The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1895-01-09
The Farmers Institute
A Success!

delivered addresses and interesting discuss |
ions, produce asuccessful Farmers Institute |
then the one held at the Opera House last
week was highly successful.
AT the opening session the President, in
his address, referred to the fact that while |
we were able to grow as large crops as for
merly, our market for the cereals had been
destroyed by foreign competition, our horse
trade demoralized by the electric cars and
bicycles, our butter trade threatened by ole
omargarine, and our taxes do not decrease.
The outlook is discouraging. Yet I have
seen harder times, when produce sold for
less and if | could now sell my farm for
fair price l am not now able to see where /
could place the money to better advantage.
Let us strive to improve our surrc findings,
and not make money getting the leading aim
of life. If you have boy fit him out with
team, let him have piece of land to work,
teach him the advantages of farm life, and
encourage him to stay on the farm.
w. |. Chamberlain, in his address on the
" Four Foundation Stones of Farming
named them as 1. Tile Drainage wherever
needed 2. Manure 3. TilIage 4. Rotation
of Crops with Glover.
The benefits of tile drainage are: 1. The
making of culture, tillage and harvesting OF
crops more expeditions; 2. Taking away the
water in the soil as well as on it; 8. Prevent
ing the waste of fertility by washing 4,
w arming the soil 5. Deepening the line OF
root pasturage 6. Tending to pulverize the
soil; 7. Preventing the frost from heaving
out roots.
Manure is simply defined as plant food
added to the soil. The proper manner of
making and saving was dwelt upon and he
| recommended drawing to the field and
spreading as fast as made if the field was
| level and ground not frozen deeply. Other
| wise place in conical heaps, and spread just
| before plowing. manure shed would be
| the last shelter he would build.
Tillage is not manure; but reduces the soil
to fneness and thus allows the plant rvots to
more easily appropriate the fertility.
Rotation of crops helps to kill weeds and
| evens upthe exhaustion of the soil. Glover
| draws nitrogen from the air, while its roots
go deeper, than those of other crops and
| bring up fertility from the subsoil, storing il
in reach of other plants. He sows six quarts
of clover seed to the acre. If timothy is
sown with it he adds the same quantity of
timothy seed.
| F. NJ. Webster gave an instructive talk on
the working of the Ohio Experiment station,
especially of the chronological department,
of which he stands atthe head. The farm at
| Wooster contains 462 acres, most of which is
divided into experiment plats of one-tenth
of an acre each. They are now growing 27C
varieties of wheat, side by side They test
fertilizers, thick and thin seeding, different
varieties of fruits, &C., &c. They publish
pamphlet bulletins, newspaper bulletins and
| emergency bulletins just as often as they
have material to report or necessity demands
After the dinner hour A. 3. Curtiss de
scribed his Method of Cultivating and Hand
ling Potatoes. He plows in the fall if ht
uses no manure. If he uses mature ht
spreads in the winter and plows early il
the spring. He plOws in narrow lands, leav
ing deadfurrows open for drainage H
plants in drills, being particular to have th'
rows straight. Plants sound, unSprouteC
potatoes, One-third of crop as early as posi-
bic, the balance from the 10th to the Goth 0
June. He harrOws with Thomas harrow, al
lowing nothing but the Sabbath to delay it
use when the proper time comes. He sprin
kles to destroy bugs, cultivates level oftel
enough to keep fine mulch, and no oftene1
d gs as soon as ripe, and sells to first cas-
buyer who offers fair price.
In Mr.. Chamberlains second address h
, recommended the rotation of potatoes o.
sod, the ground sown to rye in the fall to b
| turned under the next spring for early pota
| toes, followed by wheat, and the latter b
: clover and timothy two or more years.
: f, NJ. Webster next spoke on How to dea
with the Insect pest in the Orchard. II
described the apple tree borer, which attack
| the tree soon after ira nsplanting from th
nursery. This may be largely prevented b
> anything that will shade the trunk of tn
$ young tree and protect it from the hot SUI
The codling moth, the apple scab, and nj
merous other insect pests may be destroye
by spraying with Bordeaux Mixture an
Paris green. Finally he described the Sa
/ Jose scale which has for years been know
: west of the Rocky Mountains, where it wa
+ hoped it wOnld remain. Not until two yeal
? ago was it known to have crossed to this sidt
e And not until two weeks ago did Mr.. Wei
ster know that it had obtained foothold i
: Ohio. Two orchards in Clermont Co., hav
0 it. The eggs hatch just as the leaves com
f out. The young are very active and may
: carried to distant trees on birds or ants,
/, the wind, and other ways. 1t attacks a
| varieties of fruit trees and where it become
: established fruit growing is at an end.
/ tree found infested by it should be entirel
q destroyed by fire.
/. Mr.. II. III. Loomis next read valuab
S and instructive paper upon the Ohio Scho
= of Agriculture, which was well received.
O In the evening DR.. Chamberlain gave h
/. valuable lecture on "The Cost Of Liber
O and its Present Perils." This was largel
k historical, dealing with the thirty yea
\ struggle for liberty in the Netherlands thrt
d centuries ago. Then he stated a number
# things IN which liberty should be enjoye
b by our people today, but in some of whic
i we do not have it. He suggested two peril
|, The rich growing enormously rich, ms
+ grind down the people to destruction. al
d the people, grown discouraged may demar
, Justice, and not receivieng it, may overtime
Il all government.
= SATURDAY SESSION.
Il Saturday morning II. 0. Reed read an e.
d cellent paper on 'Shall | build SiIo
l. Having decided to keep a dairy, and thin
ing well of ensilage, when he built his ne
barn he left room for silo pits. But the ST
has not been built for several consideration
= lst. The necessity of feeding grain with Il
ensilage. If the corn be allowed to ripe
we can get the corn to feed with the dry fo
der if put into the silo the grain must
provided otherwise. 2. Cost of Silo. She
room for the dry fodder can be built at lie
expense. 3. Labor of handling water. Gree
> corn fodder is from 60 to 80 per cent. waite
f. In making and feeding ensilage this wat
mast be handled over several times. 4. I'll
r. danger of having tainted or sour mil
5. 1t is no more profitable. He had exami
ed the books of several factories and
every case which he had Investigated whel
the dairyman had changed from dry feed
, the continued use of ensiloge, the averas
= amount of milk per COW had decrease