The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-30
TO MAKE FARM|Ae PAY
Many Interesting Topics of Dis.
cussion at the Institute.
AS TO BENCH LANDS
Lieutsnant Ahern on Hens, Their Habits.
Methods and Laying Qualities-The
Attendance Light Because OF
the Heavy Snow.

weather of the past three or four days
Will, il is feared, serve to keep away
many ranchers who otherwise would
have been glad to attend the farmers
institute which began in this city this
morning. The roads are filled with
snow from two to o u feet in depth,
and it will be simply impossible for
some of the m to get to W AS
consequence the opening session OF
the institute, which was held at III
o'clock this morning at the court house,
Vas not very well attended. w. M.
Cockrill. who, as representative OF the
city's interest in the farmer, was to
have delivered the address of welcome,
failed to put In an appearance, ana
very little was done. F. +. Stork OF
Fairview, the president of the associa-
tion, called the meeting to order, ana
after a few preliminary remarks a
committee on resolutions was appoint
a. 1t consisted of p. H. Hughes, Prof.
o. Morrison, Paris Gibson and &. II.
CeNRpbeQ. The session then adjourned
sntir 1:3o-p.m.
SThe afternoon session opened with
C,-E. Stork again in the chair. Inc
court TOWN had a comfortable audi
ence, and one which was large enough
to deserve the address OF welcome
which was delivered by w. w. Cockrili.
He spoke of the work that the ranchers
were DOING TOT CdScdut ouits oho -
the iniquity of the local merchant In
importing from other states the PORK
and eggs which could as well be raised
at home. In concluding his speech, ne
stated that he had been instructed by
the may of the city to throw the Key
OF the city at the institute, and ne was
very glad to do so metaphoricaliy.
The chairman then mat
the next thing on the programme was
the answering of the questions IN the
question box. Unfortunately no such
receptacle had been provided, and on
suggestion of Professor Emery an
empty waste basket was pressed into
the service. In the meantime the CHAIR
announced a paper by Lieutenant
Ahearn on the subject of the raising
of poultry for profit. The lieutenant
opened his remarks in a pleasant
way by stating that he was an oficer
in the regular army, and II had been
during his command of colored troops
which had first engaged his ATTENTION
to the poultry question. lie then pro-
ceeded in an informal way to give the
audience a few pointers on the meth
DDS to pursue in order to make mems
lay. He stated that the principal thing
was to make them cheerful and con-
tented and free from all sources OF ms
turbance. The second essential was 10
make them rustic for a part OF theii
win He had aid down the maxir.
That tile ChlChO tho e'N
chicken that lays. In the discourse
that followed he laid down a few rules
as to the necessities of happiness IN
hen life: plenty of exercise. of good AIR,
comfortable quarters and variety Oh
food. He also spoke of the diseases To
which the hen is prey. and gave sTe-
cities for their cure. Quite a little DIS
cussion followed his address, III the
course of which the lieutenant com
mitted himself to the statement that
the Plymouth Rock was the best all
round breed that could be selected for
this country, and that i and 2-year-oiu
birds were the most profitable.
A paper on cold waves and storm
signals from G. l.. HerZog, the local OBJ.
server, was next on the programme and
in the absence of the writer II was
read by the secretary. 1t was a resume
of the work recently done by the
weather bureau under the control of
the United States agricultural depart
ment, and was very interesting. Most
of the statements contained In 1t have
been previously covered by .hese
columns in interviews with the OBJ
server.
Prof. s. M. Emery then spoke on the
subject of rotation of crops He stated
as a preliminary that Montana soil
could not be sown to the same crop
repeatedly without fertilization of some
kind. While h believed that the bench
VII VI kNOlt
practically without irrigation, could
be renewed in strength by a system of
summer following, those in irrigated
sections of the state treated by the
same method incurred an extravaganza.
ON the other hand. at the present high
wages OF farm hands, fertilizing by
means of barn yard manure was err.
tirely too costly. The one means left
to the owner of irrigated lands was
rotation of crops. He went on to de-
scribe a series OF experiments which
were now being made at the state agri-
cultural station in the Gallatin valley.
Six acres, one as nearly under the same
conditions as the rest, were being used
as a test. Wheat, clover. barley, sugar
beets, oats and field peas were the
crops employed. and in five years in
which the experiment had been in prog
ress the land. although at the start the
poorest in the valley. had been brought
to a state which, in productiveness.
rivaled any in that country. As a Fro II
OF his last statement. he said that his
recollection was that last year h ex-
detrimental acres each yielded 81 BUSH
els of soft wheat. Is tons of sugar
beete., a bushels of barley. $500 pounds
OF green clover, which lost only so per
cent in drying, and % bushels of peas.
He believed hat the m # he
Gauatin valley had just twice as much
acreage as they needed. SO long as they
follpWed the system OF summer fallow-
ing now in vogue there. In his address
he lauded barley al a money getting
iron for the farmer and predicted that
4 would in time become a sky-scraper
Ike wheat or corn at the present day.
He quoted the situation at Chinook.
where the armer a engaged $4,000
bushels of seed barley n had been
guaranteed So cents a busael for their
crop.
Paris Gibson then spoke on his IA
.orite topic. the bench lands OF North
srn Montana, which. for the present
generation at least. would see no irri-
CATION. and he asked Mr.. Emery TO give
some practical system of fertilization
Tor them. He stated hat he had icun
that summer following was the only
thing he had discovered Professor
Ep,erv raplied that he had stated al