“I sow this to corn in drills about this time (the last of May), so that
it gets well tasseled by the time pastures begin to get rather dry, as
they usually do after the middle of summer, then I begin to feed, and
it helps keep up the flow of milk amazingly. It is a sweet, juicy and
nutritious feed, just the thing for cows. Let me calculate a little. Why
Earnest, if your land could be made to produce like this piece, you can
raise coarse fodder enough for your cow for six months, on thirty square
rods of ground. I like some roots for cows—we like a variety of food, so
do animals. The best roots I know of to raise for stock are sugar beets
or the mangels.”
Very soon after this conversation Joseph had his half acre of land plowed
deep and in narrow furrows, as he had seen recommended in agricultural
papers. The manure that had accumulated from the cow was used for a
top-dressing for one half of the plowed portion. This was well harrowed,
and three-fourths of it lightly furrowed with the plow, two and one half
feet apart. The remaining one-fourth was turned into ridges as close as
the furrows could be turned together. His team work was now done for the
present on this part of his lot especially set apart for his cow. (The
other half of the plowed lot was to be used for his main family garden,
he having spaded up some beds for early vegetables.) He had provided
himself with seed corn from farmer Mason’s, some mangel wurzel seed from
the seed store, and also a bag of two hundred pounds of phosphate, of
a brand recommended by Mr. M. The phosphate was sprinkled in the plow
marks, at the rate of three hundred pounds to the acre, as near as could
be judged, the soil in the bottom of the furrow was lightly stirred
with a four pronged potato hook, the corn was sprinkled in, about eight
kernels to the foot [sixteen to twenty is better—Ed.,] and covered about
two inches deep. One half of the piece designed for corn was planted, and
the other half left to be treated in the same way some two weeks later.
The top was raked off the ridges designed for the mangels. A furrow was
made on each with a hand hoe, and phosphate sprinkled in rather more
liberally than for the corn. This was thoroughly mixed with the soil, the
furrow becoming nearly level with the surface. A line was drawn by which
a light mark was made with the end of the hoe handle, in which the mangel
seeds were sown and covered about one inch deep, the soil being pressed
down lightly with the hoe. After saving enough phosphate for the balance
of the corn, and a little to experiment with on some late potatoes, the
remainder was sown broadcast on the clover. It fell a little short of
covering the whole, and Joseph thought that would make a good opportunity
to test its virtues. His seeds came up well, and, as he had all he could
attend to nights and mornings, he hired a neighbor to do his farm work,
and he determined no weeds should have the benefit of his fertilizers or
soil; and this part of his programme was thoroughly carried out during
the growing season.