Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-03-04
FARMERS INSTITUTE.
TWO DAYS SESSION AT BoscoBEL.

The storm of the previous day and
the excessive cold of last Thursday, the
opening day Of the Boscobel Institute,
deferred many farmers from attending
the opening exercises, which were post
poned from . a. m to ? p m. There
was, however, fair attendance at that
hour. when the meeting was called to or
der by Geo. F. Hildebrand, President of
the Boscobel Agricultural Society. Mr.
John D. Wilson delivered the address Of
welcome, in the absence Of Mr., 7 j.
Brooks, who had been appointed for that
duty. Mr. Wilson spoke Of the grow
ing dissatisfaction of farmers with the
old school, and heartily commended the
new.
Hon FL c. Adams, Of Dane county,
responded to the address of welcome.
He declared scientific farming to be the
only successful farming.
Supt Morrison followed with a few
remarks, suggesting that chairman be
elected from among the farmers Of the
community On motion, Hon. r. NJ
Day was elected chairman.
Mr. Broughton, a very successful
grower of swine, said that in breeding.
feeding and managing the hog he tried
to learn as much as possible the natural
peculiarities of the animal and not
breed and feed him too far from his ma
tive methods of existing The hog in
state of nature is a far cleaner animal
than ignorant belief imputed, and that
rescuing him from diseases that made
investment of capital in him risky must
proceed on the assumption that cleanli-
ness in the surroundings of the animal
is just as necessary as for men to pre-
| serve then. health. In the season of its
growth he made all the use possible out
of clover and clover pastures, not only
for the health of the hogs, but for profit
in raising them. He put ten upon each
acre, without rings in their noses, as
they only rooted to get what the intelli-
gent feeder should give them to eat on
the surface. He would not get a pam
pered animal of any kind to breed from.
The hog cholera is a kind Of measles,
caused by feeding in foul places and by
breeding in and in. He made hogs at
10 months old weigh from 250 to $50
pounds. He sold them early in the fall.
and again after tax-paying time had
passed. He feeds twice day in winter,
and does not rouse the hogs early in the
morning. One hundred hogs would eat
ton of the ashes and cindcrs from coal
burning in week, and it would keep
them healty to do it. He does not feed
high till sixty or seventy days before
selling them
Mr.. Wilkinson, Of Whitewater. fol-
lowed with an excellent paper on sheep.
His experience had been with Spanish
Merinoes. In starting in sheep raising.
buy the best you can get and keep i'm
proving the flock by always using thor
oughbred sires. By this plan, steadily
pursued, hocks have been made to in
crease in fleece from to lbs. per
sheep, with fiber and texture equally in
creased so as to command the highest |
market price, while the carcass for NUT
ton purposes was proportionally i'm /
proved. The objection to fne-wooled I
sheep is simply prejudice. The time +
for lambing is from the LIST of april to .
the 10th Of May, being safer than in
March About this time the ewes re-
quire special attention and to secure
success with the lambs all their wants
should be properly provided for Sheep
will not thrive in the dirt They should
be managed gently and not frightened.
Do not feed in the morning until they
have gotten up of their own accord, in
the evening feed before shutdown, as
they like to retire early. Give them
regularly plenty of clean fresh water.
But do not expect them to 90 through
deep snow half mile TO drink from
little hole in the ice one at time, as in
that case some will not get water at all.
For pasture blue grass or timothy and
clover, high rank grass not so good as
short grass. Hay for wintering is best
l part timothy 3 parts clover. HAY is
best for them in cold, dry weather. In
rains or storms feed cornfodder that is
kept dry; the change viii stimulate their