The Monitor-register., 1896-07-24

The quarterly meeting of the Salem
| County Board of Agriculture was held In
Library Hall on Wednesday afternoon,
with only fair Attendance of farmers
and their wives. Riohman Coles, Presi.
dent, occupied the chair.
| Some bills we're read and ordered paid,
and Empson Atkinson introduced an
amendment to the constitution, as fol-
lows, which, under the rules, lays over
until the next meeting for action:
Article 4. The officers of this associa-
tion shall be President, Vice President.
Secretary and Treasurer, who, with one
from each agricultural or horticultural
| organization, and one from each town.
ship, provided such township shall have
membership in this County Board of
Agriculture, elected to it, shall constitute
Board of Directors, all OF whom shall
hold office for one year, or until their
successors are elected, and shall be
elected at the annual meeting by major
ity of the members present.
Pedricktown was selected as the place
for the next meeting.
K. FL. Smith, of Salem, opened dis.
oussion on "How can we best carry our
stock through the winter ?" His expert.
enoe was that November was the most
difficult month of the year for cattle, and
he recalled the fact that MIR. Gould advo.
Gated sowing peas and oats either in July
or August to feed during November, as
either will stand the frost. Following
this he would use ensilage as the best
| winter ration. The silo was generally
discussed and number of questions
asked as to construction, etc.
G. R. Loveland led discussion on
Summer Seeding of Grass" advocating
| seeding at this time of the year rather
than in the spring as likely to give bet
ter stand. He asked for the opinions of
| others.
Jos. L. Duell said he had sown grass
seed as late as August Goth, and had cut
the largest grass crop from it be had ever
gathered.
B. F. Straughen, of Pedricktown, said
the farmers of that section generally
| sOwed their grass seed-clover and timo
thy-after watermelons, as they went
through with the boeharrow the last
time. To SOW after harvest gives better
results than sowing In the spring.
Mr.. Loveland advocated sowing after
the harrow rather than before. and then
rolling the ground. To SOW the ground |
and then put on the harrow was apt to |
bunch the seed, especially on corn ground, |
as the stubs would more than likely clog
under the harrow.
W. M. Coles said clover seed, covered |
two inches deep, would never come up.
3. jackson Morgan said in reply to q /
question, that he had tried cutharrowin |
stubble ground, instead of plowing, then |
sowing grass seed, with only fair results |
Richman Coles said they had tried |
similar method, after blowing a portion
of the field, but the crop of hay was not
near as good on the part where they used |
only the cutharrOw.
Mr.. Morgan said he had plowed a sod |
under and asked as to the best time to |
SOW the seed.
Opinions differed, some thinking it
would be best to leave it until late, in /
order to let the sod rot as much as possible
VIM. Riohman and Empson Atkinson
both thought it was uncertain to SOW
grass seed after a sod. The former advo-
Gated the use of lime, saying he cut this
season on piece of land where he had
lined for corn five times as much hay as
where he put no lime.
E. II. Smith suggested that perhaps
the beneficial effect of the lime was be-
cause the land had been sour, rather than
to any direct result in producing the hay.
Jos. L. Duell oorroborated Mr.. Rich-
man, and said lime had greatly helped
his hay crop.
Geo. Fl. Kirby raised the question as
to whether the color of corn affected It's
nutritious qualities. 1t is claimed, he
said, that yellow corn has greater
strength than white or light.colored
corn.
s. Jackson Morgan said he raised the
light colored corn and he was told at the
mill that one or their customers would
only buy yellow corn to feed his fatten-
ing cattle.
VIM. Riohman said he had always
heard that yellow corn had the greatest
strength.
Empson Atkinson said a good method
to make test of the relative quality of
the grains was to feed them to chickens,
and that the yellow corn would make the
flesh yellow as also the yolks of the eggs,
while the light-colored corn would have
tendency to tighten the appearance of
the flesh as we'll as the eggs.
Geo. Fl. Kirby said that the ooloring
properties of corn in feeding poultry had
been exploded In his mind, and he gave
an instance of marketing poultry that
had been fed on Mr.. Morgan's light
colored corn, and he never saw poultry
with such yellow skin.
Il. IL. Smith said the color of the flesh
of poultry was due more to the breed
than the feed.
The topic of discussion was again
changed by s. Jackson Morgan saying
he had noticed that his apples were very
knotty, and asked If others had noticed
the same thing, especially those who had
sprayed.
No one had any particular experience
along this line, but Empson Atkinson
said he had no doubt but that fair apple
crop could have been secured If the trees |.
had been sprayed.
G. r. Loveland wanted remedy for a
caterpillar that was destroying his
grapes.
M. D. Dickinson said he had noticed
the same trouble On his vines, and had
picked the oaterpillars off and destroyed
them.
Richmau Coles recommended spraying.
President Coles then inquired of Mr..
Straughen as to the prospects for water
melon crop. He replied that last year
watermelon raisers did well, and in con-
sequence they had this year planted
greatly increased acreage, with the hope
OF retiring from the profits of their large
sales, but that God, in His all. wise provi-
dence, had sent the lice to. destroy the
vines. In some instances they had
already destroyed whole patches, and
mostly about third or more. This
latter would prove an advantage, for had
all been allowed to mature. the market
would have been glutted and the farmers
would not have realized enough to pay
them for picking the melons. He said
he had found no remedy for the lice,
though there were a few parasites that
were destroying them, yet they matured
so rapidly as to defy these.
Prof. Halsted did not appear, and there
being no fur ther business, the meeting
adjourned.