The Saint Paul globe., 1899-01-14
FARM WORK REVIEWED
ANNUAL OF THE MINNESOTA
FARMERS INSTITUTE is GIVEN
TO THE aPUBLIC
is AN INTERESTING BOOK
Every Subject of Interest to Farm
ers Is Ably Treated, Making the
Took Most Valuable One
Work of Farmers Institutes Said
to Re Progressing In satisfac-
tory Manner

"a y
Work of Farmers Institutes Said
to Re Progressing In a satisfnc-
terry Manner.
The Minnesota Farmers Institutes
Annual No. H." covering the year 1898.
and edited by Q. c. Gregg. superinten-
dent, has been issiied The volume
contains 366 pages, besides the adver-
tisements. Almost every subject of in
terest to the farmers Of this state is
fully and ably treated, making the an
nual most interesting and valuable
work for them.
The editor. in his letter to the presi-
dent of the board Of administration
transmitting the annual. says:
We have added another successful year
to the progress of the farmers in .utes.
The attendance still remains large and the
attention unabated The changes TOR the
better, which began few years ago, con-
t.nue in progress.
Something of the nature of the treat
ment Of the subjects pertaining to
farming is shown by the following
quotations.
Frof. Thomas Shaw, in his paper on
the experimental substation at Crook
ston. says:
There is yet another line of experiments
that may, with much advantage. be cen
Quoted at this substa.ion-that is to say,
experimentation IN feeding horses. Some
thing has been done in this line already
Experiments have been conducted to ascer-
tain, first, the amount of food required per
animal per day; second, the relative prcpor-
tion of the roughage to the concentrated
iood; and, third, the relative value of the
different kinds of roughage grown in that
section for feeding horses. These expert
ments, of course. have not been completed,
but they have been begun, and will doubt
less, along with many others in the same
line, be carried to finish as soon as the
requisites are forthcoming TO Justify the
further prosecution of such work Many
other experiments relating to the feeding
of horses can be added to these There
| is NO line of work which bears upon the
weil-being of animals that has been SO much
neglected by the experiment stations, and
yet there is probably no Inc OF work that
has more important bearing upon success
full agriculture. The horse has always been
the SOIL and, 50 far as we can judge so
will he continue TO be. 1t is exceedingly i'm
portant therefore, that he shall be SO man
aged as to render the completest possible re-
turn for the food consumed, and it IS oqullly
important to know the kinds of ford that
| may be fed to him with the best advantage
In addition to the grain that is usually fed.
The experiment stations have not yet told
us this and kindred facts relating to the
horse, notwithstanding the great need there
Is for knowing them. And this oversight
on the part Of the stations is all the more
surprising when We call to mind the ex-
cellence of the veterinary department of a
majority of the stations and the high place
relatively which the horse occupies among
| domestic animals in the affections of man
| kind It seems strange, indeed. that, while
so much attention Is given to the production
| of energy through breeding and selection, SO
| little attention should be given to the same
fed.,' ts ssi'c''0n anu Au'Ds'nen' ~ 'ne -00's
In the Dairy Department, edited by
| Owe Flaten, on the subject of Feeding
| Calves on Skim-Milk from the Cream
ery,'' 1t is said
| The calves raised for dairy purposes should
be left with the COW only for a few hours
I For the first week they should be fed on
| whole milk from their dam, as fresh and
| warm as it comes from the COW. During
the first week milk from another cow than
| the calf's mother will not prove satisfactory.
| This milk for the young calf Is almost IN
I dispensable in getting good start. The sec
ond week gradual change may be made to
! skim-milk. From the beginning OF the third
! week the calf will do we'll skim-milk.
| A teaspoonful of faxseed meal may be STIR
This can be gradually increased to a small
handful in four or five weeks. dairy calf
should be kept in good thrifty growing
can be Accomplished with skim-milk. fax
seed meal and good hay. Many farmers will
| find It necessary to- feed some bran and
whole oats along with the other ration to
keep the calf in good thrifty condition, be-
cause conditions not always kept favor
able. The things to. look out for in starting
calf on skim-milk are overfeeding and
too low a temperature of the milk The tenn
peIatur of the milk should be about as when
it comes from the cow, or about 80 degrees
to 100 degrees when fed to very young calves.
| At the experiment station dairy calves have
been raised for years on sdm-milk. faxseed
and hay, and results obtained by this sys-
tenn of feeding are very satisfactory. The
average daily gain in weight is from pound
to pound and a quarter
Prof Shaw, in discussing Grasses"
in the Farm Department, says
in sowing permanent pastures 1t Is
important-frst, that the ground shall
be dense, if prairie, and, third, that 1t shall
be smooth. If the, ground is not clean,
weeds will largely defeat the object sought
smother out some kinds and will hinder the
| growth of all varieties. If the soil is not dense
a cultivated crop furnishes an excellent prep
aration of soil for being laid down to perma-
nent pasture, as 1t secures the three objects
referred to above; but after such crop the
land should not be plowed, If this can be
avoided, the better to preserve the density
Corn stalks unless cut close, may be in the
way of the seeding; hence root crops would
make better preparation than corn crops
The summer fallow would also put the lant
in good condition for being thus sown.,'
On Land Plaster as Fertilizer" he
says:
Land plaster sometimes called gypsum, il
chiefly composed of lime and sulphuric acid
1t should be borne in mind that it can scarce
! ly be looked upon being in itself ma
nure The lime which it contains is valuable
as plant food, but nearly all soils hav,
enough lime in them, and when they are def
cient in lime it certainly can be more cheapl!
applied in other forms. The sulphuric acit
which it contains is not really plant food
but it is valuable in so freeing potash tha
may be fixed in the soil that the roots of Ger
tain plants may readily feed upon 1t
Land plaster is, therefore, more a liberatol
of plant food in the soil than plant food IL
ITSELF
ANY mode of applying land plaster thai
| will ctr ih11ta he
will secure the end intended. Oftentimes Il
is sown by hand. On meadows and pasture:
1t will answer to SOW It on the surface, es
in moist weather it will work its way down
ward. When used with grain crop seede.
with clover, it may be covered at the same
time as the seed, but it is best kept nea'
the surface, or 1t may get down too far be
fore the roots of the young plants follow
Manifestly the amount to apply will depend
More should be applied on rich than OF
poor land, for reasons given above. From
loo to zoo pounds are ordinarily used.''
Mr.. Forest Henry, in an article on
Hog Raising for Profit in Minnesota y
says. as to feeding the brood sow:
, Brood sows should never be allowed t.
get too fat. Their feed should be of tina
nature that tends to build up muscle ant
bone rather than to lay on fat. To this ent
much corn, rye or barley should be avoid d
They should, through all the season for grass
!, have access to good pasture Glover pre-
will be required to keep them in fine con
dition AS the grass begins to fldl in Sep
tember It always pays to have a patch o
pumpkins ready They w:ll soon learn to ca
them with great relish. There Is nothin,
feed to my hogs that think get bet
ter returns for raising. l prefer to rails
pumpkins alone. son a. rich piece Of land
rather than with eorn. If the sows are ma
4 ture, or nearly so. the pumpkins, with
little shorts or mill feed made into sIop
will be all theyl require in the shape o
grain feed until Fearlyo breeding time.
s'Do not overlook the fact that all hogs nee
: a regular supplyi of pure water as mucl