Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-04-15
Notes From Our Agricultural College.
By Prot. w. A. Henry,

adopted a new one containing many
| thousands of names. If we have
omitted any of our old friends through
oversight or otherwise, | hope they
will not fail to remind us Immediately
of the fact. Others interested in az
ricultural advancement who have
never received our reports, are urged
to send IN their names to be entered
on the regular list.
RECENT BULLETINS.
We are now mailing two bulletins
of much Importance to farmers and
gardeners.
Bulletin 40, entitled "The Mainten-
ance of Soil Fertility; Com mercial
| Fertilizers, gives helpful information
| concerning the fertility Of the soil and
how this fertility can be maintained;
it also contains list of commercial
fertilizers licensed by law to be sold
in the state during the current year,
| together with their analyses and valu-
atlOns.
Bulletin SO is entitled "The Hot
| Water Treatment for the Prevention
OF Smut on Oats, Wheat and Barley"
This bulletin is important to all grain
growers since 1T gives directions for
using the Jensen hot-water treatment
OF seed grain to prevent smut. Every
farmer who reads these notes knows
that every year he loses more or less
Of his oat crop because some of the
heads turn into smut instead OF grain.
! The bulletin teaches how to treat
| seed oats and other grains with hot
water, which kills the smut spores ad-
herring to the grains and thus prevents
them from infesting the growing plants
and finally producing smut. All
that a farmer, adopting this treat
ment, need purchase is a good Their
mometer. The bulletin is fully illus
trated and shows plainly how the
work is done
These two bulletins will as usual 60
TO all farmers whose names are on the
station mailing list, and to al who
} send III their names on postal cards,
as long as our supply lasts.
CONCERNING POTATO CROP FOR 1896.
A great many farmers, and especi-
! ally those in the north central part
of the state, are feeling very sore yet
over their potato experience in 1895,
| and many are SO disgnsted with their
venture in that year that they will
not attempt to make a little fortune
In single year as they did then, but
| drop out of the business for the pre-
sent at least.
| Prudent farmers will bear in mind
the following facts:
/. The immense potato crop of 1895
will have all disappeared by the mid
die OF July of the present year. The
surplus Of a potato crop cannot be
stored Up like wheat to menace the
succeeding crops;again, the price which
potatoes command in this country is
practically controlled by the produc-
ton Of our own country. In this
particular it differs greatly from
wheat, the price of which is made by
what it brings in foreign markets in
competition with wheat from every
quarter of the globe.
! 2. In 1895 there was an ally
| large acreage of potatoes, stimulated
through the large profits which had
come to growers in previous years.
The disastrous lesson of last year
will drive out all the adventures
this season.
Remembering all these facts, our
| prudent Wisconsin farmers, who have
| lands suitable for potato culture, will
| not fail TO plant reasonable acreage
| of potatoes the coming season, IN eX-
pectatiOn that the chances are large
| ly in favor of profitable returns. The
wise farmer DESTROYS Of growing po-
| tatoes profitably will adopt mixed
farming in which dairy husbandry or
mutton production is a leading line.
| 70 feed the stock such a. farm re-
| quires that clover, grasses, corn and
| other grains begrOwn. Potatoes will
be planted this year in one field, next
/ year on another and so on in rota-
ton with other crops. When prices
for potatoes are low, our prudent
potato grower has his income from
other sources sufficient to bring him
out even at least at the end of the
year; when prices for potatoes rule
high, he will have surplus otincome
to lay up for a rainy day. Let US
notforget that Wisconsin has already
established a putation for potatoes
of fine quality and their equal cannot
be produced in the states south Of us.
Potato growing is a legitimate indus
try for this state and will continue
profitable to our farmers in the flu
ture as in the past, when the returns
for series of years are considered.
FARMERS INSTITUTES.
superintendent McKerrow reports
that the interest and attendance st
the Institutes for the past season
have exceeded that of former years.
One hundred and six Institutes have
been held this season, at eleven of
which cooking schools were held. The
fifty thousand copies of Institute
Bulletin No. 9 have now been all dis
tributed. State Supt. Emery called
for 5000 bound copies to go into as
many district school libraries in the
state Superintendent McKerrow is
now busy in preparation of the tenth
bulletin, which will be full Of interest
ing reading matter for the farmer,
containing in addition to other feat
ures resume of the ten years work
in the institu- line.
Farmers who wish an institute held
| in their nelohbOrhOOd thecOminp sea-