Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1920-12-29

the rate of zoo pounds to the acre; on The
third section nothing was put as it was used
as check plot; on the fourth a commercial
fertilizer of 3-I2-6 composition was used and
on the fifth little of all three vas scattered
The season having been a rather dry yeai
no difference whatsoever could be seen in tbs
tobacco on the whole plot There might have
been little difference in the weight of il
but not very much il would have been Wis.
ibie IN the growing plants. The fertilizer was
all applied -on the plowed land and disced
before any planting was done.
The same plot was watched this year and NJ
difference due TO the fertilizer could be observ-
ed The plot Is going to be watched especially
If another crop besides tobacco Is raised.
The ground was in q rather high state OF
fertility therefore the fertilizer showed no de.
cided affect
Another sod fertility project that has re.
ceived considerable attention is the amount
OF lime needed to correct the acidity in the
SOL. Last year thirty-fve farms were tested
Tor sou acidIty and this year twenty-five farms
have been tested. The amount of acidity var
les from one-half ton on some clay soils TO FIVE
tons on the black prairie soils. In every case
thus far, every sample tested showed some
sourness.
Last year a car load of crushed lime rock
was shipped in and used by several farmers
This year six carloads were shipped in and in
several instances a whole carload was used
by one farmer However, there is no farmer
IN Vernon County who not use a carload
and profit by it The big item with crushed
lime rock Is hauling il. To try 70 eliminate
hauling as much as possible several lime stone
quarries round about the county have beer
tested and if all goes well a portable crusher
will be purchased by private party and star;
crushing lime rock at the several tested quar-
ries which proves to contain good lime rock
as any. After this is established and develon-
ed several thousand tons viii be used annually
according TO the inquiries being made by the
farmers. Last year the soils of fifteen farms
were tested, which showed that the soil of ali
OF them was sour and that most of them lacked
in their PHOSPHORUS composition. This work
viii be carried farther another year.
The soil problem that is the most vital in
Vernon County is to retain high state of fer.
tility. In some of the eastern states, THEN
main soil problem is to bring back the sol
to good state of fertility which is a very
difficult problem and which we want to ward
off in Vernon County. The second big item &c
consider is the work in connection with the
crops raised in Vernon County. First there are
several strains of each kind of crop raised in
the county that there are best adapted for the
county, second the fight against plant de-
ceases and third the bringing in of pure bred
seeds and the fight against obnoxious weeds.
The several varieties of crops best adapted
for Vernon County are Silver King and Golden
GLOW corn, pedigreed barley number five, ped
igreed oats number and Kushon number
seven, Turkey Red winter wheat and MARQUIS
spring wheat and Rural New Yorker potatoes
These comprise the most important crops out
side of the hay crops. The growing of alfalfa
without Inning has not been advised Il should
not be given too much emphasis where medium
red clover grows we'll The growing Of Soy
and there are at least ten per cent of the
farmers in the county that are growing them in
their corn for that purpose now.
There are only few farmers growing pedi-
greed grains. The county agent procured some
pure bred pedigreed oats number one for one
farmer and It produced 20 bushel to the acre
while neighbors around there got from 45 70
so bushel per acre. In this way more pure
bred seed will be used and the sower viii reap
the benefit.
Last year seventy ounces of the best strains
~ AahA -
farmers and this year thirty-five ounces OF the
disease resistant strain of tobacco seed were
again given out The seed was obtained direct
from Mr.. johnson. tobacco specialist, at the
experiment Station and was given TO the
farmers without charge
After the grass appeared on the earth, ami
mails were soon created 30 live stock will be
the next topic to take up.
More has been done in better livestock than
anything else. Last year about thirty-four
days were Civ m to the better sire Campaign
and lot OF time was given to organization
Of the various breed associations.
In October 1918, when the County Agent
started work he found there were two live
stock associs ions in the county. One was the
Vernon County Live Stock Breeders Association
and the other is the present Vernon County
Jersey Breeders Association. They were do
ing good work and the Jersey Association is
still doing good work. The Flu" prohibited
done until last summer when the Duroc Jer-
sey Breeders organized and in turn the Poland
China Breeders also organized. The Guernsey
stein Breeders around Hillsboro organized last
spring and those around ViroQua late this
summer. The Shorthoin breeders organized
last summer. The associations that were or
ganized by August first of last year thought il
necessary to have sales pavilion and a meet
ing in the city park of Viroqua was held. A
group of breeders started the movement and
soon pavilion was erected and in it up TO the
present date eleven public sales were held in
that building. Two sales were Guernsey, two
Shorthorn, three Jersey, two Duroc Jersey, one
Poland China and the last a Holstein Most
Of these have been association sales
The general effect of all these sales on the
herds IN the county Is very promising. The
county aeent feels that If he can get better
iires into the county and increase the value of
each animal $l.00 he has served the farmers
in the county Sl53,925 as that is the number
IF cattle that the assessors reports show for
The year 1919. You know that a good pure
bred sire will increase the value of his off,
spring by than 81 90. In cattle the
grade calf is worth considerably more at birth
than is the scrub because it has the ability to
serve you as more economic machine for the
making of milk or beef from the feed you
are required to give it.
If every dairy COW in the county could be
made to increase her butter production per
year by ten pounds because of better breed
ing it would mean at the present price of
butter the nice sum of $250.00 1t is such
facts That makes the county agent want to
10 away with the scrub sire and bring in bet
ter live stock.
In the past two years the county agent
that he has directly or indirectly
brought $50 pure bred sires into the county
and il there are twenty offsprings from each
lne since then and they are valued at ten
dollars more a head than they otherwise would
pc it means that the farmers who own them
nave stock worth $4,000 more than if they
had been sired by scrubs.
Now if the $50 sres cost 500 each an av-
erage It still means profit of $4,000. We
have much 10 do in Vernon County as the
,ounty's average in production per- COW is
20 pounds less of fat than the state average.
The County Agent secs more than Just
Knows that with these things comes better
farm conveniences, better homes and home
more education and a better pros
perity all through the county. and as a re-
suit we all become better citizens.
Two poultry specialists have been brought
into the county and talked TO about FIVE hun
tred people interested in poultry. You may
;ay that poultry is not very important Maybe
ian get every hen in the county to lay one
egg more year he will more than treble his
present salary therefore considerable time has
,een given to the raising, feeding and culling
IF poultry.
The improvements in livestock give the
argest field for improvement than any other
me item.
We now have about fifty herds of cattle
hat are being tubereuin tested under federal
supervision which is worth $500 in cash to
hose having the testing done and its value
above that cannot be estimated if lives are
,aved by it.
The fourth thing that came into the world
nat is of great Importance is man. Now you
nay wonder how that affects county agents
'eport- Well the county agent for the last
.wo years has tried and has Interested some
boys and girls in calf and pig club work. A
ook their animal to Madison. II is of great
Importance for the boys and girls to go 20
airs and especially Junior Live Stock show
It Madison as nothing will impress them 50
0rfrh IN 4h1 hi,
The reasons for carrying on such work is to
Jet boys and girls interested in the farm