The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-11
END OF A GREAT YEARS WORK
ALONG THE LINES DEVELOPED BY
THE STATE SCHOOL AND
FARM.
THE MAKING of HusnANDMEN
In the Best Sense of the Word the
Aim of the State IDstitu-
ton.

Q. c. Gregg were received Saturday at
the capitol. The report covers in de-
tail the work of the various farmers
institutes held during the year. In
submitting his report to S. NJ Owen,
the president of the board of admins
tration. Mr.. Gregg says:
/ herewith submit to you our Farmers In
stitute Annual No. 9, for the year 1896. The
book is again presented as a result of the
combined work of the members of the far
meTs institute corps and members or the
state farm school and experiment station. An
other years experience in the field has given
us additional evidence that these annual books
of practical agriculture coming to be re-
garded, more and more, as the books which
form the agricultural library of the farmers
of our state. Minnesota Is to be congratu-
lated in that the force of the field as repre-
sented by the institute corps and the teach
ers of the school and experiment station work
together so tremendously, so that we are
enabled to produce a book that is yearly
adding to that practical information that
every farmer needs in order TO meet with the
changing agricultural conditions of today.
We again report that he institute work in
the field is still increasing in interest and use
fulness. The attendance is in nowise dimin-
iShed. We believe that the best work is yet
to be done. 1t Is matter of common obser-
walton that Minnesota is rapidly adopting
those better methods that shall place the agri-
cultural interests Of our state upon a substan-
tial foundation.
After brief history of the Mime
sofa school Of agriculture, in which
the excellent results that have been
achieved and the progress that has
been made are pointed out, the report
takes up the subject Of the experiment
tai work Of the state station. On this
point the report says:
1t has been argued that the farmer can
work out these problems for himself. He
cannot do it. He cannot afford either the
time or expense. Neither has he the facili-
ties for doing the work in accurate and
painstaking manner 1t would not be incorrect
to affirm that more that is valuable has been
discovered already through the work conduct
ed by the experiment stations than was
brought to light without such aid during the
previous century. And the work Of the ex-
pertinent stations has only, in a sense, got
started.
The subject of visiting delegations
is also treated in detail and it is urged
that more farmers take advantage of
the opportunity offered to visit the
station and see what is being done and
the methods used
Under the head Of dairying depart
ment, Henry Snyder professor OF
chemistry, contributes. an article on
the uses of dairy foods and the ration
to be fed, which has a marked effect
on the milk produced. Charles Linse,
CT La Crosse. Wis, also contributes
n.
Mr. L.inse is one Of the leading dairy
men of Wisconsin, and have been en-
gagged in that line for the past thirty
years.
Under the head of Horse Depart
ment," DR.. J. c. Curryer, assistant
superintendent Of state farmers insti-
tutes at Mankato, has an interesting
article relating to herding interests Of
farmers, which says:
Our farmers broad and rnar mara +hoy three
fourths of all the horses in the country. and it
is OF vital Importance that they should know
as much about the business is possible to
learn. The Improvement in the breeding of
our horses can only be accomplished by a.
close observation of conditions as they exist
today, and by careful compliance with the
laws OF nature that govern all cases.
Prof. Thomas Shaw treats at length
on the question of How to Grow Beef
in Minnesota" He says:
To say that we cannot grow beef in Min
nesota at profit is simply absurd. In
the judgment of the writer it is about as
absurd as to say that beef cannot be pro-
duced at a profit in any of the states of the
Union, more especially in the finished form.
Those who argue against the possibility of
profitable beef production in our state on
the ground that We cannot compete with the
cheap production Of the ranges might as
well argue that no other state in the Union
could grow beef at a profit in competition with
the ranges. and yet we know that the people
OF Iowa, Indiana and Illinois, also Nebraska
are growing beef every year in larger guam
| titles in the face Of such competition. The
people Of those states are not doing this
work for amusement, but for the money
there is in it.
as the people of the corn belt is g. libel upon
the producing powers OF our state. A large
proportion of our state Will grow as much
corn for food purposes per acre, grain and
slower taken together, as can be grown in
the corn belt
The three ways In which beef can be
grown, ON pasture. from milking COWS
and finishing beef grown on the ranges,
are explained at length
An experiment is now being coducted
at the state farm in feeding range
steers. They were bought at gilbert
son, Mont. They are two years old
and when unloaded. in transit, at
Crookston they weighed LOO pounds
each. What the outcome will prove
cannot, of course, be known until the
steers are sold; but it may be of in
terest to state that it cost little more
than 81 each to bring them from Gull
bertson to st. Paul. distance of
about 700 miles
Minnesota ought, Prof Shaw says to
grow much beef. Our farming will
never be sufficiently diversified until
we do. Suppose wall was built around
our state and around each of the other
beef-producing states; suppose the re-
!
other was absolutely prohibited is 1t
not fact that under these conditions
Minnesota would, or might be, better
supplied with food components for
beef production than any other state
in the Union, without exception? Chal-
lenge this statement who may, the
writer will feel it duty to defend it..
II we all knew how good a state we
live in, who among us would find fault
with Minnesota?
The department devoted to swine,
edited by Theo. Louis, of Louisville,
Wis. devotes much space to the correct
building Of hog houses The hog chol-
era and swine plague are the subject of
an article from II. M Reynolds. vet
erinarian at the farm. All the outbreaks
thus far investigated have been traced
to hogs shipped in from Sioux City or
shipped out from the Minnesota Trans
fer stock yards. The outbreaks re-
ported in 1896 have been numerous and
the situation at present is serious with
these diseases SO widely scattered over
the state.
The swine interests of Minnesota
have been seriously injured during the
years 1894 and 1895 by epidemics of
swine diseases.
Outbreaks have been reported from
ST. James, MadeIia, Albert Lea MapIe
ton, Blue Earth City, Ilangdon, Cot
tage Grove and several other places
An outbreak last year in Washington
county, Cottage Grove and WOODBURY.
townships. and an outbreak that has
assumed serious features at this writ
ing at Madelia, Watonwan county. have
been especially severe. In an ont
break investigated by the experiment
station near ST. James last fall 700
head. valued at S. per head. were
found to have been lost within few
miles Of the town. The loss from June