. This I think
unkind because I knew something you
did not know. No doubt you have a store
house full of book knowledge (I have
not) but some time we can learn something from experimenting with nature
that we cannot learn from books. I
said I had learned these things from
practical experience, and lf I did not
know them to be so I certainly would
not have signed my full name to the
article. Some years ago I had a black
walnut tree about 15 inches in diameter that stood near the corner of one
of my fields. It was so near the corner we could hardly get a team between it and the fence; so one day in
the dark of the moon in June I took
my ax and went across the field to
deaden It. I struck lt one hard lick.
Then I looked at the tree and thought
it was a nice tree, and was not much
in the way and I would let it live. The
next spring, to my great surprise, the
tree was as dead as a door nail. I
told one of my neighbors about killing
a tree with one lick with an ax and he
said yes, there was one day in the year
you could do that. One of my neighbors was twitting me about your comment, and I told him the circumstances
and he said: "Yes, there was one day
you could do that." These are the circumstances and you will see that I
learned this by accident, and so you
see I am not able to say what day In
June it was; neither do I know where
the sign was.
I am going to experiment along this
line this spring, and you shall have the
benefit of my experience. I can no
more tell why the sign has this effect
than I could tell you why it is that lf
you turn a lamb and a calf in the same
lot and eat of the same grass and
drink from the same brook yet on the
back of one will grow wool and on the
back of the other will grow hair.
Mr. Haynes says June and July will
be wet because the planet Mars is in
control.
The U. S. Bureau says all soils contain sufficient plant food for yielding
good crops that is Inexhaustible. You
may go in our south land r.nd flnd
thousands of acres that have not sufficient plant food to grow broom grass.
These are some of the mysteries we
have to contend with. A boy grew up
to manhood in the hill country of Galilee, He said: "The wind bloweth
where It listeth and thou canst hear
the sound thereof but canst not tell
whence it cometh and whither lt
goeth." This might apply to the signs
and planets. I. D. Reed.
—Friend Reed should not take offence at our use of the word falsity; no
offence was intended. We did not ac-
OM.OO Him of falsity, nor intend anything
ur tne kind. we spun, m as— miany
of making a rule out of that one experience. The tree might have died
from some other cause, or if the one
blow would have killed then we contend that it would have done so on
some other day Just as well. Now,
suppose you and others try it this
month.
We are having our late potatoes
planted this month. Our tenant wants
to plant them in the moon, but is willing to try our plan. So we will plant
part in the dark of the moon, June 27,
his time, and part in the light, this
week or next, and see which planting
does best. But this will not be a true
test, for the ground may be in better
condition at one of the plantings than
at the other. The trial should be made
two or three years at least.
SUMMER  OUTING FOR  CHILDREN.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
The united charities appeals to you
in the name of the thousands of city
children who will have no chance to
get away from the dirt and heat, no
chance to see the beauty of the country
nor to learn of the great work of feeding the world which is in progress under your observation. Can you not take
one or more of these children into your
home? It means some sacrifice, a
good deal of effort, but isn't it worth
it?
We ask you to join the railroad companies and us in providing outing for
these children, each one of us contributing of our goods, you the board of
the child for two weeks, the railroads
the free transportation, and the United
Charities the assembling of the children and all incidental care and direction.
The world over the country boy Is its
most valuable asset—will you not help
give these city boys and girls a chance?
If your community has not organized
begin now by writing us that you will
take some children and by urging your
friends and neighbors to do the same.
Address Summer Outing Department,
United Charities, 167 N. La Salle St.,
Chicago, III.