The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-11-24
Farmers' Institute.

Farmers Institute, held In the Court
House, on Tuesday, that few people
knew that anything was doing. This
lack of attendance may have been due to
fact that the meeting here did not fall on
Saturday. This apathetic feature, however,
did not interfere with the addresses of
well-known speakers, whose remarks were
full OF profit to the farmers.
1t was fully an hour after the appointed
time that the meeting was called to order
by President Levi Dudley, of Moorestown,
who made brief address, stating that in
terest In farming was on the increase be-
cause of the fact that farmers are now en-
joying most all of the conveniences to be
found In city homes.
The report Of the secretary, as prepared
for presentation to the State Board of
Agriculture, was adopted. Itdwelt large
ly on the condition of crops during the
past season, laying particular stress on
the insects which have destroyed many
cranberry crops and the scale and blight
which have ruined SO many apple orchards.
1t was shown that the products of the
farms were abundant, particularly that of
hay, and that the crops sold well.
Following this came meeting of the
Burlington County Board Of Agriculture,
and a committee to select officers was APP
pointed.
Benajah P. Wills, who has acted as sec
rotary of the board since the death of
Henry I. Budd, said he did not know if it
was the intention of the committee to re-
tain him in Office, but in any event he
could not serve longer in that position,
owing to the pressure of other business
Edward Van Alstyne, of Undertook,
N Y, was the first speaker, his subject
being, "Why is it often difficult to get a
good stand of alfalfa2" subject that had
been assigned to Prof. J. G. Lipman, who
could not be present. The speaker said
he had four failures before securing one
success. To raise alfalfa successfully, a
rich, firm and clean soil must be treated
with no less than half a ton of lime to the
acre, which must be applied long time
before sowing the seed. 1t is doubtful if
too much lime can be applied. The latter
part of August is the best time to SOW
seed, and of this there must be no adulter-
alton. Alfalfa as food stops many leaks
in providing for the dairy stock.
The afternoon session opened with the
election Of the following officers; Presi-
dent, Amor ]. Gauntt, Jobstown; vice
president, Heulings Coles. Moorestown;
secretary, Henry II. Albertson. Burling-
ton; directors, J. Harvey Darnell, Mount
Laurel; Walter Holmes, Moorestown; Ar
thur Prickitt, Medford; N. Reese Whitacre,
Marlton; VIM. j. mcfarland, Rancocas;
Charles II. Pew, Columbus; Samuel Cree
ley, Burlington; John Evans, Pemberton;
Charles Dey, Crosswicks; Henry r. Rue,
Wrightstown; delegate to State Board of
Agriculture. two years, Henry K. Gilbert,
Burlington; delegates to State Horticul-
tural Society, George W. 4Budd, Pember-
ton, and Robert Taylor. Columbus.
Building up dairy herd" was another
subject upon which Mr.. VanAlstyne spoke.
A chart was used to illustrate much of
what the speaker said. All cows do not
REQUIRE the same kind or the same amount
of feed. A good general feed, said the
speaker, is composed of one quart OF mo-
lasses, four pounds of grain and sprouts
and two pounds of cotton seed meal. He
urged farmers to avoid all mixed feeds, as
they are made to sell and they take to the
farms just the useless fibre that farmers
would not buy if they knew what they
were getting.
Prof M. A. Blake, of the New Jersey
Experimental Station, spoke on the
cause and cure of blight of fruit trees"
His subject was most interesting one
and should have been heard by more than
the two dozen farmers present.
The closing address was made by DR..
G. W. Broadhead, of Montrose, Pa, his
subject being "Horseshoeing. He is an
expert in this line, having had forty years
practical experience in the business. Some
of the tools used in blacksmith shops, he
asserted, should have been discarded a
half century ago, but barbarous treatment
of horses still continues. Horseshoeing as
1t should be done is based upon scientific
principles, and every man who owns a
valuable horse should know how to give
directions for shoeing, even If he cannot
do the work himself The speaker de-
clared that nine-tenths of the horses on
the street are improperly shod. Another
assertion was that not more than five per
cent. of those engaged in horseshoeing
know anything about the anatomy of
horses foot.
The next institute of this county will be
held at Wrightstown on December l, and
two days institute will follow at
Moorestown. beginning on December 10.
Farm products of New Jersey amounted
to twenty-six million dollars eight years
ago, while last year they footed up fifty
two million. This great increase In the
value of the productions of New Jerseys
farms is due largely, according to Frank
lin Dye, secretary of the Board of Agri-
culture, to the education of the farmers
in the principles of scientific farming,
taught in the farmers institutes and in
the State Agricultural College at New
Brunswick Mr.. Dye says these institutes
are doing immense good in teaching the
farmers how to make the best and most
profitable use of their opportunity. Every
subject connected with the tilling of the
soil. the raising of cattle and other ami
mails, fruit growing, market gardening,
fertilizing, poultry raising, forest cult.
walton, milk and butter products, and SC
forth, is discussed at these meetings by
experts. These meetings are largely at
tended and much valuable information in
this way is disseminated. Under the in
structions giving in these institutes and
by the State Agricultural College New
Jersey farmers are becoming among the
most intelligent and successful in the
country, and Mr.. Dye says there is scarce
ly any limit to the increase in the pro-
5,,ot3or IF our farmo that NAV he effactad