The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1913-03-11
Oats Went Sixty Bushels, Potatoes
230 and 1914, and Fodder Corn
Fifteen Tons Per Acre.
POULTRY BUSINESS IS PAYING
Chickens Brought in Profit of About
So Per Hen During 1912-Were
in Charge of c. w. Channel.
By A. ]. Mcclure, superintendent

BY A. J. Mcclure, Superintendent
Special to The Pioneer.
Grand Rapids, March 11.-The
work of the experiment station dur
ing 1912 was as follows:
The growing of field crops COM
mon to the timbered section of Nor
thern Minnesota.
The breeding and raising of dairy
stock, hogs and poultry.
The rotation Of crops and the test
ing of the value of stable n and
fertilizers.
The testing of the different varie-
ties of grains, grasses, corn, pota-
toes, forage crops and fruit trees.
The clearing of land and the test
ing of the value of muskeg swamp
land.
The chief field crops grown were
oats, wheat, barley, potatoes, fodder,
corn and clover. The oats yielded
go bushels per acre, the wheat %,
barley rs, potatoes (early) $50, po-
tatoes ,(late) 394,sfodder- corn,~15
p tons (gFeen~ weight) per acre, clover
hay S tons 1.-TWO cuttings) per acre.
These were the largest yields
that have been obtained on the ex-
pertinent farm, but are the result of
a normal increase from year to year,
due to Increased number of dairy
stock kept on the farm.
Forty COWS and seventeen heif-
ers were MIXED. The average pro-
duction of the 40 cows was 1929 lbs.
Of milk, and 247 pound of butter fat.
The heifers MIXED less than half the
year, most of them coming in in
September and October. The total
sales from the dairy in 1912 were
~$5267.O9, of which ~$4720.5S was
for milk and cream. The total sales
from the experiment farm in 1912
Clio acres under cultivation) were
$7144.47.
Poultry department.: In 1911 we
established a poultry department on
the experiment farm. Up to this
time the poultry on the experiment
farm were limited to 100 hens and
kept to demonstrate poultry raising
as a part of diversified farming. They
proved very profitable with such care
as is practical for the average farm
er to provide. In establishing the
special poultry department., the OBJ
ject sought, is to learn the possibili-
ties of poultry raising or a large
scale in the timbered section of
Northern Minnesota.
For the e poultry department, a
tract of five acres of land was set
apart and a poultry house and a
poultryman's residence built. The
poultry house was built according to
the most modern plans but not ex-
pensively. 1t is Fl feet long and 16
feet wide and divided into ten pens
with a feed room in the center. There
is a concrete foundation under the
entire building but earth floors are
used. The cost of the building COM
plete was $110O . 1t has a capacity
of from five to seven hundred hens.
At the beginning of the year 1912,
the flock consisted of 4S8 hens, 3O2
of which were pullets. They were
not especially selected, a number OF
the hens being old and a number of
the pullets late Matched. During the
year they were culled down to 24S.
The total number of eggs laid was
2,454 dozen. The total receipts for
the year was $8O7.34 and with the
addition of 1877 more fowls than at
the beginning of the year. The cost
of feed at the market price was
$3S7.29 for the year. Estimating the
surplus fowls at fifty cents each, the
total receipts would be $482.55
above the cost Of feed. This is not a
large profit, but sufficient for the
first year to indicate very favorable
possibilities for the poultry industry
in Northern Minnesota.
The poultry department has re-
Gently been taken in charge by Mr.,
G. w. Channel who has made a study
Of poultry raising in actual farm ex-
perience.
ITO Be Continued Later.)