Smyrna times., 1880-04-21
Philadelphia Farmers.
TIE sEMI-MoNTHLY MEETING OF THE INTELLI-
GENT AGRICULTURISTs OF DELAWARE
AND CHESTER COUNTIES.

On Friday evening last this club held
stated meeting at their rooms, 18th and |
Market streets. Questions were answered |
as follows:
Does hay increase in value with age ?" |
Townsend Speakman supposed that moth |
ing was lost by age, had kept hay for three
years and stock ate it as well as newer hay. |
1t does not seem to spoil by keeping, but
still he had been in the habit of feeding it
away closely.
ais barbed wire practical for fpnces!"
Milton Mendenha!l spoke from obetrvd.
ton and thought barbed wire was growing
in favor. He would not use the harbed
wire but preferred the plain wire. OF the
latter with iron posts he was a strong advo.
cate, and were he out of timber would so
fence. If any one would take his timber
and for the same fence his farm with plain
wire lie would cheerfully make the eX-
change. Mr.. Mendenhall recounted the
advantage of wire over timber, being more
durable, taking less room and no substances
from the SOIL and being less affected Ly
wind than wood fence. He favored placing
a ditch parallel with the fence as a warning
to cattle. Usage orange hedge the gentle.
man condemned being exhaustive, costly
and a harbor for rubbish.
.
Usage orange he has heard speak very
favorably Of it. Where it is kept very
nicely trimmed it may however prove
more costly than need be. Mr.. Speak man
referred to Stephen Darlington as being the
king Of iron fences and detailed his plan
of fencing.
Mr. Balderson occupies a farm where
there are three miles Of hedge fence. By
making three trimmings but siX days would
be occupied by two men. The shoots being
trimmed when young saves expense and
| labor and stops ap0ycrishment 81 soil.
! Edwin Sattcrthwaite asked if amy one
present had actually seen 4 Wire fence
stand any considerable length Of time. In
| his observation hr had never seen wire
| fence stand more than three years. lie
had some hundreds OF yards oI oaage fence
and cut down ev"Ey winter, letting it ih.
crease bat little in size and found that il
made substantial fence. a ditch placed
each side of the hedge prevented the spread
of roots.
Mr.. Mendenhall referred also to Mr.
Darlingten's fence and cited it as enduring
upwards of twenty years.
" Would tarriRg seasoned posts preserve
them 2"
Mr.. Satterthwaite did not think there
was anything ia tar that would prevent
decay. Probably after three months the
tar would be gone. Tar is net q paint aAC
therefore not preservative.
" Is it advantageous to pasture wheat 2
Crosby Fairlamb was Of the opinion tina
there would be no disadvantage and tha
whore pastured it makes saving in feed
Davis Broosmall saw on his way t,
market, en a wheat field of Jesse Darling
| Lor1 &c 81 M,
ten evidently esteemed that no harm coul(
cems from pasturing.
Marcelius Cock: where wheat is Judi
ciously grAzed and by light stock, ther
could no bad results f0llsw.
Richmond Coles thought that sheeI
would bite too close and he would there
fore prefer hogs or COWS.
Crosby Fairlamb said that there wher
sheep find plenty to eat they do not eli
the wheat closely.
VIM. C. Hawkins: the difficulty is tha
stock will eat too much in one place
Where the growth is rank they general
avoid.
j. P. Barton could not see any good r,
suits from paSturing. The longer the tim
given for wheat to mature is undoubtedl
to the advantage of the crop. So far g
tramping of wheat by cSws the wheat Wa
net affected. If anything it is apt to
improved.
Thomas Speakman thought that the el
ject of pasturing is to prevent any exec
=. sive growth and to check the falling of tn
wheat. Wheat can certainly be toe ran
and the only prevention is in pasturing.
Jonathan P. Barton: All things bein
equal, the early sewn wheat always stanC
best.
Richmend Coles thought that early sew
wheat attains the greater growth and thsr
|. fore more likely to lodge.
= "What will it cost to feed COW ssvs
days for dairy purposes?"
Samuel Remington named 1920 per wee
when bran is worth 500, corn meal $26 an
hay 500 per ton, allowing quarts of bra
quarts of corn meal and Is pounds
hay per day. Mr.. Bennington further state
that in the last six menths he had realize
an income Of $1,000, while his feed co
$3l890, leaving q balance of $7S3.12 Il
hay and labor. He received from butt
$69037, skim milk $392.15 and ealv
$3.50. From the barByard he had VIZ
manured twelve acres. Mr.. BeningtS
An keeps an average of "a cows. He alwn
y found better sale from butter cut
cream skinned when the milk is twsnt
four hours old, skim milk being sold.
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