The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1893-08-18

to the farm for a pasture. It also be.
came necessary to build an addition to
the creamery to accommodate the stu
dents of the dairy school.
The Work of the Year.
There has been no notable change in
the character of the work the past year
from that of previous years. Most of
the lines of investigation can be grouped
under the headings, Fertilizer Control, Pig
Feeding, Plant Diseases and Their Rene
dies and Dairying, in the broadcast sense
of this latter term. The results obtained
in these several lines will be very briefly
sketched in the following report:
Fertilizer Control.
AS required by law, this station has
made analyses during the year Of the
various brands licensed for sale in this
state. The results have shown that the
farmer has obtained plant food in the
fertilizers at about the same price as dur
ing the previous year. All of the fertili-
zers have been up to their guarantees.
A comparison has been instituted be-
tween the results of the fertilizer inspec-
ton in Vermont for the years 1885 to
1898 inclusive. Some very interesting
facts are brought to light. The retail
price of fertilizers has dropped steadily
during these nine years from 1870 in
1885 to $32.32 in 1898, or a fall of $3.50.
At the same time the composition of the
fertilizers has somewhat improved.
There was a decided improvement dur
ing the years 1883 and 1889, since which
there has been a falling off in quality,
but the average goods in 1898 are worth
about $1.50 a ton more than the goods of
1885.
1t is evident then that the farmer at
the present time is getting more plant
food for his money than he was eight
years ago. A dollar in 1898 bought as
much plant food as $1.24 in 1885. On
the aggregate fertilizer business of the
state this amounts to a large sum. 1t
means that the farmers of this state are
$780, 900 yearly from what the same
fertilizers would have cost in 1885. Many
influences have combined reproduce this
and there is no doubt but that
the work Of the station in sampling, |
analyzing and publishing the results
broadcast over the state has been one of
influences, and by no means the
least.
Pig Feeding.
The work in pig feeding during the
past year has been a continuation of that
Of previous years, the general idea being
to ascertain the best and most econom-
ical way of using the skimmilk from the
for the production Of pork. The
experiments conducted seem to show
hat the soul skimmilk produced just as
good results, pound for pound, a. sweet
Where there was any differ
'nce, it vas in favor of soul skimmilk.
This corresponds with the results OBJ
aimed in a similar investigation a year
lgo and seems to indicate that the farm
rs need not be afraid that they are los
ng money every time the milk sours on
he way home from the creamery, and
reamery men need not go to any ex-
,ense or trouble to so handle the skim
milk as to sterilize it and keep it sweet.
Two ounces of cornmeal to each quart
f skimmilk has yielded the pound of
,ork at the least cost of food. A larger
mount of cornmeal has produced a
rapid growth, but at an increased
ost for food for each pound of pork
.bove its market value.
During heavy feeding in preparation
or market, ~ quarts Of skimmilk daily
o each pig, with all the cornmeal that
would be eaten, produced a more rapid
and at less cost per pound than
tx quarts of milk under similar condi-
ions.
A method of feeding during the earlier
months which tends to the development
f bone, muscle and digestive organs,
ather than the formation OF fat, pro-
ides a foundation on which greater
rofit will be made when heavy feeding
egins in preparation for market. Any
Of feeding which furnishes bulky
BOD tends to the larger growth of the
tomach and intestines, and a larger per
emit In shrinkage in dressing. Watery
BOD has the same influence.
The eight pigs in these tests increased
1 live weight 1913 pounds, which sold
3r $112. 81, while the food they ate cost
1915 8 a profit of $50. 90. The grain they
to cost $44.11, which subtracted from
,e amount for which they sold leaves
80. 20 as the amount realized for the 49,
I2 pounds of skimmilk they ate, which
equivalent to 35 cents per 100 pounds.
he fertilizing value Of the food was
500, or 81 per cent of its market value.
wing to the high price of pork at the
me they were marketed, they could
been profitably fed to a greater
eight than in our previous experiments,
ut W. at Z cents a pound, dressed
they yielded no profit during the
st period after they weighed on the
yerage $50 pounds apiece, and at or
Iinary prices for pork profit would have
eased at about 200 pounds live weight. J
Potato Blight.
1t has been definitely ascertained that
praying potato vines will help 10 pre-
-ent the damage from potato blight. {
trials with IL different preparations
bowed that the strong bordeaux mixture .
ave the best results. though good re
ults were also obtained from bordeaux
and molasses, from weak Dor. '
Ieaux mixture from modified eau celeste.
The gain from spraying varied widely.
IN the average in the tests the gain was