Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-05-27
For the journal.
Iowa Farmers College.
THE EXPERIMENTAL FARM.

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called it an Experimental College in your
last (weekly.) If write so that you cannot
read it, please exercise little thought of
your own, Mr.. Editor; the last article was
upon tho Farm and not upon the College.
Gen. j. E. Fletcher told me few days
ago that last year he had four yoke of oxen
put to stout, deep-running ecding plough,
upon old ground, and ploughed nearly one
foot deep, for corn. He travelled in several
States and saw many fields of corn but none
better than his, which brought crop double
that of his neighbors. 1t cost him double to
plough, but less work to tend while under
growth. Such experiments arc to be tried
upon this Farm.
last year raised for feed for my horses
and cows-corn, oats, tlmothy-hay, clover,
Hungarian grass, Chinese sugar cane, and
corn stalks, and, positively, l cannot tell
which is the most profitable crop. Can any
one? For mich cows, in Winter and early
in Spring am inclined to think sugar. cane
is the best, because the s'alks remained
green and sweet all Winter. The stock
cows and horses would leave good, bright
timothy hay and take the sugar cane stalks,
and the stalks wei q all eaten up. The cane,
l should think, would produce s tons to the
acre after having dryed in the shocks, the
leaves drying only. But l would like to
have this matter of food for animals decided
by further actual experiment.
Forestry-is new branch of study which
is to be taught upon this Experimental
Farm. Upon this subject find myself in
most profound ignorance, both as to the best
timber for grove and the best method of
raising it. | see that Locust when sown
soon grows up into a tree fit for fence-posts
Or wagon timber, but the tree is short
lived one; the Chestnut grows about one
fourth as fast, but, probably, will live ten
times as long. Which shall we plant? and
hoao plant it?
Some of us have not concluded to plant
any grove. To all such l would say: Fig
ure up what an acre of locust trees when Is
years old is worth. l this year sent an
hundred miles and bought 1000 locust trees,
a year old, at $5-freight $3.50. set them
out on the prairie farm, A. #. apart, and
covering about three -fourths of an acre.
They will nearly all live. l thrk that will
be a model grove. BY the side of these l
planted black and white Walnuts. These
walnut trees grow very rapidly; their tim
Der is valuable and their fruit is-'nuts to
crack" The soft Maple and the Elm grow
fast; they are a beautiful shade-tree, and
their roots won't spread all over creation
! like those of the locust. Now soon is the
time for gathering the seed of the maple and
elm. Gather it early in June; plant imme-
dately, and they will be up this year:
Forestry is a branch of the agriculture of
Iowa which is to be taught and which is yet
to be practiced by all its best farmers.
The bcakness of its prairies-so much COM
planned of will be changed into balmy
groves. And this can be accomplished in a
time incredibly short as this science is I'M
de-stood and practiced. When our boys are
taught how to gather, preserve and plant
tree seeds-wlen they see the rapidity and
beauty of their growth under cultiva ion,
they will come home and tell their fathers,
'riends, and neighbors the mode and ease of
raising grove of shade-trees, and the com
fort, protection, and very great profit the
raising of trees affords.
A benevolent lady of New York city is
now about establishing q Horticultural
School for Young Ladies. believe this will
be the first school of the kind in America
The lady's name is Mrs. Phelps, and it ought
to be perpetuated along with those who have
led the way in accomplishing great and
good reforms. long since predicted that
the time would come when nearly every
county would have such school; not only
for boys to learn to cultivate the soil, bet
also for girls to learn the finest work in the
garden; where they should learn industry
as the rreservative of health with which to
obtain useful and practical knowledge; to
be made capable of identifying home to
learn how to raise fruits, and how to pre-
serve their. What an abundance of most
delicious food in fruits there is which may
so easily be had for the table the whole
year! What blessing to the women of
our country to exchange the needle for the
hoe! Let the Sewing machine have the
ne edle and welcome.
On our Experimental Farm is to be taught
horticulture and the cultivation of fruit
trees. One-fourth Of the product of our
farms should be fruit-one fourth of our
food should be fruit, instead of so much
pork and tobacco. 1t would be more for
our health. Besides, we have no greater
luxury than fruit-whe:her in the raw state
or prepared and preserved-by the handiwork
of our ladies. There is at this time no more
profitable branch of husbandry than that
Of fruit-raising, and, as we learn the trade
and science Of raising and keeping it sue
cessfuly, the quantity will be increased; as
from this cause tie price may be reduced,
the ease of cultivation will have been in
creased, also, and thus the profits still keep
up. So with all improvements.
sUEL FOSTER.
[To BE CONTINUED.
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