Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1912-03-16
THE FARMERS INSTITUTE
Talks on Dairying, Apples, Poultry
Soy Beans and Canning

The Farmers Institute was held here
on Tuesday with afternoon and evening
sessions. There were quite number pre-,
sent. some from a distance, not with
standing the very Indictment weather.
D. R. Merritt, a professional horse
trainer from Dover, was to have given an
exhibition of how to break colt, or frac.
tious horse, in the square at O'Clock, but
because of the storm, the exhibition was
not given.
Mr.. w. 0. Collier, an expert corn plan.
ter from the Eastern shore of Maryland
discussed the planting and growing of
corn. He told when, where and how to
fertilize, urging especially that the corn
growers omit phosphate from the corn
ground. Mr.. Collier told of the merits of
crimson clover when used as fertilizer.
Mr.. Merritt, an authority on the potato
told about the growing of that vegetable
and compared the methods of growing
the potato in Maine and in Delaware.
Like Prof. McCue when discussing tc-
mato growing, Mr.. Merritt laid great stress
upon the absolute necessity of a careful
preparation of the soil before planting the
potatoes. Glover sod is good for the potato
crop, the ground to be well pulverized
and great care used in the selection of the
seed. He advised 1900 pounds of fertilizer
to the acre in two sowings, lst 800 pounds
when planting; I'd. 4OOpounds just as the
potato is coming through the ground.
Spray with Paris green in a wet way, not
dry (save very early in the morning when
the vines are quite wet with dew, and this
be did not recommend as highly as the
other way Use 8 applications of the Bor-
deaux mixture. the 1st when the vines
are or inches high, and then every
two or three weeks thereafter, during the
entire season the early blight being the
only disease that requires this spray in
this state.
In fighting the bugs the point is to be-
gin when it is small and keep it up 80
long as any eggs are seen. Don't dig be-
fore the potato is fully ripened as it will
be soggy and of poor favor. Mr.. Merritt
said his average per acre was 240 to 26O
bushels, though he had grown 3O5 bus
hels,- and got even last year l20 bushels.
Delaware is a fine state for the potato
and can beat both Dakota and New York
in yield, with their yield of 100 bushels.
He gave as test of ripeness-When the
skin will not break. For varieties he pre-.
ferred the irish Cobbler and the Green
Mountain for late potato.
Prof. A. E. Grantham followed with a
discussion of the soy bean, saying that it
was destined to become staple crop here,
as it had been for 80 years in China and
Japan and 20 years in the South. It is
good FERTILIZER and saves money for the
farmer whose profits are not only what be
sells but also what he does not have to
buy. Last year 100. 900 pounds were i'm
ported into England, and it sells at So |
to S. a bushe.
The soy bean is useful also for hay, |
quite equaling alfalfa and needing much |
less care and labor to grow. The hay is |
richer than COW pea hay. The beans when
well developed contain good deal oil and |
make well balanced ration.
1t should be cut when the leaves are
slightly yellow and the bean well grown
J The hay can easily be run through a |
common threshing machine to get the
seed The earlier cut crop is richer, but
harder to cure. To harvest for the seed, |
let the plants stand until Fall.
Look out for a good variety-not too |
late a maturing one. Don't buy cheap |
I.5O to $3.50 seed as it is worthless.
The Medium Yellow-the Pekin, and |
Wilson are good, equity adapted for
seed productions and bay, especially thu /
Wilson whose vines are of medium coarse
ness and whose leaves make good hay.
Professor Grantham had analzed 80 |
varieties, finding II had over 40 per cent.
of protein. Even at 20 or 30 per cent.
in so pound bushel, the soy bean is a
better food than cotton seed or linseed, |
He had grown from 3l3 to Az bushels
per acre.
Animals relish the beans, horses eating |
it readily and hogs also. 1t may be ground |
with corn but should not be ground alone |
as it is somewhat gummy.
1t is easily grown, has no serious pests, |
nor any plant disease. Any farmer who |
can grow corn can also grow the soy bean. |
Don't thresh the vines when too dry as
the beans are apt to split, and then too, |
care and some knack are needed in regula-
ting the speed of the thresher. The soy |
bean does not require as much fertilizer |
or lime as alfalfa.
Cow peas are better on poor sandy soil,
but for the soy bean you should have
some humus. 1t cures like ordin airy
hay aud is less damaged by rain than any
crop the farmer plants. In crop rotation
use corn and crimson clover, then soy
beans, then white and red clover-say in
four years. Prof. Grantham said be had |
seen the nitrogen fxers nodules on the |
SOW beans as big as hazel nut. The bean
is good for the farmer himself to eat. A
gentlemen in the audience said he had
eaten fine dinner that day on soy beans,
and the Professor said the bean had a |
rich character like Boston baked beans |
and pork! Then it is good for SLIDING with
corn. When grown for seed it was very |
profitable crop, say 80 to 40 bushels to the
acre at So to IS per bushe, and the de-
mand already greater than the supply,
will be still greater in the future. It
makes with corn the finest cattle feed,
sinceIit furnishes the heterogeneous element
where the corn gives the carbonaceous.
1t should be sown like oats with drill |
to make a solid stand. The land must
be warm enough to insure termination
before the weeds-sow about the first
week in June. 1t will hardly pay just
80 20 orOvv for soil imDTOVement at DFekr