The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1890-01-17
A FARMERS MEETING.
THE SECOND CONVENTION OF HAIR
FORD FARMERS.

Interesting Addresses on Cattle Foods-Pota
toes and Ensilage-A State Board of Agri
culture Demanded-An Effective Fertilize
Law Needed.
The second annual convention of Harfor
County Farmers was held in the Court House
on FRIDAY Jan, 10th. The court room wa
comfor tably filled and the proceedings were i'll
teresting throughout 1t was somewhat re
markabe that the two topics now uppermos
in farmers heads, the grippe and the roads, wer'
not mentioned at all. The latter topic, prooa
bly,, for the reason that il it had been brought u
nothing alse would have been talked OF
and also that special meeting has been callet
for Jan. 31st, TO discuss this muddy subject,
The meeting was called to order by Mr.. VIM
l.. Amoss, of the Fallston Farmers Club, wht
announced the names of the officers as follows
President-Geo. E. Silver. Vice Presidents
VIM. T. Sawyer, VIM P. Trimble, VIM.
Baker, Chas. W. Michael, Chas. l.. Vail, VIM
Webster, Thos. Butler, Chas. H. Street,, Arch
Wilson, Edward 8. Edge, DIR. w. w. Hopkins
Henry A. Osborn. Secretaries-Wm. l.. Amos,
Jos. T. Hopes.
Mr.. Silver, upon taking the chair, said that
farmers have every reason to be thankful to-
abundant harvests the past year, yet during
that time the farmers of Hartford have had bit
ter experience. For q plumber OF years past
there has been a gradual depression in agricul-
tural interests and he hoped the crisis has been
reached. Farmers have reason for discourage
ment, but they should look calmly the situation
in the face. If they determine upon any
change, they should do so only after careful de
Liberation. Looking backwards we lind in the
past periods when prices of iarm produce have
been lower than to day. Even with those low
prices farmers made profits He attributed the
depression to the want of education, organize
tion and cooperation among farmers. They
should form clubs, grsnges, &c, in every neigh
borhood subscribe for and read some good
farm journal; study new methods OF planting
crops new machiL cry to lessen the cost of rails
ing their products. Our Agricultural College
has been ie-organized and we look TO it for help
to our people A State Experimental Station
has been established, out of which benefits will
grow. He advised farmers to make experiments
for themselves in raising wheat, corn, oats, &c.
The State Convention had taken steps TO secure
legislation to establish State Board of Agr-
culture. This needed step had not been taken
sooner because farmers we're not organized and
had not acted together id demanding it.
The road question, he said, is now an absorb
ing one, but nothing will be accomplished un-
less farmers come to some agreement. Let each
farmers club or neighbOrhood organization
agree upon some plan, and then let representa-
tives of each gathering come together and form
ulate something.
MIR. Silver spoke of the evils farmers have to
contend against in trusts and combinations
Agriculture is the basis of every interest aud
enterprise, and Hartford farmers should con-
tion these conventions and take an interest i'll
them.
FERTILIZER LAWS
John Moores VIM. l.. Amoss and A. P Silver.
a committee appointed at the last meeting Ia
examine the fertilizer law of the State, reported
that they had referred the matter to Major
Henry E. Afford, Director of the State Expert
mental Station.
The latter mentioned the defects of the State
law and said that TO make law which would
be protection to the farmer in buying fertill-
zers, it should provide that all fertilizers sold
or to be sold IN the State should be sampled by
authority, analysed at the expense of the State
and the result published. The farmer should
be at no trouble or expense in finding out the
constituents and relative value OF all fertil-
zers offered to him for sale. Honest ferti-
lizer manufactures, he said, were equally
interested with the farmer and would cooperate
in securing such q law. The committee was
continued, Major Alvord. upon request, promis
ing to assist them in their labors.
STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE.
The President stated that the State conven-
ton had appointed committee to press upon
the Legislature the necessity for State Board
of Agriculture.
Prof 8. B. Hedges, of Camp Hill, Pa, ex-
planned the organization and objects of the
Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture. 1t
is imposed of representatives of each agricul-
tural society in the State-usualy the President
All reports of infectious diseases among cattle
and other such matters are reported to the
Secretary at Harrisburg. An annual meeting is
held which is attended by from 300 o 500 farmers
The State appropriates 50, 600 year. Institutes
held in various parts of the State, 500 being
appropriated for the expenses OF each. The en-
tire subj ect of commercial fertilizers comes be-
lore the board. Fertilizers are ana Zed at the
expense of the board, which issues a monthly
bulletin giving the results of these analyses
r. Harris Archer, David Harry and Sias w.
HolliDgsworth were appointed committee to
cooperate with the State committee with ref
erence to this subject.
CATTLE FOODS AND CATTLE FEEDING.
This was the subject of an excellent address by
Major Alvord. Every farmer, he said, ought to
know something OF the anatomy OF domestic ami
mails in order TO give them proper food to MAIN
tain them in vgor and health. Thus, corn meal
should not be fed in excess because it tends to
feverishness, but should be mixed with succuent
food, such as roots enslage, pumpkins, &c. The
food of an animal should be satisfying and easily
digestible. Farmers should consider the relative
and published by State Agricultural Boards and
farm journals.
three-fouTths of solid digestbe matter; straw and
rough fodder about one-third.
Animal bodies are made up 1st, largely of water,
the containing so to go per cent; the cali TO;
sheep so to 81; swine A to SO. Second ASH or that
which remains when a body is consumed by fire
the mineral part: third fat and fourth tesh which
chemists call prOteine.
The water need not be considered, neither the
question Of ash animals getting i 5ngs og guam fh
farmer to consider, in feeding. are the formation
of fat and flesh.
heat-producers or life-sustainers and tlesh-form-
ing or force-produding-tha which makes muscle:
brain, sustains wear and tear. causes growth Oh
hair or wool, or milk and butter.
The first function OF food IS to sustain life, the
surplus forming fat or flesh. Dry fodder is strong
in heat-producng qualities but poor in t1esh-pro-
ducing properties. Dat meal, cotton. seed meal or
lnseed meal are strong in fiesh-prOducing proper
ties but weak in heat-prOducing. 1t is useless to
feed straw to fattening OK or milk producing
COW and expect them to furnish flesh or milk
Corn is a fat former and Will make tat beef, NUT
,f,l,,. a faA To
mich COW or brood sow.
Heat producing foods are called carbonaceous.
and fiesh-producing are denominated heterogeneous
All vegetable foods are made up of these two
parts, but in differing proportions. The tables
he had referred to would give the composition OF
the different kinds of foods. A mich cow ought to
have So lbs of heat-producng food to every pound
of flesh producing. Neither oat straw nor linseed
the ratio required. In farm products hay, fodder,
straw, &C., We generally have heat producing
foods in excess In dairy farming, or making wool or
milk t1eSh-fOrming products must be supplied. In
buying these their manural value must be consider
ed the difference in this being in some foods 30 to l.
Offesh formers he named cotton seed meal gluten,
the hearts OF corn, malt sprouts, wheat bran,
kiln-dried brewers grains and wheat mddllngS.-
Farmers should consider their nutritIye value,
their digeStibility and their manurical value as
matter of farm economy.
A rising vote OF thanks was passed to Major
AlvOrd and recess taken for lunch.
POTATOES AND POTATO CULTURE,
Prof. S B. Heiges, Of Camp Hill, Pa, was the next
Culture. He Illustrated it on blackboard with
colOred crayons
The potato, he said belongs to the soanacse family
with the tomato, thorn apple, Jamestown weed,)
petunia, ground cherry, egg plant. pepper and to-
hacco. The potato has come rapidly into cultiva-
ton within the last 200 or 800 years. Sir Walter
Raleigh sent it from America to Ireland, to his
head farmer, who planted it. When the vines had
grown they were cooked as spinach and condemn
ed. The next year the tubers were discovered
and soon become the staple crop of Ireland. 1t
is called the Irish potato, but it is native of
America nor is it a pOtato-that name belonging
to another family, of which the sweet potato is a
member
rot and curl-leaf, He thought curleaf and wet rot
have some connection, The best remedy for this
Is Bordeaux mixture consisting of 2bS. of Sulphate
of copper blue yitriol,) lbs. of lime and % gal
Ions of water. He had found weaker solution
successful composed of H. of sulphate of copper,
6 lbs, of slaked lime and barrel of water. Ii ar
ipsecticide is required add a lib OF Paris Green to
the barrel OF water, and apply on the vines with
watering pot.
HOW NEW POTATOES ARE ORIGINATED.
Prof. Hedges explained how new varieties are
produced and showed some fine specimens origina-
ted by himself which he said he would not sell but
distribute for the benefit of farmers. He had taken
two varieties for CONGRATULATIONS Snowflake,
for its excellent qualities, and the Mammoth Pearl
for size and productiveness. He showed by a dia-
gram the position of the stamen and pists in a
potato blossom, the piSti, which is thicker than
the stamens, occupying the central portion
Around it are the StamenS, on the top of each of
which Is the pollen. Selecting strong, healthy
off all the staIneps. Then going to a plant
of the other variety he took a camel's hair brush,
moistened it slightly, collected on the pollen and
placed it on the pistil of the first plant This ac-
bees or winds. The influence of the pollen passes
In the lower mart of the piStil where a seed nod