The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-03-06
FARMERS INSTITUTE.
A Very Interesting Meeting Instructive
Lectures on Fertilizers and Dairy
Pertinent Questions Asked
and Answered.


! about so persons were present, End IN the
afternoon the attendance was about 100. The
average attendance throughout the state has
| been about I25, so Director Amoss SAID. and
| Carroll has shown up as well as other counties:
! Notwithstanding the drawback of mud and
rain. Al the meeting on Wednesday were
some Of the most successful and intelligent
farmers of Carroll Among them were Gran
Vile S. Haines, John W. Murray, B. F. Shriv
er, &. +. Bowman, l.. p. Slingluf, Luther
| Sharrsts. John NJ. Bush, DIR. J. Rinehart,
VIM. Y Frizell, Evan Haines, Lewis Cash,
John Roger, Samuel Reop, Nathan Bale,
Job Hibberd, jeremiah Geiman, George P.
l.. Hoover, john W. Myers, james ID. Haines,
| Lee Black, Joseph l. Gist, John Weybright,
d. J. Brown. George Lawyer, George Sehaef-
fer. James Ii. Myers, Uriah Bixler, Charles
w. Myers, Albert Schaetfer, E. NJ. Bish,
Grove A. Shipley and Theo. F. Englar.
Director W. l.. Amoss explained the object
of farmers institutes rather fully told how sue
cessfull they had been in other states, partlcu-
larly in New York, in arousng interest among
farmers and calling their attention to better
methods of farming, care of stock, use of fer
tilizers, trucking and fruit raising, well as
utilizing much that now goes TO waste, and
he believed the same would result from the
institutes in this state He said that the pro-
gram could not be fully carried out, as one
lecturer had very i'll child, and could not
attend and there was no time to procure an
other, and for some unexplained reason the
third lecturer had not appeared. Prof ID. ).
Patterson however, was on the program for
two lectures, and it is well, perhaps, that the
other lecturers were hot present. lie gave
the audience sufficient to think over and d.
rest. and had the other lectures been deliver
ed it would have been too much, according
TO the opinion of some. All were highly de
lighted with Prof. Patterson's lectures, and it
is safe to predict that when another institute
is held in Carroll there will be a very large
attendance.
Fertilizers. h
After preliminary remarks by Mr. Amoss,
he introduced Prof II. j. Patterson, Chemist
of the Experiment Station at Maryland. Agrl-
cultural College, who spoke on fertilizers.
He divided fertilizers into three classes
home, commercial and indirect. The home
consisted of barnyard manure, compost, &c.
commercial, was that made of South Carolina
rock, acids and salts; indirect, lime and plas-
Ter. Farmers, he said, did not pay enough
attention to home fertilizers, allowing much
of it TO 90 TO waste, and much money was
wasted in the purchase of commercial mix
lures Their lands, perhaps, would need only
one Ingredient, whereas the commercial fer
tilizer would contain three. His advice was
that farmers ascertain the needs of their land
and then purchase materials and mix IT them
selves Commercial fertilizers, he said, con-
tanned more plant food than the yard manure,
but the organic matter in the latter made the
soil better and retain moisture longer. Farm
ers would not buy long handle shovel when
they needed short handle one, yet he said
they would do practically as senseless thing
in buving fertilizers that their soils did not
/ x,bn a
manure and compost they need, were advised
to plant clover, peas or other green crops and
plow it under The soil needed organic mat
ter. and The speaker recommended scarlet
clover as the best of green crops. Some
farmers. he said. preferred bone to South
Carolina rock. The rock contained about
12B per cent. of phosphoric acid and bone 10
to Is per cent, but bone was more expensive.
He believed that as good results would be
obtained, in tests, from rock, with a little
nitrate supplied, as from bone.
In commercial fertilizers South Carolina
rock is the source of phosphoric acid. Potash
is obtained from wood ashes, and German
potash salt The latter is mined in Germany,
a 1000 feet below the surface, and comes to
us rs KANT and muric potash. In 100 pounds
of KANT are l2a pounds of plant food. In
100 pounds high grade potash there are 80
pound of actual potash. Prof. Patterson adj
vised the use ofhigh grade, as it was four times
as valuable. Though the cost may be rela-
lively as high, one ton would go as far as four,
and the saving of freight. hauling and hand
| ling would partly make up the difference IN
cost. Nitrogen, said Prof.. Patterson, Is the
most expensive element of commercial tertll-
! iZers, and consequently less was used. Nitro
gen had to be in the form Of nitrate before it
could be used, and nitrate of soda was the best
| T. Ia, hot nj Iai
on wheat that looked badly after winter had
passed the effect would be noticeable in "A
hours. Organic nitrogen-blood, fish, &c.-
contains some phosphoric acid. Nitrate of
soda was recommended as fine for trucking,
particularly for tomatoes and it was good to
sprinkle plants with it about the time they
bloom II made them produce better.
Commercial fertilizers were often mixed so
as to meet the demand for something cheap,
and the farmer, he said, often got what he did
not need The best fertilizers, said Prof
Patterson. were not those that smell the
strongest, but some people think so, aud some
manufacturers have added something to pro-
duce a strong smell.
Lime contains no plant food, but is valuable
because its action upon the sell liberates and
makes available the plant food already in the
! ground.
The lecture was about an hour in length
and quite exhaustive Pref Patterson seem
| ed thoroughly familiar with the subject and
the lecture was highly interesting and in
structure At the close he was asked ques-
tons by Messrs. l.. P. Slingluff, Evan Haines,
John NJ Bush. John w. Murray and Gran
vile S. Haines, and he gave satisfactory an
swers to all. His replies were about as fol-
| lows:
Fertilizers ought to be broad-casted. When
| IL, fIa Hod
! beyond the soil fertilized, or the roots were
curtaled and in dry weather did not reach out
| far enough to obtain sufficient moisture.
| Whether 100 or 1000 pounds were to be used,
it should be put on broadcast. Shell and
rock lime were equal in value-that is a pound
of lime is equal to pound of lime. Rock
! lime weighed 60 pounds to the bushef and
! shell lime 40. They we're not equal bushel
for bushel.
! Nitrogen and ammonia are practically one
and the same.
Lime is really more valuable on lime stone
| land than on sandy soils.
Whether it was better to invest 500 in lime
| or in commercial fertilizers depended upon the
condition of the soil. In some cases lime
would produce the better results, and in others
the fertilizers would. A recess was taken
from II to 1.30 and, in the afternoon Prof.
Patterson delivered lecture on
Dairying.
This lecture was highly instructive and was
| given the closest attention. As many farmers
are engaged in dairy farming we give the lee
ture very nearly as delivered. Prof Patter-
son said:
Dairy farming depends really upon three facts
| the man. the cow and the feed"
The dairyman should have a mild and even tenn
permanent; should be lover of animals and keen
observer of their Municipalities and idiosyncrasies;
| should have Il full appreciation of the importance
of the word Now, and browning al should possess
unusual degree of sensibiliy of cleanliness and
neatness. There are some who are born dairymen:
| others acquire it, and the latter will require a
| higher degree of intelligence than the former.
| A good dairyman take entire care of at least
! % cows and the accommodating young stock from
same, or give an equivalent amount of labor OF
course to do this will require that all the stable
engagements shall be of the most convenient sort
Such can be procured at from $1,000 to $1,000
per month and house, which will make the atten-
ton cost about S17.00 per COW per annum
THE Cow The COW is the foundation of the
| whole dairy business. Success depends more on
the herd than any other point. Much of course
depends upon the feed and care but the best of feed
and care will not make poor good one or
will not bring with capacity of 1000 pounds
of milk 100 pounds of butter to 5000 pounds of
milk or 800 pounds of butter annually.
In selecting dairy herd it is not my purpose to
advise you to particular breed, oIly let il be
special dairy anmalsand not general purpose ones;
and in this connection would say that good dairy
animals do not necessarily mean fancy bred stock
yet would not say word against pedigreed stock
it is grand thing and has its place; but at the
same time if buying pure bred COWS insist gett-