Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-01-26
FARMERS IN SESSION
A Very Successful Institute-Largely
Attended.

Tuesday A. VI. at 1890 the Farmer S
Institute was called to order, with an
attendance Of about 100. The farmers
were well represented from all over the
county, with good sprinkling of visit
ors from other parts of the state.
The programme was an exceedingly
interesting one and will be of practical
benefit to those who carry out the
ideas calculated to touch the interests of
Wood county. The first subject, 'Mak
ing, Saving, and Applying Stable
Manure" was ably handled by R. S.
Kingman, of Sparta. Mr.. Kingman is
an educated, intelligent agrlculturist
whose views are the outgrowth of
practical study and experience. He
advocated the saving of liquid manure
by having stable floors built descending
to water-tight trough emptying into a
cistern or receptacle for utilizing the
material thus saved, that would need
to be diluted before applying. Mr..
Kingman claims that by the methods
commonly used fully one-half of the
ftrtiIizing values are wasted. He said
cistern holding one hundred barrels
would be filled in about three months
from a stable of thirty COWS. Liquid
manure is used for top-dresslng in
meadows and in fact any where that
plant food is required He advised
piling manure in fiat heaps as less con-
duclve to waste. A lively discussion
followed his remarks that served to
bring out a variety of opinions, with
the result in favor of surface manuring
for light sandy soils.
Mr. Thos. Convey gave an exhaustive
discourse on "Clover and Glover Hay
making" He has studied the subject
in all it's bearings and brought out
points of special interest that furnished
matter for discussion in the later SEES
siOns. He is an earnest advocate of
"Pat hay for feed" He emphasizes
the rotation of crops, having eleven
once In three years; urges the study of
the nature of the crop and its constitu-
ent elements, also the return value of
the crop to the land. Frequent refer
ences to the charts giving the scientific
conclusions of experiments in values
were of interest all through the institute.
Mr.. A. Selle who had the topics
"Swine Husbandry" and "Pork making
and Pease" assigned him, brings his
experience in line of industry that is
of special interest to our farmers. In
Wednesdays paper he gives his ex-
perience on farm near Milwaukee,
and thinks pease, selling at $1.00 per bu.
will buy more corn than could be raised
by the same outlay. He counts that
the best Of pork can be produced on
mixed feed of pease and oats or beans
is also good. He advocates growing
larger crops of the Canada pea for feed,
gives it as his opinion that it makes
excellent food for sheep. We regret
we cannot give fuller report of his
methods. One important feature of
pea raising in Wood county is the alb
sence of weevil.
The following interesting program
was rendered Tuesday evening, by the
pupils of the Centralia public schools:
PROGRAMME:
CITY BAND
Blackmer
Beautiful Riyer....".."D Duet .......Amy Compton,
Rena BlacEmer.
Two GlsSses.. .......Fred Alter
DuS Little GIFTS
Don't Lease the Farm Boys. Song ...... Belle
NOyer, Rena Blackmer.
The Two Boot Black Anna Mcmillan
Two ROSES. Quartet. Darlington,
Bell Noyer, Addie Lyonnais Rena Blackmer.
Calsthen1c Exercise. Eight Little Girls
The Green Mountain Justice...Lizzie Cleveland
Hunllng City Band
The Old Chapel Oleson
Spartacus to the Gladiators. Jeffrey
Broken P1tcher..........Solo.~ Miss Howard
Bridget as School Teacher ........Arthur Collier
How the Old Horse Won the Bet....Alta Powers
City Band
EplloSue Fritz