The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-02-02
FARMERS INSTITUTE.
A ROusing Success From
Start to Finish.
Full of Practical Ideas for Prac-
tiCal Men.
Discussions Lively-Quest:on Box Star
Feature.

Discussions Lively-Quest:on Box Star
Feature
The fourteenth annual Shiawassee county
farmers institute opened its ses iinns Mon
day forenoon with at least one cond,ton
like those under which the sessions OF last
years institute were opened at Vernon
Both the thirteenth and the fourteenth an
nual Institutes opened with the W, sther
about as cold as the Michigan corner O
Dame Natures weather department often
provides For while 1t even looked as
though Shiawassee county farmers Were
not going to get thawed out in time for the
Monday morning session but before the
noon hour came or the fOren0On's program
was nearly over, there was an attendance of
nearly hundred, which In consideration
of the discomfort ride of even few miles
would mean, certainly made good show
ing for the first session. In the afternoon
| the attendance was much better and the
commOdiOus and cheerful Sunday school
rooms of the Congregational church were
we'll filed until the close of the session.
| The same was true to an even greater ex
tent of the evening session.
MONDAY MORNING.
After the meeting was called to order by
President p. Il. Reynolds shortly after ten
o'clock, the address of welcome was given
by Mr.. Stanley E. Parkill who proceeded In
his vigorous, witty style to give the farmer
guests welcome which they could not mis-.
take. In referring to the farmers clubs, to
which most of those present belonged, Mr..
Parkill reminded the guests that In the
cities there was no organization which took
the place which the farmers clubs filed in
the country. The wOmen's clubs In a
measure took their place ia the cities but
these were only among the women.
The response by Mr.. j. j. Whelan was
also well and happily given as no one who
boasts the acquaintance of Mr. Whelan
would need to be told, altho, perhaps. all
would not suspect him of having cOurted
the Muse and inyeigling her into granting
him permission to answer to the welcome in
rhyme.
The address of welcome and the respo ase
having been given, before the deliberations
of the sessions were entered upon the
divine blessing on the work was invoked by
Rev. Carlos II. Hanks. The audience then
was invited by President Reynold to listen
to the experiences of an Indiana farmer, Mr..
Cal Husselman, of Auburn. Indiana, with
THE SLAVE sILo.
Mr.. Husselman began by assuring his
audience that he was just common farmer
and verified his statement by telling his
hearers that he had even been afflicted with
the common craze to own a big farm In his
younger days and while he paid spot cash
for his first farm of 1870 acres-except a
small item of So. 0OO-he bought some more
as soon as he had paid for that. Then he
changed his plan. 1t occurred to him that
the poorest legacy man can leave his
children Is a worn out, m0rtgaged farm,
and he began to plan to do better farming
and 10 improve rather than run down his
farm, to sell the finished instead of raw
products, and to allow neither energy of
effort nor the latent energy of the fertility
of the farm to go TO waste. 1t was In Con-.
nection with this idea and the dairying bust.
ness into which the idea led him, that the
subject of the stave silo was connected.
The dairying business, begun twenty years
ago, now extends to the care and mainten
ance of 65 head of cattle, $50 hogs and 10
horses and in making 1853 acres supply all
the forage for this amount of stock it is
plain that the utmost economy of resources
is necessary. Into the solution Of the ques.
ton of the proper securing of such supply
the silo enters very largely.
The old style four wall sio has not
been universal success but the stave or
is simple, cheap aud anyone can make one
His first cost him $104 40, counting his own
time at 81 per day. 1t is Ia feet in diameter
and "a feet high. The slaves are cut with
such pieces each tNenty-four feet long all
resting on good stone foundation. The |
floor of the silo Is the clay OF the soil be-
meath and the method of construction Is |
simple. When one piece or stave Is set in |
position another Is joined to 1t aud the two |
Toe nailed together aud then another Is toe |
nailed on and 80 around; the beveed edges |
make all tit together Then a three inch |
fat steel hoop is placed around the bottom |
and securely frightened. Others of decreas
ing width are placed at increasing intervals |
az they get farther away from the bottom
and the pressure becomes less. At the top |
three strips of poplar siding ale nailed |
securely, forming rim or edge three
boards thick nailed to each stave holding
them In place 10 the summer lme and form
ing support for whatever roof IL desired TO /