98 Bureau of Farmers' Institutes. 



on good milk; the old pooling system, a premium on poor milk. 

 Where the Babcock is in force, every patron is striving to produce 

 a higher quality of milk because he is going to be paid for it. 

 Where it is pooled there is no such effort; all the patrons care is 

 to be sure their milk has 3 per cent, of butter fat in it, with the 

 other solids in proportion. 



Question. — How may one tell if there is acid in the soil, and 

 how to correct it? 



Mr. Smith. — By the use of what is known as litmus paper. 

 There is the blue, which determines whether the soil is acid or not; 

 a slip of it buried in the soil a few minutes, if the soil is acid, will 

 change to a dull brick red; the red variety, if the soil is alkaline, 

 will change from the red to the blue color. 



Question. — What shall we do for a sour soil? 



Mr. Smith. — An application of lime will correct it. 



Question. — Should there be any acid in the soil ? 



Mr. Smith. — I do not think there should be. Clover will not 

 grow on such soils, nor will many other crops. The germ that 

 causes any of the legumes to gather nitrogen from the atmosphere, 

 store it in nodules on their roots, to be given to the soil, will not 

 live in an acid soil. 



Question. — What make of cream separator do you think the 

 best? 



Mr. Smith. — We can't recommend any one. If we did, every 

 other manufacturer would be after us and make our lives unbear- 

 able. There are a number of them, all which are good and will 

 skim all the cream out of the milk. But, when one becomes used 

 to any one pattern, he should not change it for another. 



Question. — Is the aquatic separator as good as the other kinds? 



Mr. Smith. — No. Nor is it a separator at all, but a device for 

 raising cream through the dilution of milk with water. 



Mr. Gould. — Why should a man buy an $S double tin can 

 under the name of separator, when he can buy it under its proper 

 name, and just as good for $3? 



Question. — Which cow tie do you consider the best, the chain 

 or bow? 



A Farmer. — The bow tie. 



Mr. Woodward. — That is the Newton tie. But the best place 

 for a cow in the stable is the Bidwell stall, which is a small box 

 stall, in which the cow is loose. But it is too expensive. Our 

 arrangements are simple. There are two poles, reaching from 

 the floor to the ceiling, and one in the rear. The cow is tied 



