The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1879-02-14

Practical Topics Discussed by an Eastern
Farmers Club.

Practical Topics Discussed by an Eastern
Farmers Club.
PROM the Springfield lMa--.} Republican
The Harvest Club meeting At the hos
pitable residence of II. A. Rogers At
West Springfield Tuesday afternoon and
evening was a very pleasant affair. The
company was large and in the best OF
spirits, and The essays and discussions
as practical as the staunchest utilifarian
could desire More than 80 persons,
representing eight towns, tested the
dozen viands Of Farmer Rogers's table,
without diminishing perceptibIv the
supply, and nearly every thing used in
this entertainment was grown upon the
farm and prepared BY the home house.
hold. Phineas Stedman, Of Chicopee,
presided, and, after dinner, called for
the reading Of the formula for good and
cheap living There were several OF
them, which showed that the cost of liv-
ing well was often greatly overestimated
and that the necessaries Of life are cheap.
For instance: "Three pounds of beef
shank well broken, put in a large ket-
tie with cold water and set over brisk
fire from early morning till dinner-time
(cost y cents) six potatoes, Two onions,
one turnip, one parsnip and one carrot,
pared, cut fine and put in with the beef
TO boil (cost 5 cents): two pounds Of
Indian meal mixed with water
and baked on the stove, (cost ? cents)
half loaf Of bread (cost 5 cents), four
ounces of butter (cost s cents), six fresh
roasted apples and four ounces Of sugar
for dessert (cost cents). When season.
ed 10 taste this will cost, all told, 80
cents, and viii make dinner fit for
kings, and when six average people
have dined therefrom, there will be
some Left This bill OF fare for 4
recent sumptuous Harvest Club dinner
for IS persons was also offered: Six
quarts Of beans, SO cents; six pounds
salt pork, 60; eight pounds corRed beef,
so; two beeves tongues, 81; four loayes
of brown bread. 40, four loayes corn
bread, 40; two loaves rye bread, 20; five
mince pies, SO; six corn starch pies, 60;
a pound and three-quarters Of coffee, SIS:
Of pound Of tea, 81;
two and one half pounds Of cheese, so;
three pounds Of sugar, so; so dough
nuts, 40; Indian pudding, 20; total,
81 10, or 81 cents each. A man Of large
experience in hotel supplies stated that
q liberal estimate for q dinner for 100
persons was half pound OF beef or
turkey TO man, and that an edge-bone
was an economical piece Of meat.
After this reading the club listened to
an essay on " Stable Economies from
Robert X. Brooks Of West Springfield,
and another from an anonymous source,
and then proceeded to the main ques-
ion, " How to Feed Farm Animals Ad-
The common impress
sion was that cattle and horses were
often fed more hay than was necessary
Constant nibbling at something was As
injurious TO an animal As man. Reg
llar feeding Of a moderate quantity i
great deal better than filling the man
yers every time they are empty, and
making the cattle uneasy every time the
'eeder appears. The best orser OF feed
NJ was discussed, and = great variety
IF practice was found. Farmer Rogers,
rho keeps 40 head Of thrifty cattle, aud
has excellent judgment in such matters
Ind the best barn in the town, milks in
he morning before feeding, then cleans
he managers, and gives grain, mixture
II wheat and rye bran with cut corn
neal, then feeds hay for about an hour,
hen waters, and in the afternoon re-
beats the process, adding only coarse
raw or c0rn-stalks for the nights feed.