Gloucester County Democrat., 1902-12-18
THE FARMERS INSTITUTE At WILL
LIAMET0WN.

When Secretary Dye called the opening
session of the Farmers Institute at Will
JAMESTOWN to order last Monday afternoon,
the attendance was not encouraging, but
the farmers and their wives Except coming"
and interest increased as the speakers
warmed to their subjects.
Rev. Fisler, of Cross Keys, opened the
exercises with prayer.
At Mr.. Dyes request, John M. Taggart
made report of the results of the past sea-
sons effort of the agriculturalists in that
section Of the county, and why it was So
Mr.. Taggart thought the general yield had
been above the average, yet a profitable
season could not be engaged by large yield
because big crops did not always insure
corresponding profits, nor did low average
mean loss of profits Taking his own case,
he said, his potato crop was failure, be-
cause of poor seed, while the average
potato yield was large; his corn crop was
large, while with some it was failure. In
his opinion, success was matter of expert
ment-the same results did not always
follow the same treatment of crops, and
favorable crops were dependent on favor
able seasons.
Jos. Evans, of Cross Keys, read an
interesting paper. To be successful, he
said, we must be up and doing, and learn
the art of farming; thought must precede
action; intelligent effort and good business
tact, would avert failure and insure sue
cess.
State Entomologest Smith then gave a
learned dissertion on plant lice which
proved that he had followed these pests
from birth to their long home. He said
there was scarcely plant that is not at
tackled by these green pests that suck the
leaf juice and sap its vitality; they are not
satisfied with sufficient to sustain life, but
eat and flow over, creating plant disease.
They are neither male nor female, but all
aid in the rapid reproduction OF their
species. The new twig of the apple that
has one on as it bursts forth in all its
splendor in the spring morning, will have
eight next day, and as soon as born they
begin to breed; later they get wings, and
seek new feeding grounds. The type
changes in the Fall, and those brought
forth are male and female. These hide
away in certain weeds and are ready for
business the next Spring. These have
their natural enemies, which are wet
seasons, and disease attacks the louise as
we'll as the human family. Its especial
friend is dry, hot weather.
Spraying Paris green on trees to kill this
louise, he characterized as waste OF
energy, because, as they simply suck the
juice, they do not take any of it into their
stomach; they do not eat the fibre.
The only way to kill them he said was to
choke them to death by filling up the
breathing openings which were on the sides
of the insects. The most effective way is
by the application of soap mixture; to-
bacco ground to dust or dry Stacked lime
scattered over the plant.
During the general discussion which
it was brought out that good
method of determination was to distroy all
weeds and grasses on the place by plowine
under or burning in the Fall.
The San Jose scale was talked about and
Mr.. Smith expressed the opinion that it
could be counteracted, but farmers would
not wake up to the necessity of waging
intelligent warfare against it until the
orchard was infected and destroyed.
John Repp talked on spraying. He was
a pioneer in spraying, and it paid him.
He kept four men at it for six weeks, the
first application being before the blossoms
opened; the second before the bloom fell,
and the third, afterward. He got good
results from Bordeaux mixture, and for
fungus added Paris green. He believed
San Jose scale could be counteracted. 1t
has spread to every township in the whole
country. He uses petroleum in his orchard,
but it must be handled intelligently and
with great care Bulletin 1862 Of the State
Station, would give directions
for its use.
Mr.. Agee, of Ohio, delivered very in
structive lecture on Methods Of Increasing
Soil Fertility, and Retention of Moisture
by Cultivation"
He said the old idea that we must put
back on the land as much as we take off to
maintain fertility was exploded long ago,
because if we did that there would be
nothing left for the farmer.
We find ten tons of fertilizer in foot
surface per acre, also that the productive
ness of soil is just in proportion to the
amount of decayed vegetation in it. To
maintain the fertility of the soil, he advo-
Gated turning under of clover, rye or COW
peas.
To control crop moisture we depend on
cultivation of the ground. He asserted
that the best water TO grow Summer crop
was that that fell in the Fall, Winter and
Spring. Compel the plant roots to go deep
into the ground by cultivating four inches
deep at least once or twice. Water is NOV
ing in the earth all the time. He described
the Ohio plan of planting potatoes, thus:-
plant in burrows; cover slightly, then as
the plants grow, keep covering till full
depth is reached Put on manure or fer
tilizer after first covering.
John r. Downer made the closing adj
dress of the afternoon session.