Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-12-20
JERSEY MEN MEET
ANNUAL GATHERING LAST WE'D.
NESDAY-FINE ADDRESS-EN-
SUING YEARS OFFICERS.

annual meeting last Wednesday at the
Peoples State Bank The meeting was
we'll attended by representative Jersey
men in the county and much interest
taken in the proceedings.
AS a prime part Of the affair was the
address of F. F. Showers, field agent
Of the American Jersey Cattle Club.
Mr.. Showers home is in Delavan and
he is practical former himself, al
though his duties require much travel
ing throughout the country.
Arrangements were made to hold the
annual picnic at Schreiner park in
Lancaster, June IA next, when the
usual program of sports and other
events will take place.
Officers were elected as follows:
President Theo Wehrle Fenni-
more.
Vice President-G. P. Martin, Ian
caster.
Secretary-R. G.. Ketterer, Werley.
Treasurer-P. Brandt, FennimOre.
Directors = Andrew Browning, Ira
Murphy, j. B. Zenz.
Delegate-J. P. Zenz.
Mr.. Showers address on "How to
Make Small Farm Pay" was so in
teresting that we print it in full:
Gentlemen
IF you are thinking of joining the
union so that you will have but an
eight hour or ten hour working day,
do not think of trying to operate
small farm To succeed in farming
you must so enjoy your work that it
becomes a pleasure instead of task.
I'm fact, success in farming depends
upon the man who runs the farm For
if he thinks enough of his problem he
will succeed no matter what lines of
farming he may pursue.
utilize all the farm. | study each
field so that I know what crop it will
produce to best advantage. A farmer
can do this on the small farm since it
is possible to utilize the smallest
fields. The farmer on the small farm
must utilize all the corners of the farm.
The returns from some small fields on
a small farm will be equal to the waste
upon large farms.
Make soil productive. If my soil
is acid, l use lime. If my field is wet
or poorly drained, tile it. A farmer
can fertilize the field, pillow it, pre-
pare the seed bed as it should be pre-
pared and get the soil in the best con-
ditiOn for plant food and the mainten-
ance of the moisture.
Raise more profitable crops. The
farmer on small farm must raise
crops which are best adapted for his
soil and from which the best returns
in milk, pork, beef, or whatever you
have to market, can be secured. Often
the surplus roughage or hay can be
sold and feeds bought which will pro-
duce more milk or meat than this hay
or roughage would have done
Il found | could grow alfalfa on my
farm and get good returns. I made
study of the plant, found that it
needed we'll drained soil, and that
it required we'll prepared seed bed.
| knew that | had we'll drained soil
and that it was necessary for me to
supply the seed bed The farmers who
drove past stared at me when [ har-
rOwed and narrowed the field [ was
preparing for alfalfa. | went over the
ground eleven times until it was as
mellow as we'll worked garden.
Sweet clover was growing three or
four feet high along the roadside, so
I inoculated my alfalfa field with the
soil in which the clover had been
growing. The stand did not satisfy
me, so that when l planted my second
field | fortified the field before plow-
ing it in the fall, disking and harrow
ing in the spring.
my first yielded five tons to the
acre, but it did not satisfy me. pur-
chased a lime sower and ground
limestone, and inoculated with soil
from the old field at the rate of 500
pounds of soil to 1000 pounds of
ground limestone. l sowed 20 pounds
of alfalfa and rs pounds of barley to
the acre. Because Of the thorough
preparation Of the seed bed, the bar
ley yielded 40 bushels to the acre.
Upon this field last year eight tons
Of alfalfa hay were cut from every
acre. My profit was $98.40 an acre,
after deducting the interest on the
land at 5000 an acre, the taxes, the
cost of blowing, disking, planting, fer
tilizing, and lining, besides the ex-
pense of cutting, tedding, raking, cock
ing, Gaping, shaking out, and hauling
the hay
"In curing alfalfa to get the largest
return | cut the hay as soon as the
dew is off in the morning and start
tedding so that I can cock and cap the
hay in the afternoon. About 3 o'clock
tile alfalfa is raked into windows,
carefully cooked mot tumbled) and
then capped. I leave the hay in the
cocks from eight TO ten days, depend
ing on the weather. Of necessary to
leave the hay in cock for several days
the cocks should be moved about so
as not to kill or weaken the plants un-
der them.) Then the cocks are opened
IN hit NOT scattered ont and tho hav