The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1924-04-24

DEPARTMENT FOR THE ACRICUL TURISTS

Farm Evening School Work In
State Grows-The number of even
ing schools carried on under the
Smith Hughes act and designed for
classes of farmers in definite unit
courses has doubled the vast year,
according to Paul Calrow, state sup
ervisor with the state department of
education which is in charge of the
work.
Sixty-seven evening schools have
been held in "a county centers with a
total attendance of 1916 at 1872
meetings. The Albert Lea area leads
with IA evening schools having an
enrolment of 280. Faribault and
Grand Rapids have six schools each
and Park Rapids, next in order, has
four. However, the enrolment Of
$50 at Gilbert, having three schools,
surpasses the attendance at either
Faribault or Grand Rapids. Dairying
and poultry are the popular courses.
Every pupil" is pledged to carry on
some project the following season in
which he will apply the lessons
learned in the evening schools.
Cooperating with the state de-
forward vocational education in agri-
culture is the division of agricultural
education at University Farm. Upon
this division rests the responsibility of
training the teachers for the Smith
Hughes program. This service is
performed in the class room and in
the field and by holding conferences
of the teachers at University Farm
and elsewhere.
Flock Records Show Poultry Is
Profitable - Records summarized by
Miss Cora Cooke, a university extern
sion specialist in poultry keeping,
showed an average return of $1.68
per hen from 10 demonstration f1ocks
in Winona and Wilkin counties for
the year 1929. The records were
for all poultry kept, though most OF
them were for chickens alone.
Just what good management means
in the poultry business was strongly
brought out in the records of a flock
of 523 single comb White Leghorns
owned by F. R. Hill & Son of Winona
county. The birds in this flock re-
turned $1,437.15 above all expenses
except labor, or an average OF $2.74
per hen. Good egg production, eco
nomical feeding and steady market,
which paid premium for well graded
eggs, contributed to the large re-
t,ssas from his flock, says Miss Cooke.
The Hill flock laid an average of 1873
Heggs per hen during the year. The
lowest production of the 10 f1ocks was
68.5 eggs per hen. The average was
102 eggs per hen.
Three focks gave an average net
return over labor and all expenses of
more than $3.50 bird. A return of
S4.27 per bird in one of these ftocks
was due to unusual success in raising
chicks. Sales of turkeys help to
raise the average return of another
of the three focks to 1884 per bird.
In another flock, however, attempts at
turkey raising caused loss of two
cents bird in the years record.
Five other f1ocks gave return OF
less than 81 per hen.
Miss Cooke says that 35 cooper
ators in the two counties have en-
rolled for the present year.
n
incubation Needed In Alfalfa
ng-Innoculation is necessary
to get the best results in establishing
and growing alfalfa and sweet clover
stands, says A. G. Army of the Min
nesota Experiment Station at Unlvef-
sity Farm. Leguminous plants having
nodules- knots or lumps-on their
roots containing bacteria are able to
use the nitrogen of the air in their
growth. If these bacteria are not
supplied, the crop can be only partial
ly successful and may be almost a
total failure.
Two methods are recommended by
Mr.. Army. In what he designates as
Method No. 1 incubation is accom-
plished by mixing alfalfa seed, pound
for pound, with soil that is now grow
ing or that produced last season well
inocuIated plants. The soil should be
sifted and dried gradually. When
seeding time comes, the seed is moist
ened and then mixed with the dried
inocculated soil. However, fresh soil
mixed with the seed and sown immed-
lately gives good results.
Commercial incubation is the basis
for Method No. 2. Several reliable
commercial inoculants are usually
sold by seedmen, says Mr.. Army. APP
plication blanks for government inoc-
uldC1On Inlay Ue OUIdluSu Ny Wtie.i5
the United States Department of Ag-
riculture at Washington. No inocu-
lants for leguminous crops are sent
out from University Farm.
Mr.. Army says that incubation is
so necessary on sandy lands that botn
soil and a commercial inoculant
should be used. Fine black soil is
much superior &c sandy soil for ti.is
purpose for the reason that the inc
black soil contains greater numbers
of bacteria and adheres to the seeds
better.
June 10 Selected for Cattle Feed
ers' Day-Thurs day, June -, has
been designated by the animal hus--
bandry division of the Univers'M OF
Minnesota as Cattle Feeders Day at
University Farm Tor 1924. Tbs vii!
he the fourth annual observance OF
the day.
Since November 2, sixty purebred
and high grade Aberdeen Angus steer
calves have been fed in six lots OF ten
each on six different rations with the
object of fattening them as baby
beef.
Several new rations and methods OF
feeding have been on trial and will
be reported Cattle Feeders Day by