Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-02-11
Closing Events of the Annual Farm
ers' Meeting Held in Madison
Last Week.
Rise iii the Price Of Pork Rather Dis
concerts one of the
Speakers.
Sessions Ut the Horticultural Society
Produce Much of Value and
Interest.


The convention opened Tuesday and on
that and the following day many interest
papers were read.
The sessions of the State Agricultural
society Thursday, both forenoon and
afternoon, were of especial interest. The
attendance was large, the papers and al
dresses good, and the discussions that fol
O.. ed each exceedingly lively and practi-
cal. The officers of the society are much
pleased with the day S work.
The first subject presented in the morn
ing was Compar alive Value of Grain
Feeds, by Prof. ". A Henry. of the uni
yeTslty. He irst told of the chemical
constituents of food stuffs, and then gave
results of various experiments at the
university farm and elsewhere.
The Ration for Dairy Cow was treated
by Mr.. A. X. Hyatt, of Sheboygan Falls.
Mr.. Hyatt is a practical farmer, and gave
the result of his own experience. The
discussion drawn out by the paper was
especially interesting.
Mr.. H. c. Adams, of Madison, took for
the sui ject of paper The State Agricul-
tural Society. He gave something of a
history of the organization aud spoke of
its future prospects. He euIogized the So
cial advantages of the midwinter conven-
ton, and thought more attention should
be paid to similar advantages at the an
nual fair.
At the afternoon meeting Mr.. George
Wylie, Of Leeds, discussed Three Cent
Pork and Fifty Cent Corn. He stated that
he was laboring under a disadvantage in
that since the subject was assigned
him the price of pork had gone up. He
advcclted raising hogs for the spring and
summer market, when the price was
usually higher than IN the fall.
The Outlook for American Agriculture
}&as the subject of an address by Prot.
George E. Morrow, Of Champaign, Iii.
Prof. Morrow had attended the earliest
t farmers conventions held in Wisconsin,
; and this helped to give interest to his re-
marks. He saw hopeful future for Amer
ican farming, though there were some
dangers. One of the chief Of these comes
from large holdings of land.
Horticultural Society
At the morning session Of the Hort
cultural society representatives Of the
state board Of world s fair commissioners
were present and an informal discussion
Of a state exhibit at Chicago was held.
For the purpose O. creating wider in-
terest in horticulture President M. A.
Ihayer, of Sparta, offered to furnish 1000
children in the state with six strawberry
plants each to be cultivated entirely by
those receiving them, and results reported.
! Other nurserymen will follow suit and the
plan will undoubtedly be adopted. Local
societies are asked to cooperate in this
work.
The following papers we're presented at
the day sessions of the society:
The new Fruit Culture-A. L. Hatch,
Ithaca.
Paper-Geo. J. Kellogg, GAINESVILLE.
| Fertility of Soils in Seasons OF Drouth-
A. s. Croker, Ripon.
Winter Protection of Small Fruits
| Warren Gray. Darlington.
A B ief Synopsis Of the Wisconsin
Ferns-Charles A. Chanter, Kiibourn City.
The Township Library and Ethical Gull
ture-F. A. Hutchins, library superln-
tendent, Educational department, Madison.
Evening Session.
In the evening joint session of the two
societies was held in the assembly cham
Der, the meeting being presided over by
the officers of the horticultural society.
Perhaps owing to other attractions the
attendance Was smaller than on preceding
evenings.
Prof J. W. Livingston, of Sparta, read
an essay On Character Building in Home
and School. He dwelt at length on the
familiar analogy between the growth of a
plant and the development of the child.
From his extensive experience in the
schoolroom be would advise that children
be sent out into the world with sef-re-
spect, high purposes. good habits, love of
truth, regard or others rights, loyalty to
God etc.
Mrs. J. Montgomery Smith, of Mineral
Point, read an eminentlv practical paper
on Kitchen Gardening. She thought that
the importance of the kitchen garden was
not realized in the west as it was in the
east Many helpful hints about culture
were given. The uses of the hotbed were
discussed, and the necessity of procuring
good seed emphasized, Mrs. Smith also
touched on one or two points on the proper
cooking of garden products.
Mrs. Helen NJ. Charleton, Ct Brodbead
also dealt with the garden but in differ
ent manner. She called up the frequency
with which it was referred to in fiction
and poetry, and called attention to the
aesthetic pleasures that it afforded and the
moral lessons that il taught.
Prof. E. S. Golf, Of the university, dis
cussed Village Improvement Societies and
Arbor Day. He advocated the establish
ment of public parks in all villages and
cities, even if they did not hope TO attain
metropolitan size. The successful work Of
a club of humble beginnings in a Long
Island village was describel as showing