Rocky Ford enterprise., 1905-02-24
FARMERS INSTITUTE.
Report of the Closing Days of the Best Insti-
tute ever Held in the County.

usefulness In determining the egg pro-
dueing ability OF each fowl. The sys-
TEN of record keeping In connection
with the trap nest was given In detail.
On Isn OF Plymouth Rocks he had
experimental with the trap nest and
found wide difference In the laying
qualities OF the birds In the pen. a
poor hen like a poor animal OF any
sort on the farm should be dispensed
with to th- local butcher hnd Its place
taken by more useful stock.
Mrs David Best was called on and
said she did not know much about
chickens but she did have som. knowi-
edge of turkey raising and she gave
the meeting lot Of practical informa-
tion on. the subject out Of her iars-
experience. She II one OF the most cx-
tensive poultry raiscrs In the Rocky
Ford country and the experience was
claimed to rails. fully 30 pcr cent. OF
all the turkeys she Matched.
y. X. Biinn called ON told OF his cx-
pcri-ncr In raising turkeys with the In
cubator. The Matching was very good
and tho chickens came on we'll In the
broodcr.
q. S. Bailey wanted to know whether
the Plymouth Rocks or the Brown Leg
horns were the best chickens to raise.
Mr.. johnson said II out on the range
the Leghorns were best providing you
could get som. other breed to do the
Matching. II In town raise the Rocks.
Hut as between the two he would select
the Minorcas. ns the best combination
OF the best qualities OF Rocks and
Lc.hornH.
8. A. Taylor spoke In favor OF the
| f.-shorn ms the very best fowl for egg
producing. and css producing was
after nil the best paying feature OF the
poultry business.
Mrs. Best said while tho Lc.horn
WIS the great egg producer no doubt
and while In thr matter Of marketing
they were deficient. yet when II came
TO flavor In chicken meat there was
nothing In her acquaintance that
cqunicd the little LcRhorn.
Mr.. Kouns said u he had followed
his III. inclination he would have fol-
lowed chicken raising. instead Of cam
tRloupcs. He then rcciicd "a very enter
tanning experience with a patent In.
cubntor.
| Mrs. Fred Hnincs was asked to say
a word and spoke In defense Of the
Brown Lcshorn ns sitter. Though
rather Wild. when they get broody
they are quiet and they make splendid
sittcrs. not breaking their eggs. Az
| fowls for eating she agreed with Mrs.
Best that they made up In flavor what
they lacked In size. She never used u
broodcr but set enough hens nt the
same time ns she started her incuba-
| tor ana gave the incubator chickens
to the hen mothers.
Another speaker advised particularly
the giving of the eggs bath about the
18th day In the incubator. Further.
never open the incubator nfter the
eggs begin to hatch.
o. J. Baxter took occasion to intro
ducc resolution urging the farmers
to support the president In his fight
against railroad discrimination and ni-
no ths SUPPORT OF the bill for appoints
mcnt OF a Colorado railroad commits.
sion by CIR state representatives. y
The resolution WIS very unanimous
iy endorsed by the meeting.
| Frank Crowley took the floor and
made an Interesting talk comparing
farming In this valley and upon the
western slope In the matter OF horticul-
ture. The advantage both In apples
and peaches was with the producer on
this side the slope.
| p. *. Blinn. superintendent of the
| local experiment station. suggested the
question: What line of experimentation
in farming would this Institute regard
AS the most important for the station
| to take up.
| No suggestions were offered.
| Mr.. Guthrie asked that Mr.. Berry
be invited to tell the meeting how to
| raise onions.
| Mr.. Berry came forward and said he
| planted his onion seed this month.
| Grew them to the size OF lead pencil
| and early In April set them out in rows
and proceeded to cultivate them much
after manner of beet cultivation. He
| set them out In dry ground along small
! irrigation laterals, cutting down the
| tops before setting. Set inches apart
| and is inches between rows. His on
ions averaged half pound each.
Ground should be very rich. Fertilize
1 1t and there Is no need of rotation of
crop. He planted Prize Taker' for
the early ana "Gibralter" for the late.
The Gibralters made the half pound
/ "a 20 tnns saa tn he,
onion business from stating plants to
harvesting crop. and 1t cost, but on
i ions were n good crop to raise never
| theless. The hotbed and trnnsplanting
was far better than planting the seed
| in the field. a pound and quarter of
seed viii make plants for an acre. Set
your plants on top of ridge and only
let them get their moisture from sub
irrigation.
Before adjournment the chairman
| announced that the evening session
would be given to the discussion of
that most interesting of all the animals
on the farm-the boy and the girl.
Thursday night an expectant audi
ence crowded the meeting hall to lis
ten to the discussion of the Farm Boy
and the Farm Girl.
Frank Latson, one of our local high
school graduates, opened the ball with
n paper discussing the boy. The pa
per was well put together and quite
pertinent to the topic announced.
Miss Esther Gervais read n paper
which painted a very idealistic pic
ture of the modern farm girls life.
The composition of the paper was very
good and the kind of girl pictured
might possibly be found on one of a
| thousand ranches of our new west.
Milton Badger one of our sterling
and venerable mossbacks, who talks
well without saying too much, made
some comments on Mr.. Latson's paper
and some suggestions from the paren-
tai standpoint. Of how to treat the boy
on the farm.