Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 January 1884 — EXCHANGING VIEWS. [ARTICLE]

EXCHANGING VIEWS.

Meetings of Various Associations Connected with Agricultural Interests. Nebraska Horticulturists. The Horticultural Society held a three days' session at Lincoln. There was an interesting display of fruit. The Society was reported to be in a flourishing condition. • J Nebraska Agricultural Society. The Nebraska State Agricultural society held its annual meeting at the State capital. It was decided to hold the State fair at Omaha for one year only. The original proposition of Omaba was for a period of five years. The fair will be held the first week in September. Michigan Poultry Show. The annual exhibition of the Combined State and Central Michigan Poultry association was held at Battle Creek. About 400 entries were made by leading breeders in all parts of the State and a few outside. It is pronounced the largest and finest exhibition yet held in the Staaj. Cane-Growers In Council. The Mississippi Valley Cane-Growers’ association held its fifth annual meeting in St. Louis, the President, Col. Norman J. Cole- i man, in the chair. The attendance was larger I than in any previous years. In his address i the President congratulated the society on the achievements of the last year. The planting of cane was yearly extending, and the value of the sirup produced from the northern cane was fully $10,000,000. Bee-Keepers in Convention. The Northwestern Illinois and Southwestern Wisconsin Bee-Keepers’ association held a two days’ session in Freeport, 111. There was a large attendance ofo members. The election of officers resulted as follows: President, E. Whittlesey; vice president, Boscoe ■ Gammon; secretary, Jonathan Stewart, treasurer, B. Kleckner. The members engaged in the discussions with a great deal of interest. The next meeting of the association will .be held at Rockton, May 20, 1884.

Wisconsin Wool-Growers. The Wisconsin Sheep-Breeders' and WoolGrowers’ association held its annual meeting at Whitewater. The tariff on wool was debated, and the conclusion was that the tariff should be restored. 'Officers for the ensuing year were elected as follows: President, W. L. Parker, of Beaver Dam; Vice President, C. 8. Cleland, of Janesville; Secretary, H. J. Wilkenson, of White water; Corresponding Secretary, C.- K. Gibbs, of Whitewater; Treasurer, W. H. Hardy, of Genesee. Nebraska Farmers’ Alliance. The Nebraska State Farmers’ Alliance held a two days’session at Kearney. A platform was adopted declaring in favor of national and State legislation to regulate railway traffic, with both maximum and minimum rates; demanding the abolition of national banks and the substitution of currency by the Government direct; opposing protection and demanding a tariff for revenue only: asking Congress to reclaim all unearned land-grants and reserve the public domain for actual settlers; and opposing the acquirement of public lands by foreigners. Farmers and the Barbed Wire Monopoly. The lowa Farmers’ Protective Association, formed for the purpose of fighting the Washburn & Moen barbed-wire monopoly, convened at Des Moines last week. The association appears to be in a very satisfactory condition. The Secretary, in his annual report, expresses his opinion that henceforth the wire monopoly will devote its time and energy to a guerrilla warfare, seeking to make the litigation as expensive and vexatious as possible to the farmers. The farmers' responses to the appeals have been hearty and generous. - --i -:--: Minnesota Horticulturists. There was a large attendance at the Minnesota State Horticultural society meeting in Minneapolis. Col. Robertson, of St. Paul, spoke on the manner of cultivating the cottonwood tree. The Secretary read a paper from O. M. Lord, of Minnesota City, on native plums, which was discussed at great length by the members. F. G. Gould, of Excelsior, read a paper on “Blight in Fruit-Trees.” Mr. Pearce, of Lake Minnetonka, also presented a paper on the same subject, and Mr. Gideon one on “Blight—Cause and Cure.” The report of the Entomologist of the society, R. J. Mendenhall, of Minneapolis, was presented, followed by a paper by Mrs. H. B. Sargent, of Lake City, upon “A Beginning in Silkworm Culture in Minnesota.” lowa Millers. The lowa Millers’ association, in session at Des Moines, discussed the relative merits of buhrs and rollers. One old-style miller said he was making forty pounds of flour to the bushel and selling his tailings for feed. Roller millers gave their product as ranging from four and one-half to five bushels to the barrel, the cost of conversion being close to 50 cepts per barrel —the estimates, including power, help, interest, etc. Steam mills would use 6u to 100 pounds of soft coal to the barrel. The buhr and single-roller process' men claimed that the fait-roller process diminishes the nutriment value of the Bour, which was not answered by the others. Hon. 8. D. Nichols claimed also that winter wheat has more sustenance value than the hard wheat. Mr. Sharpe said the' main fault with the buhr millers was that they did not generally clean their grain so weil as those using rollers.

Illinois State Grange. About 300 Patrons of Husbandry were present at the annual meeting. In Springfield, of the Illinois State grange. The address of welcome was delivered by Col, C. F. Mills, of the State Agricultural department, which was followed by an address delivered by J. J. Woodman, Master ot the National grange, who in a very elaborate manner presented the aims and objects of the order. The committee appointed a year ago to visit the Industrial university at Champaign made a report in which they met the objections to the course of study and the alleged charges of inefficiency. A resolution . was adopted fixing Belleville as the next place of meeting. Gov. Hamilton tendered the delegatee a reception at the Executive mansion. The resolutions demand that the Bureau of Agriculture be made an Executive department, and its head a Cabinet officer. They recommend the establishment of experimental farms in the several counties of the State, or the addition of experimental’departments to county farms already existing. The report of transportation, which was adopted, asks the Illinois delegation in Congress to urge the enactment of laws to regulate commerce between the States, and to support a liberal measure for the construction of the Hennepin canal as an enterprise of national commercial importance for the Increase of transportation facilities, and the regulation of charges on traffic by rail.