The Portland daily press., 1892-04-29


| Says Something on the Same Subject
Professor Winslow on the Creamery
System.
A farmers institute, under the auspi-
ces of the State Board of Agriculture,
and direction of Secretary B. w. McKeen,
was held in the Town Hall at Freeport,
yesterday Hon. W. H.Viason, member
Of the State Board, and president Of the
Cumberland County Agricultural Socie-
ty presided. Among those in attendance
were President B. F. Briggs of Auburn,
of the State Board; Vice President T. S.
Adams of Bowdoin, E. B. Mallet, Jr.,
| and 4. G. Banks of Freeport, W. NJ.
| Noyes and ]. M. Noyes of Pownal, S. G.
and Charles Prifin, and Samuel Fits of
Freeport, A. W. Snow and G. T. futile
of Durham, o. P. Coffin and j. j. Blais-
dell of Freeport, Warren Titcomb of
Yarmouth, George Porter, James Hall,
John L. Taylor. Eben Patterson, III. S..
Talbot and Charles Pettengill of Free
port, r. F. Greeley of Yarmouth, John
Porter, David Horton, Enos Day, FL
bridge Mitchell, M. P. Soule, S. S. Soule,
James Randall, Simon Holmes and others
of Freeport.
The rainy weather was unfavorable to
a large attendance, still there were about
an hundred representative, progress
sive farmers present during the after
noon. One lady, Mrs. Leavitt of Web
ster, drove nearly 20 miles with her hus-
band to be present, and was early on
hand in the morning session. This lady
was chiefly interested in information
concerning the dairy.
The exercises opened with an
Address by Prof. w. lei. Jordan,
director of the Maine experiment station
at the State Agricultural College at
Orono; subject, "What shall we do with
our hay?"
Upon assuming the duties of the chair
Mr.. Vinton made some explanatory re.
marks concerning the object Of these
farmers Institutes established by law.
One of the first objective points of the
fathers in making their farms from the
wilderness was to get some land in con-
dition to cut hay. 1t was very i'm
portant crop to Maine, especially such
towns as Freeport. A great MANY
farmers had relied upon their surplus
hay crop to get ready money to pay
taxes. &c. What shall the farmer do
with his hay? That was the question.
How shall we feed out our hay to best
advantage-to horses, COWS, etc. That
was the point which Prof. Jordan would
elucidate.
Secretary McKeen said the object was
to make these meetings eminently prac-
teal. That had been and would con-
tinue to be to make the meetings useful.
One of the Babcock testers and
separator were upon the platform for the
purposes of testing the specimens of
milk furnished from the surrounding
towns.
Prof. Jordan said that he should
answer the questions put against his
name in a round about way. ''What
shall we do with out hay'' was broad
one. 1t involved the matter of what was
the best use we could make of our
farms. Farming, like any other bust
ness, if properly managed was profit
able
He had been approached many times
with the question II wish you would tell
me how to make money out of my
farm?' Plenty of plant food was the
real secret of successful farming. The
growing of the plant was defined as much
by fixed laws as gravitation. To grow
plants you must have certain kind of ma
terials. The successful farmers were
the men who kept up their farms to
good degree of fertility. What are the
for the plant, but the important factor
was the manure.
He dare say there was land in the i'm
mediate vicinity that would not grow a
good crop of corn without fertilizers.
Plow!such land for an entire season, once
week if possible. 1t will repay on the
following year. You can draw upon
The Resources of the Soil
for plant food. Some Of the farmers of
Pennsylvania and some in Maine were
enriching the soil with clover plant. The
clover plant may be made a great helper
in utilizing the forces already in the soil.
We all know that farm manure will
produce good crops. When the plant
turns over and breaks down it goes on
helping the soil. When the manure re-
turns to the soil it affords the richness
OF previous generation of plants.
There is a great difference in
the plant food that furnishes the
manure. There is great difference in the
quality OF manure heaps in consequence
of the difference in the food fed to the
horses and cattle. The ingredients of
manure were spoken of. For an object
lesson some of the speakers experiments
were alluded to. The great bulk of the
nutriment that is taken by the animals
is retained inthe manure heap. The
essentials that are retained are at least
80 per cent. A great deal of dressing
was wasted by most farmers and usually
of the most valuable nature. 1t will be
seen running in black streams near the
manure heaps. He supposed the waste
full animal was the dairy COW. To sup
ply milk she takes very much more from
her food than working OK. but even
then she takes out not over so to IS per
cent.
Tables were exhibited showing the
value of materials such as cotton seed
meal, corn meal, ETC., as fertilizers. Cot
ton seed meal was much used by farm
erS in the South as q fertilizer The cash