The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-02-24

The Y. NJ. C.. A. farmers insti-
tute yesterday proved to be biz
success. In the forenoon, sixtystwo
farmers were in attendance, and 100
in the afternoon, among the number
being the wives of some of the farm.
ers. All were enthusiastic, and rot
ed to continue the Institutes, and it
is probable that they will be ex-
banded in the future.
M. c. johnson compared South
ern Minnesota land with that OF
Wisconsin and Iowa, which sells for
much more, and said that it was
just as capable of production and
just as valuable. -,
Arthur Mitchell told of his own
experience with silo,' which he
liked well. and said that the man
with the small farm needs it. He
would never advise a man to go in
to debt to get one, but If he was
in debt he knew Of no way to get
out of debt sooner than by using a
silo
that he claimed that poultry shows
have done to the egg production" Of
this state. There was not the egg
production here as in other sections
of the country. especially in Cali
fornia, where he had visited, and
where poultry is raised to great ad-
vantage. He did not think the poul
try shows rightly conducted.
Record Better Than Pedigree
Frank d. Currier of Nicollet, Sec
rotary of the state dairymen's as.
ISOLATION, told how to select a4good
dairy COW. He said that it costs no
more to keep good cow than poor
one. He advised each dairyman to
keep some one dairy type, the same
as man raising for beef should get
some one beef type. He would not
recommend any particular breed.
He said that no one should get the
idea that because an animal /. is
shown to have a long pedigree back
of it, it is good dairy animal. The
form comes first, and then the ami
mails own record.
The farmers ought to produces aud
deliver at the creamery the best pos.
sible raw material and they should
stand by the creamery. A quality
meeting was going to be held at
Nicollet next month. and the cream
cry boards of the county had been
invited, and it was intended to de-
wise some way to keep up the quail
ity of milk that is brought to ! the
creameries. The speaker invited the
Blue Earth county creameries to CO
operate. He advised that there be
less wire pulling and scrapping, as
in the centralized plants the cream
cries have enough to contend with.
Question Box Opened.
question box was had, the popi-
try questions being answered By
C. C. Johnson and the COW ques-
tons by Mr.. Currier. The first ques-
ton was Have we land in Mime
sofa as good for poultry. as CalifoFsx
mia land? Is bluff land good for 1t 3iis
Mr. Johnson said that some of the
land used for poultry raising in Cali
fornia is hillsides, gravelly and san
dy and so poor that nothing will
grow upon it. He had seen whole
hillsides white with the fowls being
raised there.
"Do you recommend state APP
preparation, the way the poultry Tex
hibits are conducted now" An
swer, mo" 1850
do you attribute the small
amount of poultry raised in this sec
ton to the poultry exhibits as con-
ducted?" Answer, mot altogether
The poultry association has no such
standard as the cattle raisers, where
by to raise the quality of their fowls.
The farmers are deceived by, the
way the shows are conducted. The
downfall of the poultry industry in
Minnesota is due to the system Of
conducting the shows. California
has to fight the roup. cholera and
mites much more than is the case
here, and the egg prospect here is
equally as good as in California"
Show Men to the Rescue.
A lengthy discussion followed, sew
eral show men standing up for the
poultry shows. The manner of breed.
ing up to get good layers was dis
cussed. Some held that the tendency
now is to breed for looks and away
from egg laying proclivities, while
some held that the better bred up
laying variety was the better layers
it produced.
Answering question, Mr.. John
son said that he had never exhibited
in or been associated with poultry
show. He said that what he would
like to see in the shows was birdie
that had been tested as layers.
Fred. o. True said that man
who makes specially of twenty
eight varieties can't produce very.
good birds. When he wants birds.
to show he must so out and buy
birds from specialists. The fanciers
who make speciality of one. two
or three varieties were the ones,
that raised the birds of best quality.
Mr.. Johnson conceded with this.
One question asked was: Would