Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-12-08

Farmers who buy much grain to
feed stock and place the manure on
their own land can keep up the ordin-
airy condition of their soil So can
market gardeners who secure offal
from large cities. To the average
| farmer, however, there are only two
ways to restore the phosphorus: One
| by using bone meal, which costs S2S
per ton, and the other-cheaper and
more practically scattering rock
phosphate. This can now be had at
So per ton. DR.. Hopkins advised farm
ers to stock their land well with rock
phosphate while it can still be obtain
ed at a comparatively low price, thus
providing for future generations, as
well as paving the way for greater re-
turns in the immediate future. Expert
ments have fully shown that the orig
| inal cost of the Phosphate so used is
| soon repaid in larger yields. Ultimate.
ly the fertilizer will many times repay
its cost
DR.. Hopkins also discussed the re-
storing of nitrogen to the soil by means
of legume plants, particularly clover,
toms of sourness, which it is easy to
| remedy by using crushed limestone.
Swine Husbandry Discussed.
Swine husbandry was discussed at
the afternoon session by William Die
trich, professor of swine husbandry of
the University OF Illinois. The chief
point he impressed upon his hearers,
using charts, illustrations and data
taken from experiments to prove his
assertions, was that it is very easy to
stop the growth of a hog in it's early
stages, and that once this is done, 1t
can never be made into profitable pork.
This can be done more easily than
any other way by overlooking between
the ages of two weeks and two months.
Professor Dietrich also explained the
necessity for intelligent and diversi-
fed feeding in the early stages of the
animals existence, turning to straight
corn only to finish with. Fall hogs
have not been found profitable, the
speaker said, because of the difficulty
of providing them with the kind of
food they need and of inducing them
to take enough exercise and to drink
a sufficient quantity Of water. To rem
edy the last named difficulty, he sug-
gested mixing ground grain UP in a
thin slop
Music for the afternoon session was
given by Rev. A. c. Wood OF the Meth
odist church, who rendered two cornet |
numbers.
Competition for Corn Prizes.
There are more competitors for the |
corn prizes this year than for a num- /
Der of years. In the free for all class /
no less than 35 samples of 10 ears each /
have been offered In the boys con- |
tests there are II entries in class rand |
three in class 2.
The ladies are in evidence with Ii |
samples in the bread baking contest,
while II are seeking the prizes offer
ed for the best cake, and six have sub
mitted samples of homemade candy.
H. C. Hulting of Geneseo, who is
judging the corn, and whose report
will be read at this evenings session,
finds that there are an unusually large
per cent Of the ears that are dead"
that is in which the germ has been
killed. Under such circumstances
farmers who are wise will make early
preparation for the testing of next
springs seed corn.
President Saddoris at the afternoon
session announced L. B. Strayer, S.
w. Heath and Cyrus Miller as a COM
mittee on resolutions, and John Fife,
L. I. Pearsall and J. c. Miller as
committee on nomination of officers.
The cold wave helped to cut down
the attendance on the opening day. A
still more potent influence in the same
direction was the abominable roads.
The freeze came when the ordinary
highways were cut up to a depth of
several inches and the surface is now
so rough that driving faster than q
walk is out of the question in most
places. Bad roads and cold form a
combination that even the farmers,
used as they are to lack of convenience
es, hesitate to buck up against.