The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-03-13
HOME JOTTINGS.
From Tuesdays Dailyi.
THE INSTITUTE.
A Successful observation-disclosures
by Four of the Corps of Workers. =

The institute opened at II o'clock
sharp, and Supt. Gregg introduced
the first speaker, Mr.. John Gould, of
Ohio. His topic, Corn Raising" was
treated as follows:
Congress is all torn up over the
silver question, trying to make seven
ty-tWO cents worth pass for 81, but
pays no attention to the corn crop
twenty times as valuable. In the u.
S. we raise 1858, 100000 bushels from
72,OOO,O 900 acres. We should get more
from 5O,OOO,OOO acres. Corn came
here from Brazil, where it is wild
struggling weed, the kernels growing
on the taSsels. Now we have 2S5 dis
tinct varieties. We are indebted to
the Indian for 500 years of progress in
the corn crop, and we've rewarded
him by stealing his land, shooting him
on sight, and burning out his stomach
with bug-juice.
| doubt if we have better corn now
than they raised in the Marietta val
ley in Ohio in 1896. In it's native
land it has 200 days for development,
here it has only 100 days.
We should have thoroughbred seed.
To get it, put in quarter acre by
itself, weed constantly ALI the small,
poor stalks; see that the ears are suf-
ticiently fertiliZed, and save only the
best for planting. Experience has
proven thai this will, in three years,
increase the yield one third. In Sc
lecting the ears for seed, choose those
that are completely filled, dry ont thor
Oogbly before winter, and then don't
throw away the tip kernels, they
have the strongest vitality of any.
The most natural food for the corn
plant is decaying vegetable matter,
such as clover, rye, etc. Four stalks
in hill have the same effect on each
other as weeds. Planting in rows 81
feet apart, stalks one foot apart, in
creaseS the yield nearly so per cent.
The big wheeled sulky cultivatOr
has done more harm than good twice
over by digging down, cutting off the
roots, and turning up fresh crop of
weed seeds. Use the ''weeder," a
shallow working tool with vibrating
teeth. Question: GLOW deep should
be the blowing for corn?" About
four. inches in Ohio.
Mr.. Theo. Louis, of Wisconsin,
spoke on Glover culture:
1t was fortunate that circumstances
forced me to settle on:a sandy farm.
1t made scholar of me, because I
had to study to get anything out of
the farm. [ believe any farmer can
afford to give agriculture his closest
study in these days of competition.
Many farmers are virtually selling
their farms by the half bushel. In
this way reduced the fertility of my
soil till it was practically worthless.
Now l get fifty bushels of oats per
acre and other crops in proportion. [
did it through clover. Many fields in
the northwest and far west are laying
bare and losing their fertility by sun
shine and wash. Glover would save
them.
CIn harvesting the clover I leave it
after cutting to dry in the bunch four
or five days, then stack and let it
sweat out. The clover huller attach
ment does not do as good work as the
clover huller proper, but the latter is
hard to get. Sowing with common
seeder is the proper thing.
get two or three tons of hay and
four or five bushels of seed per acre.
Never pillow under until the seed is
ripe, then after one crop of corn and
one of oats the clover will grow again.
The seed will lie in the ground two or
three years and retain its vitality if it
is in deep enough. Plow it under six
or seven inches on sandy land.
Mr.. VIM. SOmerville spoke on small
fruit: Small fruit is not an expert
ment in this state. | work to make
home pleasant, and nothing is more
desirable for wife and household than
plenty of small fruit; so I've raised
everything from the smallest berry to
the largest apple. From four rows of
strawberries, thirteen rods long, get