Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-10-23
FishersvIIle Farmers Club.
WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH OUR sTRAw?"-
AN INTERESTING DIsCUssIoN-oTHER
TOPICS.

wont to come together in associated strength
the Club at Fishersville is the pioneer IL
organization and numbers in Augusta county
They are clear-headed practical men, VIII
study their pursuits for the love they have TO
1t, and do not place their light under bushel
The results of methodical farming in tina
portion of the county, both in the develop
ment of soil Improvement and in the annual
ly increasing exports of valuable products
receive from the Club there in its del1bera
tions prominent consideration, as the reports
of the proceedings all along have demon
| strated.
| The October meeting was held on the after.
noon of the 10Th instant. The President
Captain c. q. Coiner, was necessarily absent
when the meeting opened, but appeared later
in the day. During his absence DIR. D. W
Hanger presided. The excellent Secretary
Mr.. ]. R. Hamper. was present, as were large
| representa- of members.
| he first matter OF general interest con.
sidered related to the shipment of hay. This
season. more than any other of the past, there
has been greater trouble and longer delayin
procuring cars. The constant delays, after
cars had been ordered caused serious damage
to baled hay, the delivery of which is usually
commenced with the order for cars. One
of two owing to the damage from rain in Its
unsheltered condition. whilst awaiting the
receipt of the empty car. 1t was, finally
agreed in a conference of the members that
DR.. d. W. Hanger, @. B. Coiner, ]. r. Kemper,
and Hon. A. Koiuer should be committee to
open correspondence and communicate with
the railroad management with the view of OBJ :
tanning more prompt delivery of cars or the
erection of sheds for the receipt of baled hay
and forage. pending shipment OF the same.
The question for discussion, "What shall we
do with our straw? was then announced for
consideration.
DR.. D. W. Hanger said the matter had to be
considered as straw was either used for food or
its fertilizing values. In the food economy,
with hay bringing ten dollars per ton, straw,
with the addition of some corn, was an excel
lent and cheaper food than hay fed when 1t
was worth ten dollars per ton. With this
practice he had taken his stock through the
winter in excellent condition. He had also
fed his horses in the same manner with
satisfactory results, but in feeding straw as
we might, there was still large surplus, and
the question was to dispose of that. He adj
vert.d to the several forms in which straw is
turned to fertilizing purposes,-spreading on
wheat and grass, for bedding stock and finally
distributed over the soil from the stack or
compost heap. and then compared its value in
these several respects with that of the money
it would bring. and is purchasing power in
procuring commercial fertilizers to return to
the soil q compensation for its yield of straw
to which 1t was justly entitled. He had there
fore baled his straw which uniformly yielded
him 49, after the expense of baling was paid
He had carefully ascertained the value of a
ton of straw in every way 1t could be applied
as fertilizer, and found by experience that
the 1875 in good commercial fertilizing
manure would enrich in better manner and in
stronger fertility more than double the
quantity of land, and was therefore satisfied
with his practice of feeding as far as 1t was
practicable and always economizing judi
ciously on that line when hay would bring
ten dollars per ton.
Mr.. P. T. Burkholder next addressed the |
Club. He commenced by saying that straw on |
3 farm is of great value. He thought If the |
plan if DR.. Hanger in baling was generally fol-
lowed, the markets would be overrun with it. |
He said the use of straw as bedding should be |
more extensively practiced. He referred to the |
methods of his son, (Mr. A. J. Burkholder), |
who practiced bedding for horses and cattle |
keeping the straw fresh and knee deep passing |
it off after rendering th Q bedding service to the
OF the farmer. There it makes large quaint
ty of manure most valuable in its properties
for our clay soil, as it tends to open the hard
est of them when ploughed under. He believ-
ed the method of spreading straw upon the
highest and poorest points of our grain and |
grass-helds also good ore. This he could
do with the surplus, after using all he could as
forage for stock and transferring to the COM
post heap in the manner adverted to. AS a |
principle he held to the correctness of natural |
laws as they were unfolded in decaying vege
table matter. and our efforts should be directed |
In aiding all surplus which could be appropri |
ately applied TO soil improvement to see that |
it should take that direction.
At this point OF the discussion, DR.. Hanger |
asked the question for what time had hay been |
shipped from that neighborhood. the same be- |
ing the product of soil improvement and the |
methods of such improvement.
Mr.. Burkhoder replied that Colonel David |
Bell had been one Of the most successful pro-
ducers Of hay from lands which he had i'm |
proved rapidly by the liberal use OF clover in |
rapid rotation culture. He thought some OF
our farmers are taxing their lands too heavily,
and should return more of the soil improving
elements which they produced to the land
rather than relying exclusively upon fertili
zers.
Hon. A. Koiner did not think 1t wise 10 dis
card old customs. According to his observa-
ton, Pennsylvania farming was the best in
The country at large. 1t is the English custom
to work lands and produce manure. The
heavy expense of hauling. and, in a wet season
particularly, the difficulties OF handling straw
in preparing IL for export were many. His ex
perience counselled close observance of the
barn-yard economy. In any manner that we
can use surplus straw for the best benefit he
thought that spreading on grass was prefer
able to wheat, for after that you can confident
ly look for good crops of corn.
At this point DIR. Hanger. remarklng that
Major Koiner was not present when he had
presented his views. briefly recited them again.
and In reply to the suggestion of Mr.. W.Brown
Patterson that the cattle of neighbors who had
but little straw might be brought in to con-
sumo the surplus for the return of the manure,
said that straw itself as food, without grain
was almost valueless. He pointed to the rapid
Improvement of their lands under the liberal
application of fertilizers and believed If that
policy were abandoned the lands would 60
back. In the benefits derived from fertilizers,
as represented by DR.. Hanger, Major Koiner
concurred, and cited instances in working poor
lands coming under his own observation. In
one such case. wheat. for thirteen consecutive
years. had been cultivated in the same field
with good yields every year, and then turned
over to grass W it'll highly satisfactory crops.
He thought it was worth the experiment on
poor lands to try this plan of constant culture
of crops which would modify CT prevent work.
ing.
Mr.. j. K. Kemper, without endorsing the
plan of bur ming straw for the yield OF ashes as
fertilizer, had read in an agricultural journal
that it was good plan.
Major Koiner thought many members of the
Club could sp eak from experience where fires
along the railroad had burned stubble over the
fields. The soil received no enriching qualities
from the effects of the fire.
Mr.. P. T. Burkholder cited an instance where
q stack of hay had been reduced to ashes. The
ashes were gathered up and applied as fertil.
izer. II he had not seen the application, he
could hardly have believed that the ashes
covered so small a space, and with such little
benefit.