The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-02-11
Mr.. Frank Sheldon of shiawassee town

Mr.. Frank Sheldon of Shiawassee town.
ship made some plausible remarks in
discussing the address of Mr.. Terry.
He thought the farmers of this county
had as good soil for farming and sheep
raising as any part of the earth. The
speaker knew the value of clover as a
fertilizer from experience, and has raised
grand crops from the lands seeded to clio.
yer. Had raised 80 bushels of wheat to
the acre from the use of clover, and real
lied over $4,000 from the raising and feed
ing of about 900 sheep. Mr.. Sheldon
thought we were behind some other
countries in our knowledge of farming,
and this should not be so. We must
raise clover and not weeds. Too large
crops of weeds are raised by the farmers
of this country. We must fit the land
we'll for the growth of clover, as carefully
as we fit the ground for the growth of
onions. Now the clover two years and
pasture it one is good rule to follow.
Mr.. Terry was at this time subjected to
fire of questions taken from the ques-
ton box. He stated thatgthe subsoil of
his 35 acres on which such great things
had been accomplished was heavy clay.
The value of clover as fertilizer on any
land would equal $50 an acre of ordinary
fertilizers. In answer to question as to
whether he was notable exception as
farmer in his part of the country, Mr..
i Terry said no, there were many farmers
who were succeeding as we'll who pursu
ed the same methods of farming. He
had in mind one man who was school
teacher, because his farm would not keep
him. Mr.. Terry advised him to either
be one or the other, and he better in
this case be a farmer and farm his land
by right methods. Adopting the system
of clover fertilizing his farm is now high
ly productive and needs to teach no more
Mr.. Terry denied that institute work
or writing for the papers had made him
we'll off instead of farming.
Sow seed early, about last of February
or first of March, according to location.
Plants are not injured by frost when it is
sowed early enough, although this may
occur on poor land, because clover does
not feed on the surface soil as does tim
othy. Therefore clover is the best for
the other crops. After getting your clo-
yer housed close the doors at night and
cover with straw. Do not crop too con-
tinuously with even clover.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The after dinner session of the institute
opened promptly on time, and the interest
manifested in the morning session was
we'll kept up by the character of the papers
and discussions of the same. The annex to
the auditorium had to be used to accommo-
date the large crowd in attendance.
Under the heading of Economic Stock
Feeding, Mr.. G. II. II. Payne read good
paper on cattle feeding. After an expert
ence of seven years he had found corn ensi-
lage to produce good results in cattle feed
ing. If properly fed with little clovr hay
all kinds of stock may be kept through the
winter in good condition. On some farms
the stock are not we'll wintered. Chewing
dry corn stalks on cold, windy, wintery
day, by hungry, exposed cattle is mistake
farmers too often make. Cattle must be
we'll cared for and we'll fed to get good
results.
First, provide good shelter against ex.
posure to the elements. Then good feed.
Mr.. Bailey, of Venice, gave some well
digested statistics on the feeding of sheep
Middlings and oats found by experience to be
not the best feed for making mutton. In Q
particular case of flock of Shropshire
sheep that was not doing we'll the owner
found that feeding oats and corn with 9
quantity of hay produced the best of results
: The lambs being kept In different pens
according to conditions. Increasing thu
relative quantity of corn, found by expert
ence to produce pound of mutton out OF
! pounds of grain and pounds of hay
Feeding the flock for the past rs days hal
l produced an average gain of nearly one
half pound day in the flock, which is mos
| remarkable.
} In feeding lambs for mutton much de
5 pends upon the care and proportion of tn,
/ grains. In this particular case the grain
5 were IN equal proportion to produce tn,
: best result. The lambs when sold netted
+ gain of about $l.00 each.
I Mr.. Bailey sought to point out the dis
, crepancies in the published experiment
q at the Agricultural College, comparing thes
. reports with actual experience In his neigh
, borho0d.
In discussion of the subject of sheel
feeding Mr.. Ball undertook to harmonize th
statements of Mr.. Bailey and the pubishe,
: : statements of the Agricultural College, b.
the suggestion that Mr. Bailey raised sheel
;, solely for money, and the college expert
: ments were based upon the producing O
: better breeds.
J. w. Hibbard, of Bennington, In the ali
. sence of the speaker, was assigned to dis
cuss the subject of feeding hogs. Mr.. Hill
| L.