Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1911-12-26

COmlnB lmmeQlately aIter the session
of tho State Grange, 1t was but natura
that the farmers institute at South
|, Paris on Friday should be lightly at
tended. A small number who were al
interested in the proceedings were pres.
emit at the forenoon session, and in the
afternoon larger number were out.
George S. Boutelle, master OF Paris
Grange, called the meeting to order in
Grange Hall at about II A. NJ, and in
troduced as the first speaker, man who
he said would speak as not all institute
speakers do, from practical experience,
VIM. F. McSparran of Furniss, Pa.
Mr.. McSparran admitted that practical
experience was the basis of bis talk. he
is q farmer, dairy farmer, keeping
pure bred COWS, and running his farm
for their benefit. Indeed, he said, he
was farmer and not speaker. For an
hour he spoke in an informal, CONVEX
satioual way.
In farming, Mr.. McSparran said, 1t is
profitable to have a diversity of sources
trated this by citing an acre of potatoes
which he planted with great care this
year. They were almost total failure,
but as it was only an acre, the failure
did not hurt 80 badly as If they bad been
large share of the product of the farm.
He raises corn, fills his silos, and then
still more corn, raises all the bay he can,
all the clover he can, all the alfalfa he
can, and all the other crops he can.
The central thought of his talk was,
produce on your farm as much as you
can of the feed your dairy cattle con-
sumo. This principle is not to be car
ried to an absurd extreme, for sometimes
you can raise much more value on an
acre of some crop to sell than you could
of some crop to feed out. Use judy
mept about this. But we have been
pursuing a wrong policy in animal hus-
bandry, in not producing the larger part
of the forage and grain that our animals
consume. We have drifted away from
agriculture and gone into the transpor-
tation business, hauling grain from the
west and sending money back. We
ought to be producing large part of
the beef that we consume here in the
east, instead of having it come from
Chicago.
The value of the silo, the speaker said,
he had never questioned. He was one
of the first to use it, about thirty years
ago, and he had always used and talked
it. Neither is the value of the manure
questioned. 1t is cared for as carefully
as the milk, and no more of it is wasted
than there is of the milk.
Corn, hay and red clover were discuss
ed as feeds, and then alfalfa was taken
up. At this point some of the audience,
who wanted to know about alfalfa, and
L. 4. McIntire of Waterford, who has
gan to ask questions. Mr.. McSparran
in reply stated that alfalfa hay is not
equal to good red clover hay, but it is
nevertheless very rich feed. If ton of
wheat bran is worth S27, a ton of alfalfa
may safely be reckoned as worth S21.
He showed no over-enthusiasm in the
matter of alfalfa, but with proper care
considered it crop that farmers should
endeavor to raise.
A dinner was served in the dining
room by the ladies of Paris Grange.
At the afternoon session the first
speaker was G. E. Embree, sales man.
ager of the Long Island Potato Ex-
change, of Riverhead, N. Y. Mr.. En-
bree gave a more or less detailed account
of the work of this exchange, which is
an organization of six hundred farmers
of eastern Long Island. The exchange
other supplies for these farmers, and
sells their produce, which is quite large
~ potatoes, in the New York market.
1t is necessary to watch the market very
closely, so as to avoid putting the pota-
toes into market already overloaded.
1t is impossible, said Mr.. Embree, to
get rid of all the middlemen, but 1t is
possible to get rid of two out Of three of
them, and this the Potato Exchange is
doing. It controls both ends of the
business, the buying of the farmers, and
the selling in the city, which Is the
proper course. For three years it has
had to fight for its existence, and it
finds its opponents do their best work
among the farmers themselves, who, az
is we'll understood, are the hardest class
of people to unite for their own benefit.
Even now the fertilizer dealers are sell
ing below cost in our territory, but the
farmers know that is simply to drive the
loyal to the organization.
From so to Is cents per barrel more is
received by the Long Island growers for
their potatoes than others receive, and
this is largely due to the care exercised
in sorting and grading.
A chain of organizations are wanted
that by cooperation can control the
supply of the market, and prevent de-
moralizing it. Each section should be
organized, and there should be state
organization.
G. A. Yeaton, assistant horticulturist
of the state agricultural department,
spoke briefly, earnestly advocating CO.
operation as urged by the previous
speaker. The Oxford Bears Fruit
Growers Association of Buckfeld has
made good start in that line this year,
said the speaker, and he added paren-
thetically that two-thirds of the capital
prizes for fruit awarded by the Maine
a radius of ten miles of the spot where
he then stood. Saying that he could be
here frequently, while Mr.. McSparran
could not, Mr.. Yeaton then yielded the
rest of his time to the other speaker.
Mr.. McSparran was asked to give his
method of raising calves, from birth un-
til they are cows. In response he detail
ed his method. In the first place he
secures the best sire he can find, not
hesitating to pay 5000 or even more.
Then he mates this animal with meri-
torious females. The calf is cared for
with great particularly, at every stage
of growth. After describing in detail
his care, the speaker said, this may
seem fussy to you, but 1t is worth while.
want my cows the best that can be
made. Calves are to make the cows,
and they are valuable property, and
should have all the care that can be
given them. Any neglect of the calf
will make streak that will show in the
cow. Then l always breed the heifer
back to her sire, to intensity the family
characteristics.
In concluding his talk Mr.. McSparran
advocated just such intelligent breeding
as an inducement to the best of the boys
to see profit and intellectual exercise in
the work, and thus keep the boys on
the farm"