The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-01-12
sHIAWAssEE FARMERS MEET.
The Midwinter Meeting of the Shiawassee
Association of Farmers Clubs a Big
Success. Topics of Practical Value to
EaSr,are n;ecueesd

Success. Topics of Practical Value &c
Farmers Discussed.
That the farmers club movement In Shia
wassee county Is on the increase, no one
who saw the crowd at the C0runna M. r.
church Tuesday could doubt for an instant.
The interest of the attending club members
was apparent from the start, while at the
afternoon and evening meetings there was
scarcely vacant seat in the church. The
program was well filed with subjects of
practical interest to every farmer, and there
we're enough numbers on 1t so that the time
was all well taken up. The work of the
program committee and the secretary, Mrs.
Geo. T. Mason, had been we'll done and
there were few bitches in the carrying out
of the program. President K. j. Cook
showed himself a splendid presiding officer,
and much of the promptness with which
the program was carried out was due to his
energetic way of keeping things moving.
The various musical parts of the pro-
gram were! well carried out in their turn
The solos of Gland Martin, Mrs. VIM. Nc
were all thoroughly appreciated, as were
the songs by the clubs the, M. K. choir. and
particularly the work Of the grotesquely
costumed high school quartet.
The forenoon session soon got down to
business in listening to the paper on Sugar
Beets, Growing and Profit" read by Lee
Clark, of Shiawassee. Mr.. Clark had
raised an acre of the beets and had kept a
very careful expense account of the opera
tons. The result was that his paper was a
decidedly interesting one to the number of
farmers who have tried raising sugar beets
during the season just past. Mr.. Clark
charged the crop with SO per day for man
and team, but the heavy items came in the
cultivating. thOeing. .weeding. and thinning.
| His seed .cost 1925, preparation for and
sowing $2.75. cultivating and hOeing So 80,
thinning and wedding $40 20, harvesting
$1,000, loading on car $1,000, freight and
unloading at factory $3.50, total 1910
| i
loss of Sill. SO. Leaving out of the account,
| however, the charge for their own time
i they had about $40 to show for their work.
A very serious part of the loss was In the
shrinkage in weight. At Owosso the beets
weighed on the car $4,000 pounds; the re-
turns from the factory showed but 27,S15
pounds and the test showed a per cent of
only 116. The same matter was discussed
by number of the other men present.
Mr.. Chas. Whelan had lost money on his
beets. Mr.. Turner, of Flushing, had made
q little but so little that he would not raise
any more at the same price. Mr.. G. Heff-
ner thot that he made about S1,25 day
tor his own time and So so for his team,
tho these figures we do not understand
made allowance for interest on investment.
Mr.. A. b. Cook bad had his beets tested by
Prof. Kedzie, of the Agricultural College,
who gave per centage of Is 81. When
the returns came from Alma, however, they
showed only Is per cent, while the weight
as returned had shrunk several hundred
pounds. He estimated the actual cost OF
his crop at $33 95 and received $40 IS, an
advance on the cost which was so small that
bis ardOr for raising sugar beets was con-
siderably dampened
The paper on ''Subserving and Improv-
ing the Fertility of the Soil," which on the
p. inted program was assigned to Mr.. Gibbs,
was read by Mr.. Watkins to whom it was
really assigned and drew out a good discus
sion from the men to whom it was assigned.
The advantages of proper subsoiling, the
judiciOus use OF clover in rotation with
other crops and blowing it under were dis.
cussed, while the proper use of and care of
the barnyard manure was held TO be of the
highest Importance.
The afternoon session was opened by Z.
G. Rowell with the discussion Of.the topic
of subscribing and improving the fertility of
the soil. he cautioned his associates
against the danger of too deep subsOiing, or
rather the danger of throwing too much of
the subsoil on top of the ground. While he
felt sure last spring that many would be
disappointed In the raising of sugar beets,
yet he thOt that 1t would yet prove pay
ing business II not attempted on too large a
scale at first. One feature at any rate was
that the production OF a crop OF beets left
the ground in the best possible condition for
other crops.
The same topic was continued by Mr.. ID.
Lewis who pronounced himself as heartily
In favor of the feriiI'z,ng of the crops by
the growth of clover, bot said that be did
not believe In turning The clover under the
ground until after 1t had been cut, cured.
stored In the barn and fed to the stock.
Here was his method Of improving the
fertility of the soi--b, judlcious manuring.
He thot that farmers of Michigan should
raise less wheat and more stock. Not only
was this more pro6iace but thro this sys-
tenn the fertility OF 'de soil will be taken
care Of. The manure he believed should
be properly housed ~ taken care of. 1t Is
one of the most valu'ole products of the
farm. There is, tho Ir. Lewis, no good
reason for the Leaving sllow of land to pre-
.arya sta farfiltfu vnoot nultiv.tad