Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-03-11
Secretary's Report Of the Llme:spring
Farmers Institute

Meu!i.,3 was cslled to order by Presi
dent F.qend at 2 p. M. March l, in Nash't
hall. The attendance was fair, nearly
half of the audience being ladies, thus
showing the interest of the better hall
in the institute work. Cresco and vein.
ity we're we'll represented by lively del
egation, who came to add their mite of
information and to carry away as much
as their mental capacity allowed.
All joined in singing the patriotic
hymn "Amerlca," after which Rev. Bow.
der led in prayer.
The address of welcome by @. N. Flag
Ter followed, which was ELOQUENT and to
the point. bidding the farmers Hearty
welcome. Owing to severe cold M
Leslie was unable to respond, but as
Lime Springs knows no lack of timber
in such an emergency, P. Noonan came
forward IN response to the invitation OF
the president, responding to the hearty
welcome already received in a most
timely manner.
Prof. Curtis, who was then introduced
to the institute, after few preliminary
remarks, gave an address on "The
Excellency of Beef and Dairy Cattle
the depth of which clearly showed how
superficial had been the investigation OF
our farmers on the same topic at the
former institutes. His charts of illus
tration aided greatly in making his in
vestigations tangible to the mind of the
common farmer. He considered that the
farmers of our county were moving in
the right direction by endeavoring to
convert the farm products into beef and
butter, and that we were in a favored To-
cation, as nature had favored us with a
wonderfully productive soil. Then fol.
lowed an estimate of the sale of field
produce as compared with the feed lot
and dairy. He said that when you sold
from the farm $1,000 of corn you had
really sold $500 worth of your soil. or
that it would cost that to restore the fer.
tility of which you had robbed it, while
| if this $1,000 had been derived from the
Nsale CT beef it would have cost only $50
or $50 to have replaced the fertility
And still better if the $1,000 had been de.
rived from the sale of butter, your farm
would in no wise be depleted, as sugar,
cotton and butter are the only products
that can be raised without depletion of
the farm. Furthermore, the marketing
of $1,000 worth Of butter will cost only
$50, while to market similar amount of
corn one year ago would cost about as
much as the corn itself was worth.
He insisted upon the necessity of hav-
ing the right kind of stock, backing this
statement by the result of an experiment
at Ames. The experiment showed that
in the feed lot so far as gain in pounds
is concerned the breed cuts no figure, as
the Jersey, although an inferior locker,
gained two pounds per day, while Here.
ford gained 2U3 pounds per day-only a
slight increase over the gain of the Jer.
sey; but when these individual animals
were marketed the Hereford sold for 10
cents hundred above the top quota,
tions of any breed, while the Jersey sold
S2.l2 below the top quotations. Owing
to the fact that the Hereford dressed out
671s per cent while the Jersey dressed
out only o71a per cent. While the gain
had been nearly the same in pounds it
had not been the same in market value,
as the Hereford converted more of it's
food into choice cuts of meat, while the
Jerseys gain had been in loose fat-suet
and affel. He stated that one.third of
the animal in the back represents two.
thirds the value of the animal.
He cited two extremes Of Jerseys as
dairy COWS, one of which yielded over
500 pounds of butter fat this year; the
other of which was a complete failure
although presenting an exterior appear.
ance in no wise Inferior to the former.
From foregoing he arrives at the con.
clusion that we cannot follow blood
blindly. Take the blood for what it is
worth, but individuality should be the
prime consideration.
Said the tendency of the jersey in this
country is to become larger and the Hol-
stein to give richer milk. Any good
breed of dairy COWS will pay on full flow
of milk, and believes they should have at
least two months rest to supply the waste
of the system. The persistent mixer is
developed by proper care during her first
period of lactation~
Believes in the score card as an educa-
tor, and kindly offered to supply Presi-
dent Smith with number of these, which
may be obtained on application.
The institute was then favored with
music by the Lime Springs quartet.
Next topic, "The Dairy" was opened
by B. P. Norton, who does not take much
stock in the steer, as he has a grudge
against him on account of the fact that
he aids in the production of oleomargar-
inc. Said that the feed that would pro-
duce pound of beef would produce a
pound Of butter. which was worth great
deal more. After further rema rks he
gave i'll the requested report of his dairy
operations, which appears elsewhere in
this issue.
Then followed lively discussion in
which various questions by Messrs.
Cook, Doolittle, Woodward, Conyerse