Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-12-04
CITY, STATE, AND PENINSULA
Meeting of'the Kent Farmers
Institute.
OBSERVANGES OF THANKSGIVING
Sale of the Cochran Park
Stock FARMS Horses.
Discussing the Value of Artificial Fer
tilizcrs to Farmers--Professor Chester of
Delaware College Experimental Station
Talks ON Pear Blight.

Discussing the Value of Artificial Fer
tilizers to Farmers--Professor Chester of
| Delaware College Experimental Station
Talks ON Pear Blight.
Special Correspondence of Gazette ana journal
MILFORD NOV. 27.--The Kent County
| Farmers Institute met in Grange Hall
here yesterday afternoon at 2p. m, with
the president, Thomas y. Coursey, in the
chair Among the prominent farmers
| present were j j. Rosa, Charles Barker, j.
q. Brown, j. Alexander Fulton, B. +. b.
| Woodall, S. /. ,lrtSins, A. T., Smith. ]. H.
Chapman, 7, p. Gourscy, w. II. Mason, j..
II. Gilchrist, Thomas Davis, 81, John
Harrington, j. s. Willis, !. S. Short, NJ. II. .
Davis, DR. Nathan Pratt i. +. Cubhagc
| w. T. Case, /, u. Al-a al.tter, j. G. Brown,
Jr., and Thomas Davis, Jr.
At the last meeting held in Harrington
the president was appointed as n COM
mittee to coffcr with the New Castle and
Sussex institutes about holding joint
meeting, He reported that he had written
| DR.. Black of New Castle on the matter and
he CDR. Black suggested that it be held
| about two weeks after the meeting Of the
Legislature. Mr.. Messick of Sussex also
writes Mr.. CourSey that he will bring the
matter before the institute of that county,
| After calling j. Alexander Fulton to the
chair, Mr.. Coursey then read an essay on
any benefit to farmers. Chemical an
alysis points Enthusiastically to the real
| value To the farmers of all the commercial
manures analyzed which should, to some
extent, be guide tothe farmer in his pur-
chases. Peruvian gitanu is ABOUT the hest
fertilizer that can be obtained, and man
can take "A bag on his shoulder and carry it
to the field, thereby save transportation of
stable manure Something must be done
to restore to the land the fertility to the
soil taken ont by its productyencss.
An eminent writer says on the subject
that when a farmer sells his crops he is
70 a certain extent selling his land.n And
this is SO for every btshe of grain and
every ton OF hay sold off the farm carries
| with it some of the most valuable elements
in the soil. Tie question is how are we to
restore these elements.
j. q. Brown said for % years he had
been strong advocate of commercial
manilres, but now has changed his opin-
ion and thinks as little now of it as he
used to its good qualities. Under the crisis
which we are now living we have struck a
way very much cheaper. 1t has been
| proved by the experimental station that
| fertilizers can be made worth S2i.65 to the
acre at a cost of 81 cents by sowing scarlet
clover or any other green grass of equal
value One acre will produce thirteen and
n half tons of green grass or two and a half
tons of hay valued at S2i.G5 and it is bet
ter for the land than any commercial
manure. Scarlet clover can be sowed after
the season and grows from October to May
10Th and turned under. If this is so, what
business have we to buy fertilizers. at
one time used 81 Don worth of fertilizer on
my. farm, hut now use only grass
and the product of my stables.
Mr.. Brown went OH to say that
if all the unused land on the
Peninsula was put in scarlet clover what
a difference there would be in the value of
the now worthless land and the quantity
of our crops. He said he knew the value
of the grass as he had used il and now uses
il on his land as Il fertilizer, but admitted
after some questioning by the president, 7.
B COurScN, that he never could have OBJ
tanned such results if he had never used
the commercial fertilizers to start with. He
said, however, he hoped that the subject Of
using scarlet clover would be agtated in
this institute and that every farmer would
give up the use Of commercial fertilizers.
Prof, Chester of Delaware College eXperi-
mental station next delivered u lecture on
the Pear blight, and the results Of the
experiments made at the station during
the past year which he illustrated by
stereopticon views which WAS very inter
csting and was greatly enjoyed by all
present The blight, he said, caused the
leaves to fall from the trees during the en-
tire season as is generally known. There
are two kinds he said That which affect
the plumb, cherry and apricot and that
which affects the peas, ounce and apple.
The professor then went on to describe the
difference between the two blights and the
remedies used for the cure of each as dis
covered by the station with which he is
connected, all Of which may be found in
the last pamphlet issued by the station and
il will he sent to any one on application.
in answer to Mr.. COurseys question the
professor said some experiments have been
made with the coddling moth on the apple
but he was not prepared or did not have
time to give them at this time but would
do so later Here he had to leave TO catch
the 3.53 train
Mr.. Rosa said every farmer could save
his pear trees by using the Bordeaux mix
ture as explained by the professor, as lie
had made some experiments and knew the
good results.
The next question before the institute
was put by Mr.. j. g. Brown, Are hedge
fences or fences Of any kind of any bene-
fit TO the farmer
Mr.. Rosa by practice has removed all his
fences and adopted the soiling system.
Pastures. he said, could be fenced in, but
rs for himself he did not have any, as he
kept his cattle mp and fed them on alfalfa,
scarlet clover and other green grass and
enslage. No farmer can afford to grow
hedges, us they take up lG feet of land
when they We're thoroughly set and they
We're too expensive. Removing fences
necesstates soiling. Several others ex-
pressed themselves to a like purport.
The meeting then adjourned to meet in
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