Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 283, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 December 1918 — THE NEIGHBORHOOD CORNER [ARTICLE]

THE NEIGHBORHOOD CORNER

A DEPARTMENT OF FARM WEL- -• FARE CONDUCTED BY CO. AGENT LEAMING. Manure Give* Good An extreme case of the value of manure came to light last week in checking up the results of the demonstrations carried on by members of the Better Farming Association. Last spring a farmer selected a field of bogus type and applied six loads of manure to one acre of it and gave the rest of the field no attention. The entire field was then planted to corn. Not a great deal of difference could be noticed until August, when the manured corn began to form good ears and the unmanured began to fall over. When visited last week the former stood of average height and husked out 43 bushels per acre while the corn on the untreated land had fallen over and dried up so that it was not nyorth husking. On this field each load of manure produced 7 bushels of corn worth at least $7.00 and as only about onehalf of the manure is used up the first year, its value may be said to be worth in the neighborhood of $14.00 per load on this land. While this is an unusual example it serves well to explain why so many progressive farmers are going into the livestock business at the present time. With plenty of manure, lime and clover most of the land of the land can 'be made to produce splendid returns upo nthe capital and labor invested in their operation, but without these essentials the returns are discouragingly small. The farmer who keeps his farm stocked to the limit is the one that is going to make the money on this type of soil. Clover Give* Three-Fold Returns. “I figure three different returns from my clover crop this year,” says Henry Paulus, Jasper county’s corn specialist. “Last summer I cut over 2% tons of hay per acre, for which* lam now receiving S2O per ton. I just finished hulling a crop which yielded over 2 bushels per "acre and which is worth $23 per bushel. This makes a gross return of over $96 pe racre and I expect to have another dividend next season when I plow this sod up and put it in Corn. I am sure that I can depend on this land to yield 10 bushels per acre more than if the clover had not been grown.” Charles Battleday, well known farmer of Newton township, makes a practice of seeding down all of his small grain to clover each spring. “High priced seed doesn’t scare me out,” says Mr. Battleday. “ I sow only a bushel to 15 acres and if it catches it is thick enough and if it don’t, its enough seed to lose.” With drainage, livestock and clover he is rapidly bringing his holdings up to the top in crop production. Farmer*’ Club*. ' The regular meeting of the South Marion Farmers’ dub will be held at the Consolidated school on Thursday evening, December 12th. As this is the first meeting after the vacation, an unusually good program has been arranged. In addition to several important local numbers, Mr. R. S. Thomas, of Purdue, will talk on “Soil Problems.” Indiana Cattle Feeder* to Meet. The annual fall meeting of the Indiana Cattle Feeders’ Association will be held in Lafayette on December 14th, at which time the experimental lots of cattle will be started on their winter’s feed. This county has usually been well represented in this organization, and a number will doubtless attend this year. School Lunches. A study of rural conditions shows that the physical condition of country children is below city children. Queer, is it not, that people who live in the country do not always realize the importance of this abundant heritage of fresh air and wholesome food? School authorities have found that the school luncheon is a valuable part of school training and a protection to good health. Rural school teachers who have supplemented the cold lunch carried from home with some hot soup, cocoa or some warm food prepared at school testify that pupils are healthier and better progress in their school. Some of the schools in Jasper county are serving some kind of a hot dish at noon. DeMotte, Gifford, Newland, South Meadow in Newton, Union in Jordan, are schools that have solved the school lunch problem in different methods. It is hoped that many more of the schools can also take up the work, Plan* for Food Show Complete. Plans for the County Fbod Show and Demonstration, which is to be held in the Jay Williams building Friday and Saturday, December 6th and 7th, have been completed. According to the announcement of the committee in charge, this will consist of a combination exhibit of the Boys’ and Girls’ Poultry and Canning Clubs and of the county donation for the hospital collected by the Home Economics Club of Rensselaer. Miss Marion Beal, of Purdue, will demonstrate on meatless dishes.