Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 104, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 May 1919 — THE NEIGHBORHOOD CORNER [ARTICLE]

THE NEIGHBORHOOD CORNER

A DEPARTMENT OF FARM WELFARE CONDUCTED BY COUNTY AGENT LEAMING. Harvest Time for Pig Club Members. Orville Hague, of Hanging Grove township and member of the County Pig Club posesses the champion litter of pigs of the club, according to reports received thus far. The gilt that he received last July has farrowed 14 belted Hampshire pigs and saved ten of them. The gilt was valued by a prominent breeder at SIOO last fall and the litter is now worth anywhere from S2OO to SSOO. Young Hague is one of 28 boys who were awarded pure bred gilts last summer by an organization representing practically all of the prominent hog breeders of the county. Most of the boys have had unusually good results and will have a fine business established as a result of the club. W. H. Pullin and E. P. Lane, who were the prime movers of the club expect to supply gilts again this season, when the present club is closed up. Plant Ensilage Corn Earlier. Planting the ensilage corn last instead of first, is an expensive mistake very generally made, according to C. P. Hartley in charge of corn investigations. Strong germinating seed of ensilage varieties from further south should be planted two or three weeks earlier the home-grown seed which is planted for the production of grain. When large ensilage varieties from Virginia or Missouri, for example, are planted in Northern states late in May, they make a rapid, long-jointed, tender, succulent growth, and are so green when fall frosts occur that they are heavy to handle, low in feeding value and make ensilage which is sloppy and too sour. But when planted in April dr very early in May, they make a slower, hardier growth, better withstand spring frosts and summer droughts and reach a more advanced condition of maturity and produce more grain than when planted later. Fall frosts, -not spring frosts, are most to be feared. Early maturing, home-grown varieties do not need and may not be benefited by unusually early planting, but large-growing ensilage varieties are benefited. Though somewhat dwarfed by very early planting, the large ensilage varieties will, by nature, ample stalk growth, and because of early \ planting, yield more arid riper grain and make richer and swepter ensilage. Early planting supplies, the age necessary for maturation and reproduction. .

I Ensilage crops are made more profitable when these two points are i observed: * (1) Judge the crop by its feeding , value and not by its height or weight, or the amount of labor necessary to . silo it. i (2) Although earlier planting neci essitates earlier cultivation, it pays. Early cultivation dries and warms the soil surface. If it remains wet it remains cold and the young corn cannot grow. Stirring causes the I surface to dry rapidly, absorb heat, i feel warm to the hand, and the porn to grow; while nearbjr, uncultivated I soil will remain cold and the corn iat the standstill. Beekeeper* to Meet in Fields. A series of demonstrations in the approved methods of transferring bees and in other phases of apairy management will be held in the county, on May 6th., under the auspices of the County Bee Keeping Association. According to the announcement of Frank Foltz, president of the organization. Mr. E. G. Baldwin who has made many friends by_two previous visits will conduct the 'demonstrations, the schedule of which as as follows: 8:00 a. m. Charles Postil apairy, Rensselaer. 9:30 a. m James Britt, farm, Barkley township. 10:00 a.m. Aerhart Wuerthner, farm, Newton township. 11:30 a. m. John Rush, fapn, Newton township. 2:00 p. m. Joseph Borntrager, Marion township. 5:00 p. m. Arthur Bailey, Hanging Grove township. Hanging Grove is scheduled subject to change. The purpose of the tour is to create a greater interest in practical beekeeping methods of apairy management by pointing out the various bee diseases and by demonstrating the solution of such questions as may be brought up. Everyone interested in beekeeping is invited to attend. Offered SI3OO for Yearling Boar. John R. Lewis, of Barkley, refused $l”800 for a yearling Hampshire boar last week, from parties who wished to ship it to South Dakota. Mr. Lewis considers this one of the most promising animals that he ever raised and expects it to head the show herd which he is fitting this season. Mr. Lewis reports that the hog business has never been better and sess a brighter future for the right kind. Cattle Feeding Figures Show Profit. I. F. Meader, of Union township, has submitted the feed records on a bunch of 9 yearling steers which be has just fed out, showing the cost of grain to be $10.85 per cwt. during the last six weeks of the - feeding period. These steers were of common to

fair quality and were fed on a ration of 8 pounds corn, 2 % pounds • oats, 1 pound cottonseed meal daily and all the silage and straw they would clean up. The cattle made an average gain of 2.31 pounds per day. They sold in the neighborhood of 14 cents. Mr. Meader figures three profits on the transaction; a profit on the increase in weight, a rising value per pound, and a profit on the hogs and manure which was not taken into account in the feeding records. Practically all of the livestock feeders of the county have been making good money and the future is bright for the indutry-.