Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-07-03
PARTY VISITS SOLDIERS HOME,
COUNTY FARM. AND THE
hursoN MULE FARM.
SPECIALISTS DISCUSS
CROPS AND SOILS
Party of Ten Automobiles Carries
Farmers and Others on Interesting
Trirsee Mammoth Mules. That
Look Like Draft Horses, at the Hut.
son Farm.
son Farm.

The last Of a series of crop inspec-
tor. tours in more than a dozen coun-
ties Of the state that professors and
specialists Of Iowa State College, Ames.
have been making. was completed in
the western part of the county late
Z biles, carrying fifty active and retired
farmers and a few others, made ths
afternoon trip.
1t included stop at the soldiers
home 20 inspect the small alfalfa patch
on the state grounds. a visit to the
county farm and to the F. L. Huston &
Sons farm just east of State Center.
The trip was disappointing in one re-
spect. There were not enough active
farmers who went along. Corn plow-
ing undoubtedly int erfered with the
attendance.
Specialists Who Were Along.
Til professors from Iowa State Col
lege and other specialists who made
the trip We're Prof. w. H. Stevenson,
Of the department of farm crops and
head OF the experimental work of that
department; Prof. H. D. Hughes. OF the
farm crops department.; Prof. r. F.
O'Donnell, in charge of the animal hus-
bandry work Of the extension depart
ment of the college: John Buchanan,
of the department of soils and small
grains of the experiment station: Prof.
L. II. Pammell, botanist OF Iowa State
College; A. a. smith, secretary of the
extension department; Rex. Beresford,
field manager OF the Iowa Meat Pro-
ducers' Association. and NJ. A Hauser,
of the extension department.
Talk on Alfalfa Growing.
After the members of the party had
roamed thru the alfalfa field at the
soldiers home Professor Hughes gath
cred the crowd under the shade OF a
tree and talked on alfalfa growing. The
states stand of alfalfa is thin, but
fairly good. Professor Hughes thought
it was about a half stand. He went
over briefly the essentials for treating
soil for alfalfa. He said that where
the necessary care has been taken In
preparing the soil the percentage OF
failure with alfalfa were fewer than
with red clover.
Getting the Soil.
One Of the first ESSENTIALS, he said, in
making the soil fit for alfalfa, was the
incubation Of the soil with inoculated
soil from an alfalfa or red clover field.
Three hundred pounds Of this soil
should be spread over the ground be-
ing prepared and disked or narrowed
in.
Another essential, he said, was lime
1yrzl sy,S "a
soil at the rate Of a ton to the acre.
The field should be plowed the previ-
Gus fall or spring, and worked during
ne summer, manure being applied and
pIowed under. The inoculated soil and
limestone should be spread over the
field a month to two months before the
seed was planted. August, he said, was
the best month to seed alfalfa.
O'DonneIl Talks About Hogs.
The next stop was at the county
farm While the crowd stood in the
shade Of one of the big barns, Pro-
fessor O'Donnell discussed hog rations.
and particularly the feeding Of brood
sows. He also took up TO some extent,
the hog cholera question. when he told
of experiments made with serum for
immunizing herds.
A concrete block silo reinforced with
steel and plastered with concrete, was
next inspected. Rex. Beresford told
some of the precautions to take in
building siios
While Professor O'Donnell and Mr..
Beresford We're speaking. Professor
Stevenson had been making some tests
of the surface soil of the county farm
with litmus paper to determine how
much acid there was in the soil. He
found very little. He demonstrated
later how the test was made.
Before the party left the farm Super
intendent koontz conducted a tour Of
| inspection thru the hospital building
that was built three years ago.
Mules That Are Mules.
from the county farm the party
drove TO the Hutson farm. Mr. Hutson
and his son make a specially of breed
ing mules and their farm is probably
the only one in the county where the
breeding of these draft animals is cai.
ried so successfully and to the extent
it is on this farm.
The owners led out some of their
prize animals for the visitors to see
Certainly some" mules was the general
verdict. Three big mules, one of them
almost pure white, were shown. AL
| three were as big as Percheron. and
had all the charteristics of the desirable
and heavy draft animal. The white
mule is first prize winner of the Iowa
state fair of last fall.
|. On this farm mules are given the
same care and attention that race horse
owners give to their fast and FLOODED
stock. A box stall for each prize mule
is the rule. One pair OF 15-months ole
mule colts shown weighed 1900 each
| Out in a big pasture herd of forty
or fifty were grazing. The profits from
mules have paid for a quarter section
Of the old L. B. Goodrich farm tha
the Illusions bought for s210 an acre
It may be presumed profits from tn,
same source will also pay for the new
home that is soon to be built wher'
the old house stood. It has just beef