Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 August 1919 — The Neighborhood Corner [ARTICLE]

The Neighborhood Corner

Department of Farm Welfare Conducted by County Agent Stewart Learning.

Livestock Condition* Flourishing. “There never was a (brighter prospect for the producer of pure-bred livestock than the outlook that we have at the present time," is a summary of a talk made by Russell Van Hook, secretary of the Jasper County Livestock association, at a meeting of the North Union Farmers’ club held last week. Mr. Van Hook points out the wonderful interest that has been manifested in better livestock in this and other localities during the last three year. He believes that we are at the beginning of an era in which every farmer will have puebred stock of some kind or other on his farm. “The breed doesn’t matter,” says Mr. Van Hook. “Pick out the breed that you like best, learn how to feed and care for it and you can hardly make a failure of it.” The interest in good livestock is at a fever heat. Practically every breeder in the locality reports that the demand far exceeds the supply and that farmers who have never manifested the slightest interest in good stock are taking sires at good prices. Lime Aid* the Corn Crop. An illustration of the effect of lime on the corn crop is to be found on the H. J. Dexter farm in Union township. Several years ago Mr. Dexter applied a carload of lime to the less productive side of one of his fields, which was thought to be acid. Since that time this side of the field has each year produced a better crop of corn or oats than the untreated side. This season the field is in corn. From all appearances the limed side will produce from 25 to 35 per cent more corn than the unlimed side. As the original cost of the application did not exceed five dollars per acre and as the lime will constantly produce this increased yield for years, the cost of improving this land was extremely low in comparison with the benefits. . Lime for agricultural purposes is now more easily secured than ever before. Crop prices are high and will probably continue so for some time to come. The farmer who has sour soil can make but few better investments this fall than a few carloads of lime to be applied to the land this winter. Culling Hen* Reduce* Cost of Egg Production. Experiments and demonstrations in different parts of the state have shown that the proper culling of the farm poultry will enable the owners to detect the non-layers and dispose of (them, thus saving feed and housing costs. It has been shown that the lowproducing hens lay only in the spring and summer and the later a hen lays in the fall, the greater is her yearly egg production. If, during July, August and Seeptember, the non-layers are weeded out, the average egg production of the flock will be materially increased. Iff numerous flocks, one-half of the hens have been culled out at thin time of the year, without lowering the number of eggs produced. A circular has been prepared explainihg in detail just how to detect the non-layers and giving other important information on the subject. Thia circular may be secured by application to this office. Bee Meeting Held Laat Friday. Every bee keeper on his job was the theme of the meeting of the County Bee Keepers’ association, held in the court house last Friday. Prof. E. G. Baldwin laid special emphasis on the value of requeening during the month of August in the proper wintering of bees. “Spring dwindling can often be traced to old queens," said Mr. Baldwin. “A colony may often have from 40,000 to 50,000 bees in the fall, but all of these may die of old age before spring and simply serve to consume stores without benefiting the swarm an any way. 10,000 young bees hatched after the middle of August will be of more value than fohr times as many older ones." T. C. Johnson, state bee inspector, made a plea for the use of movable frame hives as a means to prevent outbreaks of bee diseases. He laid stress on the fact that better bee keeping will do more to increase the production of honey than more bee keepers. The next meeting of the organization will be held during the latter 1 part of September.