The Somerset reporter., 1888-12-13


The forthcoming annual report of tie
Maine Experiment Station viii be one OF
the most interesting ever issued, especial
Is a. tile establishing of the station pro
sidcd for by the appropriation of the
Hatch bill passed by Congress two years
ago has been in progress and Pre- fessor
". II, Jordan and his assistants are get
ting their work well under way. II Will
az several months before the report VIII
81 out aud tine following Interesting IN
Jrmation concerning the operation and
equippng Of the station, large part OF
which VII appear in the report viii be
If interest
The new building Is now nearing com
plrtipu and Will furnish excellent aceom-
modation> for the laboratory and Office
work of the station. 1t Is Of brick,
trimmed with granite, heated by steam
and supplied with gas and water Its
location Is convenient for obtaining saul
plc- Of feeding stuils, milk etc, which
mn ne analyzed in connection with the
experiments in the field and feeding
Space in the new barn will be allotted
and specially fitted up for experimental
feeding and experiments relating to dai-
rying are to he conducted in dairy
room adjoining.
Twenty acres Of rs good land a can be
found on The farm have been set aside
Cor experiments in crop production, and
10 arr,s divided into two and one-halt
acre lnts are now under trcatmcn to as
certain if the fertility of the farm can be
permanently and probably maintained by
he u,r of commercial fertilizers
To Lot / is To hc returned the manure
Il, e.. It,.f ,,ni M
thr ,auiv lent of this IN the shape of
mamie from other cseps Lot i II re-
cciyc CONNER, ial fertilizer, in suca guam
tilics aud combinations as shall at least
replace the plant food removed by the
crops to Lot 3 will be applied CONNER
aial fertilzing materials in the crude
cheap form such as ground uudissolNcd
rock phosphateS, etc. and Lot / Will not
pe manfred at all, being simply cultivated
IN manner similar to the other plots.
For the first one or two years these plots
will he given similar eatmcut, and their
production will be taken as measure of
their fertility, before beginning the diller-
rnt methods of manurln9. Besides these
large plots there are in use 36 smaller
ones, on which questions pertaining to
the profitable combinations and quantity
of commercial fertilizers are being stud
led 1t viii require several years before
results can be reached which will fur
nsh "A safe basis for conclusions. For
'hrrc wears, this, and the former station,
| have been testing over hundred varie-
lies of grain, potatoes, etc, and Il sum
mary OF the facts obtained will he print
ed in the report for 1883.
The station will also do II considerable
amount Of experimental feeding of cat
tie. Some feeding experiments are al
ready in operation. one Is with SIX
| thoroughbred steers, two llercfords, two
ShOrthorns and two llolsteins. These
steers are now from six to eight months
old, aud are good specimens. They are
all receiving the same amount of grain,
and are eating very nearly the same
amount Of hay, both hay and grain be-
ing accurately weighed. While the
weight of grain is the same in each case,
the combination differs. Three steers,
one of each breed, are being fed a mix
turc of equal parts of corn meal, ground
oats and wheat bran, while the other
three are eating a mixture of equal parts
IF cotton seed meal, ground oats and
wheat bran. This experiment will be
continued until the steers are mt least two |
years old, and will, it Is hoped, add to |
knowledge on several points, among 9th
FRS the relative growth of the three !
breeds, the relative value OF the two ra- |
ions, and The relative giowth ut differ /.
ent ages.
The most laborious Investigation that |
the Station has so far undertaken. is one
involving study of the characteristics
If four breeds of cows as dairy animals, |
iIolstcin, Shorthorn, Ayrshire, and Jer !
sey While with so few animals it is not
expected t. secure thoroughly reliable !
Hgurcs as to the relative cost of product
ion with the four breeds, it is possible to
learn something in this direction. 1t is |
expected that information will be gained
ON the following points:
l. Relative yield of milk and butter.
,. Composition of milk.
3. Thoroughncss with which the butter lat
separates from milk.
/. Amount Of lat left in buttermilk
). Percentage Of fat in milk which finds its
way into tho butter, not only with different
breeds, but when the cows fed different
foods. 1t is claimed by some that there is less
waste Of butter fat when COWS eat green foods, |
such as onsiagc.
g. Relation Of amounts Of cream and butter |
to amount of milk
7. Quality Of butter as to melting point, !
firmnc :, flavor, etc.
These cows will be used also to test
the efficiency of different food combina-
lions and methods of preparing foods, to
the extent that this can be done without
subjecting the cows to unlike condil ions
Of feeding. For instance, is Il pound of
digestible nutriments in enslage of more
value than pound of nutrients from dry
food, : IMPLY because in the one case
the material eaten is green? An effort
Will be made to answer this question.
just now twelve pigs are being fed cX-
perimrntally, such questions rs the effect
of the amount of drink and the value of
foods in pork production be-
ing considered Last spring three varie-
ties of corn, Southern white, common
field, and sweet, were planted on equal
areas for the production of fodder to be
put into the silo, and the yield of dry
matter and its composition and digrsti-
9ility are being determined for the three
taSeS.
The composition and digcstibility Of
several species of grasses and other
)lauts, and the digestibility of dried corn
'odder as compared with that of the
alnc material ensilaged, are being ascer
aimed. Samples of our commercial cat
lie foods have been collected, such as
,rans, fine feed, &c and are being ana
we'd n
During the past season Prof. Harvey ,
las made Il large number of observations
n regard TO the life history of the apple
naggot, which is such curse to apple
producers, and while the facts so far Sc
urcd seem to be somcw hat discouragng
'et it is hoped that another seasons
tudy will suggest means of preventing.
o some extent at least, the rayagcs of
his pest. ,
Dr. Russell, who is now at John Hop [
ins University, studying the germs of
nimal disease is to take up his veteri- {
AIRY work for the station early in Febru-
ry. I
So scOn as the somew hat large eXpendi- l
ures for the equipment shall have
eased, the NHh Ct Ne station ca be
niarged.
The present time is obviously one of {
rganizaton and preparation. A build \
~ is being erected and equipped. APP t
aratus and books are being purchased,
nj the urnuuI il hniDt ,.lnn,oJ ,,,I