The Princeton union., 1909-04-01
FARMERS INSTITUTE.
Forest Henry and G. e. Brown Give
Instructive Talks on Culture
Of Potatoes and Clover
Speakers Elucidate Best Methods of
Successfully Growing These
Two Important Crops.

Forest Henry of Dover and G. E.
Brown of Elk River, representatives
of the state agricultural department,
held a special farmers institute at the
court house hall on Friday for the
purpose of giving instruction to
growers of potatoes and clover.
They also touched upon other matters
pertaining to agricultural pursuits
and answered such questions as were
asked of them. Both men are good
takers, and perfectly familiar with
the various branches of farming for
they are practical farmers themselves
and have made success of their
calling.
Two meetings were held, one from 10
to II in the morning and the other
from 1:30 to $3.50 in the afternoon. At
the first meeting something like a
hundred farmres we're in attendance
and at the second a larger number
in fact the hall was filed. Several
ladies-wives of the farmers-were
present at the afternoon session. A
synopsis of the experts talks follows:
Mr.. Henry opened the institute with
a short talk on barnyard manure
how to use it to the best advantage.
It is a great mistake, and great loss,
said he, to permit barnyard manure
to steam or the liquid portion to
leak away. In the steaming process
the manure loses it's strength-one of
it's best qualities, nitrogen, escapes
and mixes with the air: and, in per-
mitting the liquid part. to escape the
potash is lost-the very thing needed
for potatoes. Tighten the barn floors
and use plenty of straw-this will
preserve the liquid manure. Do not
permit your manure to rot, for that is
also losing game. The rotting pro-
cess removes the essential plant food,
or at least large portion of it.
Hence, green manure is the best for
fertilizing, and when you use it for
clover spread on top-do not plow
under, especially in the sandy soil
which prevails hereabouts. When
manure is spread it prevents heating,
and thus the escape of nitrogen is
prevented. In answer to a question
Mr.. Henry said that clover, as fer
tilizing crop was much preferable to
rye for the reason that it gathered
nitrogen. Neither clover or rye
should be plowed under green.
Mr.. Brown here told the farmers
what he knew about raising and
caring for hogs. He said that brood
sows should have warm house in
the winter. After narrowing the SOW
should be given nothing but little
water for the first day and then very
light food for week. To raise hogs
successfully you must have pasture,
and a clover pasture is the best.
While in the pasture feed one and
half pounds of grain to every 100
pounds of hog. Peas, sweet corn
and pumpkins make good food for
hogs. Little pigs should be fed sep
arately and skim milk mixed with
middlings makes good, healthful
food. Feed them all they can eat.
Never wean little pigs-the sow will
do that at the right time.
Farming now and ten years ago is
entirely different farmers must use
entirely different and more practical
methods to make the occupation pay.
They must study economy of produc-
tion.
Mr.. Henry then spoke on fertiliza-
tion. He said the aim nowadays was
not to increase the acreage but to get
better results out of what we already
have. Thirty years ago, he declared.
farmers in that part of the country
where he has his farm-Dover-all
grew wheat and it paid. In 1875,
after growing wheat for five years
successfully, the crop proved a fail
ure. The farmers were consequently
discouraged. They said that corn
could not be raised on the ground
and they knew not what to do. Mr..
Henry, however, tried corn on his
farm. He manured the ground we'll
and the corn crop proved a success.
Other farmers followed suit and
success was theirs also. Then he
commenced experimenting with clover
and later put in corn on a clover
sod. 1t brought forth a crop beyond
his expectations was delighted
with the outcome. He then establish
ed rotation of crops, sowing one
fourth of his farm to clover every
year, and the results seemed mar
velous to him at that time. His DO
tatoes were invariably sown on
clover sod and the crops were invari-
ably prolific.
Glover, said he, is the only crop we
grow which puts back plant food into