People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 January 1897 — FARMER’S INSTITUTE. [ARTICLE]

FARMER’S INSTITUTE.

The" 7th annual session of the Jasper county farmer’s institute met at the opera house in Rensselaer, Monday morning, Jan. 18, 1897. President Strong, in calling the meeting to order, gave a brief report of the institute work done in the county since the last annual meeting. ‘‘Swine Plague and Their Cure,” by A. O. Lockridge of Greencastle, Was the first subject brought before the institute. Mr. Lockridge offered no positive cure, said so far science had found no remedy to cure the sick, but mnch could be done to prevent the spread of disease. He would keep his hogs in clean quarters, give them pure water, keep them thrifty and growing—stout vigorous bodies in man and beast repel the attacks of disease, while weak stunted bodies invite them. He thought the state should not allow diseased hogs to be moved from their owners premises. Several questions were asked and many suggestions were made by members of the institute on this subject, and the opinion seemed to be that farmers should give more care to the breeding and handling of their hogs. “Farm Fertilizers and how to save and use them,” was an interesting subject presented by T. B. Terry of Hudson, Ohio. Mr. Terry said, one half our stock fertilizers are lost because we fail to properly save and apply them. Where sheds are not made for manure he would have it hauled on to the fields as soon as possible; he preferred to spread it upon meadows. Mr. Terry feeds all his stock on cement floors and allows no manure to leach and wash away. “Handling beef cattle at a profit,” by A. 0. Lockridge, prowed to be the most interesting subject of the day. Mr. Lockridge said that to handle beef cattle at a profit in 1897 was quite an undertaking. He would be very cautious in selecting his stock - wanted smooth, blocky, well bred steers. To make any money in the business in these days, the very closest economy must be practiced. He would have his feeders run at will, but protected from storms by sheds and wind breaks. He rather preferred ground feed; when not on full feed, he found corn fodder and clover hay very good tor his stock. Mr. Wm. Moore, who is one of our oldest and most successful feeders, followed Mr. Lockridge with an extended talk, giving his personal experience and observation, which was quite interesting to all.

“Economics of Wife and Daughter,” was presented by Madams Brady, Moore, Thomp son and Healy. Each of these ladies read a short paper on this subject. These papers were well prepared and well received by the institute; they carried the meeting away from the barnyard, the pig pen and the cornfield to the family circle, to every day home life. It is well enough to talk hogs and cattle, corn and “taters” but it is the hand of the wife and daughter that finally .fits them all for their ultimate use.

Mr. Terry gave a short talk on “Growing crops in a dry year.” Make the land so it will hold water in suspension by getting vegetable matter in the soil. Break the ground deep but cultivate shallow. Do not disturb and break the roots of plants—moisture evaporates when the surface becomes hard, therefore keep surface loose. Mr. Terry said he could grow a good crop of potatoes without a drop of rain during the whole season. Get something on to the land, get something into the land, plow under rye, clover, etc, anything to get vegetable mat. ter into the earth for vegetables are nature’s means of holding moisture in the soil. The second days session was opened by A. 0. Lockridge, on “Continuous Growth the Law of Success.” Mr. Lockridge illustrated this lecture by means of charts. He said, stunted growth in animals and plants could

never be overcome. To keep our plants growing, the ground should be prepared in such a way as will enable them to get all benefit there is in capillary attraction. Farmers should not be in to great a haste to plant, but take time to prepare the ground thoroughly. Once the grain is planted, it should never be crowded by weeds, nor robbed of moisture by the hardening of the surface of the ground. Animals should be kept growing if we wish to handle them for profit; we cannot starve or freeze money into stock.

“Home Esthetics,” wasp subject presented by Madams Carrie Porter, C. W. Coen and C. C. English. These ladies gave short papers on this subject, in which they spoke of home adornments, home attractions, and home pleasures. The subject of “Small Fruit,” by M. Terry was the next subject presented. He said small fruits were healthful and easily raised, and every farmer should have them. Plant blackberries and raspberries in rows 8 feet apart and mulch between with to keep down weeds and hold moisture, and but little, if any, tending is needed. In the spring, break out the dead stalks and pinch off the tops to make them bushy, (never pinch back the red raspberry.) z Set out strawberries in the spring and have three beds at a time, one always going out and one always coming in. Mulch just before winter. In the spring take off half the mulch. It takes but little trouble to grow strawberries, if worked at the proper time and in the proper manner. M. Y. Slaughter followed on this subject and showed to the institute that he thoroughly understands the planting and raising of small fruit. The afternoon session was opened on “Grasses and Handling Same,” by Mr. Lockridge. This gentleman thinks blue grass pastures should not be plowed up, if it can be avoided. He spoke for his own county, Putnam. He spoke well of orchard grass, thought it could be profitably used in many places. Timothy was not a very good grass for pasture, but made splendid hay. He would pasture his meadows but little, if any. Mr. C. W. Coen followed on the subject. Mr. Coen is a hay man, and thinks hay for market should be cut green. He thinks farmers loose too much by stacking in the meadows, fully onefourth of the hay of this county, he says, was lost last year by being damaged in the stack, “Points in Tillage” by Mr. Terry was a very interesting subject. He would grow much

clover, break deep, thoroughly pulverize the ground before planting, allow no weeds at all to grow, and give level shallow cultivation to all plants. “Educational Results in Town and County,” was discussed by Mrs. Robert Randle, Mrs. Geo. Murray, and Mrs. W. H. Sanders. Education was discussed by them in its broadest and fullest meaning—moral intellectual and physical. They would not have the mind a mear passive instrument, something simply to be filled, but would have it active, growing, reaching out and gathering so.mething unto itself. They all thought education gave the best peturns, yielded its fulest fruits in the minds of country children. They all agreed that the country child, while, perhaps not so quick, and witty as the town child was more industrious, attentive, and determined therefore in the end always the fullest and ripest scholar. They showed that ninty per cent of the great men of our country came from the farms. These papers were short, interesting and directly to the point, as were all the papers presented by the ladies at this institute. This is the first time the wives and daughters have assissted in these annual meetings, and we hope that they will continue in the good work they have begun. The meeting was closed with a declamation by Miss Maggie Kenton that sent everybody away in good spirits, feeling that farmers institutes were pleasant and profitable meetings to attend.