The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-01-09
FARM BY PHONE.
Continued from First Page.)

season, but he has as yet received re-
port from only one of them. This one,
who lives near Wamego, reports that
his land was greatly benefited by the
gypsum. but he gave no figures. Prof.
Haworth said that from experiments
conducted by experiment stations in
various states gypsum was regarded as
a good thing when mixed with other
fertilizers.
The farmers were completely captured
today by the appearance of a stranger
in their sessions. He was not on the
programme but he was called on for a
speech, and ever since a crowd of men
has been around him making him an
Swer questions. He is H. D. Watson, of
Kearney,. Neb.
Mr.. Watson belongs to the royalty,
the same as Judge Fred Wellhouse. He
is the alfalfa king of the world. Upon
his Nebraska farm he has $500 acres of
alfalfa. There is probably no better
authority on alfalfa in the United
States than he, and his talk aroused
great enthusiasm
In addition to his alfalfa fields Mr..
WatsSn has on his farm eighteen thou
sand fruit trees. He also has the largest
dairy barn in the world, in which there
are separate stalls for $50 head of COWS
without tying up single cow The
barn holds seven hundred tons of hay
and twelve hundred tons of enSilage
Connected with it Mr.. Watson has his
own creamery, and he has it so ar
ranged that the skim milk runs direct
ly from the separators into the troughs
where the calves feed He sells all his
butter right on his ranch for 2412 cents
a pound. while other farms around
there sell theirs for 15- From a large
portion of his alfalfa fields he cuts five
tons of hay to the acre besides getting
a good seed crop.
Mr.. Watson farms with his head. He
is a scientific farmer. He studies the
science of farming. He tells of getting
two crops from one blowing, and the
labor on the last crop cost him only
$3.50. First he raised a crop of corn,
which he cut up into fodder. Then with
out blowing again he hired rye drilled.
The work cost him $3.50. From the %
acres with which he was experimenting
he cut over 600 bushels of rye, and
enough had Shelled on the ground to re-
seed it, and now the volunteer rye is
though he would get another crop, all at
a cost for labor of $780,
THE possibilities of agriculture are
simply marvellous Mr.. Watson said to
a State Journal reporter in speaking of
his experiences. TT seems almost i'm
possible to conceive what can be done
if a farmer will apply a little science
to his farming and make a study of it.
I think that Secretary Coburn is mar
velous man. He is great in this work
because he makes practical study of
it, and his heart is in it."
An illustrated article on Mr.. Watson'S
ranch. by Prof. Bailey. the Nebraska
horticulturist, appeared in The Worlds
Work for November.
Lie PIoSAdIAAie ~ epdreu lOr the SEES
SionS of the board is not being strictly
followed. At the morning session to-
day Prof H w. Mumford, of the Hi
nois experiment station, at Urbana, Ill,
read a paper on Lessons from the Live
Stock Exhibitions" He said that the
live stock shows are excellent things for
the breeders, but they do not bring to-
gether the breeder and the farmer He
thought there should be more fat stock
shows which would bring out the mar
ketable stock and would be of interest
to both the breeder and the man who
raises beef.
Prof. E. A. Popenoe, of the Kansas
State Agricultural college. read a paper
on Some Enemies of Wheat in Kan
sas-" 1t was devoted largely to the
Hessian fly.