The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-11-23
FARM TOPICS; THE LIVE STOCK STORIES;
YOUTHFUL CLUB NOTES; DAIRYING; CROPS

n u 4
A difference in the. rapidity
with which leading grain crops
are marketed Is shown by re-
ports issued by the bureau OF
agricultural economics In CON
nection with the United States
department of agriculture. The
statistics are based on studies
covering hye:yeer period,
CURES, SCI per cent OF the wheat
August, September and October;
49.S per cent OF the oats crop
is marketed during the same
four months. The foar peak
market months for the corn
crop ART" Deoem Der, January,
February. and March. during
which time 47.2 per. cent OF that
crop 10, moved. The figures show
that 51.9 per cent Of the barley
is marketed within four months
after harvest, and 81 percent OF
flaxseed is marketed during the
months OF September, October,
November and December. The
figures also disclose the fact that
the percentage OF any crop mar
keted compared to the entire
crop varies very widely. Nearly
all the wheat crop Is marketed
except that needed for, seed,
while only a comparatively small
part OF the corn and oats crop
actually leave the iarm.' =
+ =
49,. VALUE OF CLOVER
Few people this section OF the
country realize the value o. sweet
clover as a. sialage food for cattle
and other livestock on the. farm.
J. E. Winters OF Shelby township
is a sweet clover expert in his sec
many interesting things to say about
sweet clover. according to l.. e.
McMillen, Blue Earth county farm
agent. ..-~.
Mr.. Winters harvested his first
crop Of sweet clover on a twenty
acre tract and filed his 120 ton
silo on June: of this year. with the
yield. He reports that his experience
in feeding sweet clover silage to his
livestock indicates that 1t is a
splendid feed. -.
He cut his second crop Of sweet
clover for seed and estimates that
he got over 5000 pounds of seed
which he sold to a Milwaukee firm
for eleven cents a pound, When he
trashed his sweet clover seed crop
he put the straw in his barn for feet
He saw a report of the Illinois ex-
pertinent station which stated that
sweet clover straw was considered
better feed than timothy hay in
feed valua-
AS this was the second year for
this sweet clover field the plants
had died and Mr.. Winter plowed UP
the field this fall and found that
twenty acre tract than 1t ever was
before. The soil before had been
very gummy and stickey,< but the
sweet clover roots had improved
the texture Of the soil and made
plowing comparatively easy. There.
fore Mr.. Winters is very enthusi-
astic over the growing OF sweet
clover. .ar IT,.
Mr.. Winters stated that he had
heard the statement several times
that nothing would eat sweet clover
hay. Last year he fed sweet clover
to his pigs, chickens. cattle and
horses and found that they all pre-
ferred sweet clover hay to any
other. Mr.. Winters got his first in
Diration for sweet clover silage
from a friend in Illinois who has
filed his silo eight times with sweet
clover silage.
During September, 430.191 cat
tie were tuberculin tested under
the systematic plan OF tubercu-
losis eradication conducted BY
r,arln,,o 'Cfofo~ ond the TInifod
States department Of agriculture.
A total Of 1864 reactors was
found. The elimination of these
diseased cattle during the month
is the first step In freeing the
herds. in which they were found.
from the disease. as well as being ,
measure for human welfare.
The popularity Of tnberculin
testing among livestock owners
is shown by the extent of the
waiting list which at the end Of
September consisted OF 146.487
herds.
HAY GRADES TO BE SIMPLIFIED
Simplification of existing federal
hay grades on the basis of recent
research work and in response to
requests for notifications from
producers, handlers, and consumers
of hay, Is to be made by the United
States department of agriculture.
The number OF classes and grades
will be reduced and a simpler meth :
cd of determining grade will be ad-
opted, the department says. Maur-
ice Meier of Fort, Wayne, Indiana,
former president and for many
years chairman of the grades com
mittee of the National Hay Associa-
ton, has been appointed by the de-
partment as a consulting specialist
to advise in the hay grades work
The announced policy Of the de-
partment is to simplify the gradlng
system in a manner consistent with
good grading practice and to con-
form as nearly as possible to the
commercial grades now in genera
use. Under the simplified system the
classes Of hay will be determined az
heretofore by the percentage OF
grasses and legumes in mixtures,
Grades will be determined by color
The color will be expressed as one
factor, namely, the percentage OF
green instead of as combination
of brown leaf surface, brown and
bleached heads. and bleached ano
off -colors stems, as is done under
the present Federal system.
PROOF OF 6ARBERRY PUDDING
Indiana Farmers Guide: That
barberry eradication is proving an
effective control of heavy black
stem epidemics has been demon