The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1911-03-03
AGRICULTURAL EDUCA-
ton FOR FARMERS
GRATIFIED AIT THE INTEREST THE
FARMERS have SHOWN
1000 People Attend Lectures Each
Day for Three Days DIR. Hill, Dl.
rector Of Farmers Institutes, Had
Charge of the Lectures address
SeS.

paign of agricultural education for
the benefit Of farming communities
adjacent to its lines In Maryland, and
the management IL gratified at the
interest the farmers have shown by
their attendance at the meetings. &
special train was run through the
cooperation Of DR.. Richard $. Hill,
director OF the department OF Farm
ers' Institutes, stops being made at
the principal stations along the rail-
road. The train was run three days,
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday,
closing with an all-day meeting in
Frederick on Saturday, at which Gov
ernor Crothers delivered an address.
Ii is estimated that about 1000 peo-
pie attended the lectures each day.
The train consisted of four coaches
and an experiment car from the Mary
land Agricultural College. Lectures
were delivered on subjects not i'm
portant to farmers of Maryland by a.
corps of expert authorities actively
engaged in farming and competent to
discuss scientific methods.
DR.. Hill spoke on Alfalfa raising
He was assisted by w. Oscar Collier,
Corn Cultivation" z. |. Oswald, of
Washington county, Poultry Hus-
bandry," and Chas. S. Phelps, OF Con-
necticut, Dairy Farming"
DR.. Hill called attention to the
profit of alfalfa from his own expert
ence covering six years of it's culti-
walton. Alfalfa yields from four to
six crops a season, an average Of
about five tons to the acre. The
market price Of alfalfa averages
about 500 a ton, which means that
each acre will return at least $500 a.
year. Alfalfa makes excellent past
ure for both dairy and beef cattle and
hogs, and Dr. Hills experience has
been that animals pastured on 1T fat
ten more readily than others. Crab
grass and weeds play havoc in an
alfalfa crop, retarding it's growth,
and he advised the farmers to work
the crop Immediately after the sec
ond cutting, usually about the middle
of July. The first crop of alfalfa is
ready to NOW early in June. Alfalfa
will not grow during the winter
months. DR.. Hill told the farmers to
SOW a field OF alfalfa close to the
house SO the farm poultry can pick in
IL, which increases the number of
eggs.
Mr.. Collier, whose home is at Eas-
ton, is one Of the most extensive corn
raisers in Maryland and he stated to
his audience that experience had
demonstrated that the largest crops
were to be obtained by selecting seed
from ears of medium-sized cob, with
slight protrusion Of the cob at the
tip. The character OF ear, he said,
will permit OF greater development
and increased yield. He recommend
ed In this connection to use the ger
minating test-box, which largely over
comes the necessity for replanting
parts Of fields or thinning out plants
by careless labor. The lecturer said
that he considers 100 bushels of she'll
ed corn per acre standard yield, and
though this may seem high, he be-
lieyes it can be attained on Maryland
farms by systematically following
scientific methods. The method rec
commended in producing large corn
crop was to lay a foundation, seven
or eight months prior to planting, by
preparing the soil. This can best be
done by breaking the wheat stubble
In July and sowing scarlet clover.
The clover may be used for grazing
should be plowed under when the
crimson tips are first noticed. Grim
son clover is one of the greatest rem
ovators OF the soil known to the sci
ence OF agriculture, forming a blanket
to the soil when most needed. A
small quantity of lime should be used
when blowing the clover under, and
for manural purposes alone it Is
worth about $40 an acre. CONNER
cial fertilizers the speaker has found
by experimentation to be a failure i'm
corn raising. He also called attention
to the use Of clover for pasturing
stock
Mr.. Phelps lectures on dairy hus-
bandry aroused keen interest in the
subject. Regarded as one of the fore
most authorities ON this subject in
America, and having managed the
largest dairy farms In New England,
Mr.. Phelps impressed upon the Mary
land farmers the opportunities open
for successfully engaging in the dairy
industry SO close to the large markets
OF the East He spoke on the selec-
ton Of the herd, recommending Jer-
sey and Guernsey cattle for butter
purposes, and Holsteins and Ayr
shires for generous milk supply.
Crossing the strains the speakers ex-
perience had proven satisfactory and
he cautioned the farmers against
blending the breeds. Mr.. Phelp IL
strongly in favor OF keeping individ-
ual dairy records of each COW i'm the
dairy SO that small producers may be
eliminated. Little attention should
Pc paid to trivial matters, such as
solid colors, black or bun noses;
rather that the productivity OF the
cow be considered. He explained the
physical requirements of the ideal
type Of dairy COW, laying stress on
the development OF the udder and
milk producing organs The best
cows, he said, are those whose I'd
ders are fabby when MIXED out
rather than fleshy.
Mr. Oswald is one of the most ex-
tensive peach growers in Maryland,
having gone into poultry husbandry
as side issue, and 1t was from this
standpoint that his lectures were de-
livered. He explained that poultry is
divided into dairy" or egg-producine
varieties and "beefy" Or market
fowls, being similar to cattle WI this
particular. Among the dairy chick
ems are classed the Leghorn, Rhode
Island Red, Game, Black Minorca and
al Asiatic breeds. The "beefy"
chickens most suitable for market are
the Buff Cochin, Drama and Lang
shang. The lecturer stated that
from ITS to 200 is about the yearly
laying for hens, though it fin mot I'm
common, with proper care and at