Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-10-15
Agricultural Experiments.

Agricultural experiments,
ONE thing that could beproftably made
the subject of series of careful expert
ments is the feeding of milch cows. The
usual practice of farmers is to give no ex-
ira feed from the time they go on pasture
in the spring until they go into winter
quarters. l believe that it will pay not
only to grow some green crop to cut and
feed in the barnyard when the pasture
gets short, but that it will be found profit
able when the pasture is at its best to feed
bran or bran and corn-meal mixed, and
that by so doing we should not only get
enough more milk TO pay for the extra
feed, but q much better quality of butter
To test this, weigh the milk for one week
when the COW is on grass alone. The next
week feed, say two quarts of bran and
meal, then try another week on grass, and
the succeeding week feed four quarts a
day of the mixture. Then try bran alone
for one week, giving more in bulk, but OF
the same value as the bran and meal
mixed. Let these experiments run through
several months and be tried with different
cows, and some definite results will be OBJ
tanned. | should have said at the begin
ming that all these experiments should be
made s. matter of record, that nothing
should be left to the memory, and that
there should be no guess work, but every
thing should be weighed or measured.
Another experiment in which all farm
ers are interested might be made with
hogs. Let some farmer who has stock
scales weigh both hogs and corn, and be
able to tell just how much pork a bushel
of corn will make. 1t would be interest
ing also to test the different breeds under
the same treatment. A pair of Poland
Chinas and pair of Berkshires might be
taken and fed together until ready for
market, and their relative value deter.
mined.
The proper distance apart for planting
corn should also be tested. / would lay
off a field four feet apart one way, and
the other way l would lay it off three feet
apart, ten rows four feet and ten rows
four and half feet l would thin part
to two stalks in hill, part to three, and
in part would leave four. And at husk-
ng-time l would carefully weigh the
corn from each lot, and estimate the num-
Der OF hills and stalks per acre by each
method, and also how many hills or
stalks it took to make bushel of corn.
The renovation of worn-Out soils by
green manuring should be made a matter
of careful and continued experiment.
While the value of the plan is conceded,
most farmers know practically but little
about it. We should test rye, buckwheat,
corn, broom-corn, and anything that can
be cheaply and quickly grown, keeping
an account of the labor and expense, and
| recording the effect on the soil.
The application and value of manure is
an interesting subject for experiment, and
should be carried out in various ways so
as to answer the following questions: How
can we best apply manure? by plowing
under, or as top-dressing for wheat
| broadcast or in the hill for corn ? At what
price can the farmer afford to buy manure
and haul it two miles? What commercial
manures, if any, can he use with profit? A
number of interesting experiments could
be had with the potato crop which would
throw light on the question of large OF
small seed, the best distance apart to plant
the number of eyes to be used to hill, fiat
or hill culture, etc.
The wheat crop opens a wide field fol
experiment. Try different amounts ol
seed to the acre. Also drilling half the
seed one way and crossdrilling the other
half. Put on a single acre, in the way oi
narrowing, dragging, ETC., the amount oi
work usually applied to two or three acres
and also make some experiments with
manure.
The growing of forage crops is but lit
tie understood, and yet it is matter o.
great importance to farmers. In many
seasons pastures and meadows are short
and it becomes necessary to supplement
the hay crop in some way, and this car
be easily done by growing specially fol
this purpose. But how many farmers car
give accurately the cost or value of thest
crops? Let experiments tell the best tint
to sow. Shall corn for fodder be sowI
broadcast or in drill? Shall we seed heav
lily, or thin enough that the stalks will
produce small ears? How shall we Gu
and handle the crop?
might extend this list of experiments
but enough has been written to sugges
the idea that wish to convey. That farm
ers are deeply interested in everything O
this kind is proved by the fact that al
records of such experiments are read witt
great interest. The good results of sucl
plan would reach further than the sci
tling Oft the practical questions involved
for the mind of the farmer would be wake
up, habits of observation fostered, and tn
tendency would be to make not only be
ter farmers but men of greater intelligenc
and accuracy.-AgricOLG, in Enquirer.