Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-03-27
FARMERS COLUMN.
For the Journal.
College Farm.


College Farm.
FRIEND MAuIN:-I wish the people of this
State to understand that we have yet "Ool-
lege Farm" but no Farmers College," We
have done considerable work ut the Farm and
made some rather imperfect experiments Oh
the Experimental Farm" 1t is not
'.Model Farm" as it has been styled in our
organic law, very enormously. A Model
Farm should bsbeauty, neatness, durability,
economy and profit in all things. An Exper-
mental Farm is the place to try such new
and untried things as making silk from the
msorus nsutticauiss, or Chinese mulberry. To
try that single experiment, which was within
my remembrance, it cost the people OF the
United States several millions Of dollars. The
Discora Badatas Chinese potatoe) cost very
many people . little money, moro time and
patience, and brought nothing for their labor.
Then came the Chinese Sorghum. The first
Importation Of seed ] think was in 1854. In
1856, Hon. Charles Mason says, the Govern
ment office distributed It's bushels, grown
near Washington. That not being sufficient
to supply the demand, and the confidence our
worthy Commissioner had in the sorghum,
he sent to France for another 100 bushels.
Then, We must give the Agricultural Depart
ment of our Government credit for this sugar
cane. -,sn-
Now had these three - Chinese Mulberry,
Chinese Yam, or Potatoe, and Chinese Sugar
Cane - been tried at their first introduction
on an experimental farm of our Government,
and the experimental farm which every State
ought to haye, the amount lost to the couotry
by the failure of the two first would have
been saved - sufficient to have bought the
farm for the Government and one for every
State in the Union. On the contrary, had
the Chinese sugar cane been experimental
upon and tested in the proper manner by the
proper authority, We ought to have gone into
its cultivation three years sooner, and, in this
State alone, to have raised 100000 of gal
Ions more than we have, and thus have saved
to Iowa alone - 900, 0OO-saying nothing of
all the other States. And yet some of the
old-fogy" Senators, this year, wanted to
repeal the act establishing our National
Department of Agriculture, which takes
Sc, 1000 to 800, 900 a year to carry it on, on
q fue-acre lot! "Penny wise and pound
foolish p
Now comes the White Willoao. In Janu.
ary l took 1000 cuttings up to the Expert
mental Farm, with instructions to plant
about ten rods-say 200 cuttings on fence
line; next to this, eight feet from it, four rods
eight feet apart eaca way, to let grow for
large trees; next to this, in rows four feet
apart and about one foot in the row, for 8
grove. am of the opinion that we do not
plant timber close enough to make good
long-bodied, straight trees. DR.. Push, of the
Pennsylvania Agricultural College, who has
travelled and spent two years in Europe on
Agricultural College business, says in large
districts of country in Europe they plan,
forests for all the timber they have, and they
plant much closer than we do in this country
AS close as three or four trees to the squar,
yard-and as they grow they will either di'
out, or they should be cut out Let US Sc,
how this willow planting at the Farm does.
! | suppose at least 100000 Eyes, probably
100000; for it is said that Mr.. P Ike will max,
this year by willow speculations $50, 200
will this year try making fence with the white
willow cuttings. do not say that this is 9
grand hum6ug, but do say that believe i
is. And, farmers, neither you nor know i
not to be so. MIR. Bliss, of Bureau county
Illinois, was told last fall, sold l 900 900 Q
the cuttings, at 81 per thousand. He is al
honest and re liable man. His neighbo
writes to me that MIR. Bliss has never recon-
mended it tor fence, and so l heard Mr.
Bliss say in Chicago, last September. If tn
man who has had several years experience
with the white willow does not see the fenc,
in his row of saddles, farmers, how can 70,
expect to see your cuttings grow into a solid
living, ive-t1ee aodN? would advise you t,
set your cuttings out for trees and groves
and If 1t proves good for fence you have thu
material on hand to make it. Such will b.
the benefit of an Experimental Farm.
We have built on the farm 1870 rods boar,
fence, at a cost of about SO cents per rod
oak boards, at SIS per thousand :; 80 rod
post-snd-rsil fence, cost "A cents; $50 rod
worm rail-fence, cost 76 cents. This last i
the best fence, board fence sec md, and post
andrail the poorest. Ia making the boart
fence every tenth post we set two posts, AM
left the boards SO that az they shrink eEdwist
the boards will not break the nails and com
loose every few rods. The boards did shrinl
endwise, and in every place drew the pest
apart four or five inches
We tried some mole draining in 1861. Las
year the best corn in the field was IN thes
wet sloughs over the drain, although it was
very wet season. Besides, in the fall of 1856
it was quite dry time; one of our drain
dried up, but the other continue to run ant
furnish stock-water, near the barn. Mr. NJ
W. Robinson, of Desmoines county, says III
has had this kind Of drains op his, farm ST,
or seven years, and they have .notstspped up
caved in or failed to furnish good stock
in the dryest of weather. and: in lots wher
there was none previously =.
In the fall of 1861 part of4the stubbl
was plowed for corr. The corn crop of 1876:
showed the precist line Of fail blowing al
summer, and at harvest it yielded aboutete,
bushels per acre more. ga
The orchard which James Smith & Sons
Of Desmoines, gar the Farm has been vel
taken care Of, set,in twenty rows, twenty il
a row, twenty four feetapart,: in ascoiner o
large field, but fenced by itself, two ant
three years old. !. Last :snmmer wheat wa!
sown in part 1.-The Mchard, with grea
deal Of care to ks peit away from the trees
But in walking ,hfbugh the orchard, i'll Jan
uary last, we could see to row where Their
had been wheat, the growth of the tree b in,
not more than one:third as much as where i
was planted, plowed and hoed.
There is another use of this Farm, on
which wish to speak in my ext-namcly
the Students work. SuEL FOSTER.
CALL AND BE CONVINCED THAT