Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-03-10
FARMERS INSTITUTE MEETING.
Following is Synopsis of the Doings
at the Farmers Institute held at
Calmar last Friday and Sat
urday, March and 7.
FRIDAY, MARCH 9TH.


Favored Poland China for profit;
forced the pig to market day and made
them weigh 225 to 240 pounds at seven
months old; fed largely of steamed
ground oats, rye and some corn, the
most corn nearest the end; never al
lowed the pigs to go hungry or sleep in
damp beds; urged the necessity of
cleanliness and careful attention to the
pigs comfort; must have shade in hot
weather.
n. III. MCMAHN urged more atten-
ton to sow at narrowing time; fed light
on oats, bran and slop; was always on
hand at birth of pigs to care for them;
if in cold barn took the pigs in the
house until warm and dry; fed SOW
lightly two weeks; if any pigs got
scours put one tablespoonful each of
ginsen and ginger in part swill for the
sow each day until stopped.
S. A. CONVERSE, of CrescO, gave an
exhaustive talk on how to handle the
calf from start to finish. Fed calf first
ten days on new milk then began
adding warm separator milk, increas-
ing the amount until at twenty days he
is feeding little flax meal, all warm
separator milk, adding whole oats or
shelled corn as soon as they can be
eaten. Never allowed his calves feed
of cold milk, rather have them go
without. Shut his calves up in stanch-
ions before feeding, then placed in a
pail in feed trough before the calf his
mess of warm milk; when drank up
remove the pail and feed some oats,
leaving the calf in the stanchion one
hour to prevent the harmful practice
of ear sucking; forced his calves if for
10, 3,N.r 4, t,s he, .f
got more profit on 1900 at that age than
on 1900 at 40 months old; recommended
breeding to full blood sires, use blOcky,
pact built males.
A. JACOBSON gave common sense
talk on the sheep, its adaptableness to
the general farmer. Kept the large
kinds for good mutton than which
there is nothing better for the farmers
table through the hot weather. No
farm animal pays better return from
brush farms than good sheep
GEO. TYLER always keeps 40 to 80
head and even in days of low priced
wool found them profitable.
ON THE SILO.
PETER MEYER told of it's ancient
origin in Germany many years since;
how that was used first in preserving
beet tops in pits dug i'm the ground and
covered with dirt; of the final storing
of forage crops in stone and wooden
buildings above ground, called silos; of
the universal adoption at the present
day by progressive dairymen whose
unquestioned recommendation admits
necessity of the modern silO. He had
hllt hSi in,
feeding silage but already most highly
recommends its use, as being the most
like natural green grass feed on the
farm, and could not say too much in
its favor as a milk producing food.
s. A. CONVERSE gave it as his eXper-
fence after five years use as being as
necessary an adjunct to the farm eco
Monies as the binder, windmill or corn
planter; could carry his stock on en-
silage cheaper than anything save on
best of pasture; fed it more or less the
year round; gave mich cows ground
grain and little hay besides; seemed
to think the use of silage an exemption
from milk fever.
G.. III. WOOD got in an interesting
talk on the corn binder and shredder;
says he has been offered $500 for the
hay now remaining on the Weiser
farm grown from the same land as he
grew corn on this season. Then he al
so bought $500 worth of hay to carry
like amount of stock to May 10th, as
his shredded corn will do this season.;
said his stock ate it with relish, pre-
ferring it to good hay; the shredded
stalks heated i'm NOW or stack at first
but passing through curing finally
cooled off and remained nearly sweet
and measurably free from mould. He
was asked his opinion of the feasibility
of shredding should there come wet
fall; Thought he would realize same re-
suits as in putting up wet hay. He
called on other parties for whom he
had shredded corn; they said theirs
had kept pretty well.
A. JACOBSON gave his experience
with threshed corn; much loss resulted
from molding in NOW or stack and
thought shredded corn liable to same
conditisns.
EVENING SESSION.
The evening session was great sue
cess and was listened to by crowded
house until late hour, which for cor
net, mandolin, violin and piano music
did great credit to all helpers; the eve
ming addresses, indicating thought,
were full of welcome and sound princi-
Piles while the admirable exercises of
Prof III. l.. Coffeen's scholars were a
glad surprise to all and did very much
credit to themselves and efficiency of
their pains taking professor.
SATURDAY. MARCH 7TH.
T.. l.. BEARD read paper on the
teachings of the needs in the dairy us
brought out the past two years; how
the farmer in the main has not studied
up his calling, but has spent more time
i'm finding fault with the buyers of his
farm products than in informing him
self how he could produce pound of
butter or dozen eggs at one-half the
present cost. This paper brought out
the fact that the cows of northeastern
Iowa only gave an average yield of 100
pounds of butter each in 1895, about
One-third the amount up-tO-date dairy
men are getting from their cows, while |
for the lack of balanced ration thOus-
ands of bushels of grain are wasted
every year. The fact was brought out
conclusively that through lack of pro-
per care much cream was furnished
creameries out of which it was absO-
lutely impossible for even prize win