The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1922-08-17

ricultural experiment station visited
North Central Experiment Station at
Grand Rapids on Visiting Day, July
"a, was greatly impressed with the
extensive and intensive work be-
ing done at the Grand Rapids station
under the superintendency of Otto L.
Bergh. Their interest for the day
conferred mainly on four lines of work
being carried on thereon the breed
ing up of the farms fine dairy herd
through the use of purebred sires;
on the extensive experiments to de-
termine the ratio of manuring on po-
tatoes, together with the tests of diff
ferent varieties of potatoes being
made in cooperation with the United
States bureau of plant industry; on
the discovery that even on dairy
farm where manure has been plentl-
fully distributed the soil may come
to lack certain elements such as pot
ash, and on substitutes for corn sill
age in regions where the climate Is
not favorable to the best production
of corn.
The visitors spent much of their
time in the dairy barn looking over
the animals and comparing their re-
cords, which show rapid increases in
the quantities of butterfat produced
from generation to generation when
a purebred sire of high-producing
strain has been used. They were i'm
pressed by the statement that at the
start the cows in the herds of the
Grand Rapids station produced on
an average only about 1876 pounds of
butterfat, whereas for the year of
1920 the average yield was 341.3
pounds. They were interested, again,
on learning that the herd had been
placed on the states accredited list
as free from tuberculosis, fact
which emphasized high standing of
the state in the number of its tuber-
culosis free dairy herds. Ei
Interest was marked again in the
large increase in the potato yield
through the experiments with five, ten
and twenty tons of manure to the
acre; five tons giving an increase of
S6.5 bushels, ten tons 147.9 and TWEEN
ty tons 1868, over the yield of 1855
yielded on land which had no ma
nure. The best results, taking into
consideration cost of labor and other
factors, seemed to be in favor of the
ten-ton application.
The discovery that there was lack
of potash in the soil came as sur
prise to the experimenters, and the
fact excited the interest of the WISH
tors, because through several years
manure had been plentifully supplied,
the explanation, as presented by DR..
U Of fhn
seems to be that while manure had
been applied it was the solid manure
from which the liquid content had
been allowed to escape, and it is the
liquid manure which contains the pot
ash. For this reason a large manure
pit has been added to the equipment
of the farm, and the results of its
use will be observed with care. The
discovery of the needs of potash at
the Grand Rapids station is Of sig
niicance to dairy farmers generally.
In the silage substitutes sunfowers
and soybeans mixed give good results,
and are relished by the cows, &C
cording to the station report for 1919,
the soybean silage being preferred
even to corn silage, though the latter
is eaten with more relish by the cat
tie than the sunfower silage.
Other lines of experimental work
which drew and held the attention OF
the visitors, were the results with
winter grains from early seeding
Early seeding-from August Is to
September 1 for wheat, and August Is
to September Is for rye-giving de-
cidedly the best results, Minturki, a
variety of winter wheat bred by the
Minnesota experiments has given
excellent results at the Grand Rapids
station. The success with alfalfa at
such a northern post, where two cut.
tings give from 5 to tons of hay,
another fact of much interest. The
attack on plant disease, at this sta
ton as at others, also aroused great
interest.
Among the visiting editors of farm
papers were A. j. Glover of Hoard's
Dairyman, Fort Atkinson, Wis.,; D.
A. Wallace and M. c.. Cutting of The
Farmer, ST.. Paul, MINI; G. w. Kel-
ley of the Northwest FaTmstead, Min
neapolis, Mimi; Miss Mabel Sensor
of the Dakota Farmer, Aberdeen, s..
D.; and Mrs. Mary Bigelow Of Farm,
OIOCh N I1OLlc, ul1HlCdpOllS. OSNCIdl
other editors were with the party
earlier in the tour, but had to leave
before reaching Grand Rapids, much
to their regret. Among these were S.
o. Rice of Capper's Farmer, Topeka,
Kansas; T. A. Leadley of the Nebras-
ka Farmer, Lincoln, Neb.; ]. A.
Drake of Farm, Stock & Home, Min
neapolis; and w. T. Foley of The
Farmer, ST. Paul.
A. d. Wilson, formerly extension di-
rector of the University Department
of Agriculture, represented the gents
on the party at Grand Rapids, and was
one of the speakers on the program
which followed the visit to the barns
and the fields. Among the other
Z. speakers Were A. ]. Glover of Hoard's
Dairyman, and J. F. Reed, presi-
dent of the Minnesota Farm Bureau
Federation. Mr.. Wilson talked of
the future of agriculture in northern
Minnesota, where he is now operating
farm; Mr.. Glover of the place of
the dairy COW on the farm, and Mr..