The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-05-03
euNPowDER AGRICULTURAL CLUB.
Half Hour for Questions-Mr. Gardeners
Paper on" Baltimore County Farming
Dlscussed--"Intensive Farming
Generally AnnroYad. etc.

B. Ensor, near Belfast Mr. John Crowther Jr
nthers with MI; George frame; assistant
gonn BOND, E. G. Merryman, Thomas c. Pearce,
Daniiei shamberger, Frederick Shamberger,
delegate from the Junior Club.
MI. James b. Ensor, delegate to the last Junior
Clup meeting, reported favorably of the farm
operations and the stock of Mr. Daniel s. Pearce
where the club met.
Mr.; J. Summerfeld Crowther was elected
memoer of the club Several years ago Mr..
Crowtner was member, but severed his con-
nec'14n when he removed to Dorchester coun-
". ne Is now again resident of Baltimore
county, near Cockeysville.
| Inc next meeting of this club will be held May
l1tn, at the Gerar Farm of Mr.. E. Cuttings Mer-
lyman la Heading by Mr. Lewis M. Bacon, DIR. j.
Edgar Orrison and Mr. John Bond.
HALF HOUR FOR QUESTIONS.
MI. daniel s. Pearce asked what soiling crops
Tor nogs can be grown successfully in an orchard.
| Heretofore his orchard has been a pasture for
hogs and has not been plowed for ten years. He
now geslres to cultivate it, which he thinks ad-
yisable to do every year. He said he had been
ADVISED to grow German rape and sorghum also
sugar corn fodder, the latter being preferred.
all TO be drilled in, but the sugar corn should be
thinned out at different times TO allow the bal
ance to ear some if possible. The members
4 the Dlackpea and the cowpea and oats or corn
ana peas could be grown together and fed
green green me green corn was spoken OF as fat
that way paid him better than anything else.
| Mr.. E. G. Merryman, who has grown sorghum
do well on it. Sorghum can be planted after
Complaining It does not make very good
second growth. 1t was said cowpeas are being
| grown very favorably by some persons, who
| feed the pea hay to horses, the peas having pre-
| viousiy been threshed out for market or for
! grinding.
! Is it too early to plant sugar corn next week.
| Answer-No. Corn that was planted in the gar
| dentwo ormore weeks ago has sprouted.
I He replied that he planted 2S bushels and though
| he planted his own seed yet he thought it best
TO buy nSwSor Northern grown seed. His IA
/ VOrite VarlNfv the GraaU Maintain which
| produces as veil as any other and the eating
| quality is the same all the year. He thought
practice with MANY farmers is to eat or sell the
large ones and plant the small potatoes. Some
of the members thought it not well to risk one
| eye to piece, but to plant two eyes.
| Mr.. Frame said the growers in Cecil and Kent
counties usually sell their potatoes and purchase
new seed each year. The Scotch Magnums from
| Scotland are very good quality and size. He
| said they are good specimens of potatoes.
viii 1t be advisable to plant field corn next
| week. AnsWer-Some persons Will do so. Mr..
Bacon said he may plant his ensiage corn then
AS to the curing of cowpeas and alfalfa hay it
to make the best quality and that each should
remain out in the field little longer than is
usual and that cheap caps could be procured to
protect the hay from rain. The hay then handles
better and the pea hay is equal to clover hay for
stock.
Kapff's success with growing cowpeas on thin
ground and the added fertility to the soil by
growing the peas, though they were taken off of
o..
wheat, which now looks fine, owing to the bene-
fit of the nitrogen from the pea roots and the
covering of the soil by the vines,
How much of the wheat ground is being plow-
ed? Three fields were spoken of. two for corn
and one for oats Mr.. Frame said man who
plants oats on his farm does at his own peril
as it is an Improbable crop for this county.
Mr. Merryman said great deal of the growing
wheat looks SO badly that it ought to be plowed
Mr.. Bond said he has 3O-acre field of wheat
that he puts at 100 per cent; and yet the average
condition of the general wheat is not over 80
per cent. He sowed his the last week of Sep
TENDER. He spoke favorably of Mr.. Edward E.
SCOTS wheat which, several said was excellent.
Mr.. Bond topdressed about all of his wheat
ground with manure before sowing. The fail
ure of most wheat is attributed to late seeding.
Mr.. Bacon spoke of the large stone silo on the
Bacon farm at Monkton giving such satisfaction
in keeping ensiage, which could not be nicer.
1t is good all around the wall when most silos
show some spoiled ensiIage there. Heattributes
it to the compact wall of stone and cement
which should exclude all air. He prefers stone
to wood for silos. The stone silo spoken of
cost $700 or more, yet it is good investment,
as it is great saving in feed and the economy
of it is very marked. The great advantage is in
the marketing of the hay crop. which heretofore
is now met with fewer acres of ensilage corn
and fodder which gives better results.
The discussion of the evening was based upon
the paper prepared by Mr.. Asa B. Gardiner, Jr.,
on Baltimore County Farming and heretofore
published in full in THE UNION The paper
emphasized the fact that so much land that has
been cultivated brought but small returns and
that less acreage could be titled to greater adj
vantage, and more STOCK could be fed with
greater profit. Soiling crops for cattle and
management of diaries were prominent points
of the paper.
soiling crops largely depends upon the lay of
the land Level land for it is preferred. Where
nc1g From
acres ought to support COW and dairy herd
of Is cows can be sustained very profitably on
ass @ as s4ne G9p9 9 e
tSe n better Condition than we could do with
pasture and dry feed. In two years we can pay
for. the silo expense in the selling of the hay
which we formerly were required to feed There
is more thought in farming and feeding of stock,
hence intensive farming is planned for and is
being carried out"
cattle can be handled when farming with soiing
crops than by general farm feeding and think
most farmers would be greatly benefited by do
ing So as less fencing would be required and the
cultivation of the fields would be cleaner. One
field could be kept for exercise and shade &c the
carefully considered. Less acreage and larger
results and income seem to be the objects now"
Mr. James b. EnsOr said: II have had no eX-
perience with ensiage feeding soilng crops.
NV stock run on pasture about six months in
the year. If kept them up twelve months
that would require much more work. Nodoubt
we are working too much land and should make
fewer acres more fertile. The richer the ground
the less seed is needed and better crops are
grown Less labor is required with small farms"
Mr.. John Bond said: I'VE are farming too
much poor land. We should make fewer acres
rich and then we would be more successful
The way we have been farming does not pay us.
The suggestions of MIR. Gardeners paper are
good and, If carried out would give profitable
returns. We would not need so much labor if
we cultivated less land, and more crops could
be grown. We seem content with 10 barrels of
corn per acre, when 20 barrels have been grown
in this section and can be grown again."
Mr. e. G. Merryman said while it is advo-
Gated that great results follow the feeding OF
acres successfully. My COWS would not be as
profitable to me without the pasture range 1t
| labor to handle them and less profit in the end.
/ believe in thorough tillage and doubling the
acreage products. / find the growing of sorghum
an advantage IN the 1eeolng Oh my nogs es-
MED MI. b. S. Pearce said: IF we farm less land
we then can give more attention to raising stock.
There is great saving no doubt in soiling crops
| as ensilage is an economical feed. l put up
| acres, which made 100 or more tons. began
| using it November 1st, and will have it until
| Nav 1st, and during that time fed but tons of
hay. II / had fed hay alone it would have taken
| "a tons. The saving is considerable. fed AZ
cows one feed of ensilage day. Think well of
| what Mr.. Gardiner writes also that the advan-
tage in saving of labor is with the growing of
| Mr.. Daniel Shamberger said: II think favor
ably of feeding soiling crops, as better results
| in many ways realized. 1t seems more labor
| would be required, but surely there is saving
in it and better returns will be seem
Mr., Calvin D. Price said: II think the silo has
proven to be the most economical way to handle
| feed for cattle. To grow soiling crops level
| ground should be used. The labor that would
! be employed could be better cultivated and
| managed to advantage"
Mr.. John Crowther, Jr., said Everybody can
| not be in the dairy business some farmers must
| sell hay and grain. l don't believe in 80 acres
! for5farming. AS to how much profit we can
make depends upon the family. used to keep
| COWS only for my family's use and have cut
| rank clover and fed them with it, putting it in
| rack in the yard. / cut the clover twice day
forthem and they did well on it. did not fol
| loWthe plan for a large herd, but no doubt it
| could be managed probably. We should farm
| with the object of profit and any change in an
! improved manner should be encouraged and
| tried"
| Mr.Bacon said: "The sad feature about farm
| ingis that when father dies division of the
estate is made and a separation follows and
! often when the farm is sold the family Is dis
placed by strangers, if one of the heirs buys it
| he is burdened with debt that prevents his de-
| sired success. The changes that often take
| place are hindrance to the whole family's in
| tereSt."
! Mr.. Asa B. Gardiner, Jr., author of the paper
| under discussion, and who was expected to
! answer questions that would come up, had to
! leave the meeting early to meet special en-
! gagement at his home. He is a practical farmer
| and his experience is valuable.
! Mr.. Ensor's farm bears the marks of ancient
times, the outbuildings being anything but mod
| ern in style and convenience. The farm shows
| n iOh bot aff q q hpQn chief