118 Bureau of Farmers' Institutes. 



Question. — Which hird is the farmer's best friend ? 



Mr. Gould. — That poor, persecuted crow. I know no bird 

 which is such a farm scavenger as is the crow. He takes all the 

 cut worms, and, when we scatter a half-bushel of white corn in a 

 furrow for him to work on, he will take one kernel at a time and 

 fly away to the woods with it where he buries it and waits for it 

 to sprout, when he eats it. 



Question. — What about the forest tree worm, we have heard 

 so much about it ; what is a preventive ? 



Mr. Smith. — They are bad worms and. where they appear 

 two years in succession they nearly or quite kill the trees. They 

 can be fought on fruit and shade trees, but, in the forest, it is 

 impossible to reach many of them. 



Question. — What should be the length of plank for a cow- 

 stable floor, with swing stanchions, and mangers? 



Mr. Witter. — I don't know. Our stable floors are made to 

 conform to the size of our cow. About five feet four inches is the 

 average length of the plank. 



A Farmer. — My floors are four feet eight inches. 



Mr. Smallwood. — My floors for Jerseys are four feet four 

 inches, but my Jerseys are not all of the same length. 



Question. — Which is the best turnip for table use ? 



Mr. Gould. — There are a number of varieties. We grow the 

 purple top, strap leaf. 



Mr. Jennings. — Some of the white Swede varieties are pre- 

 ferred for table use. 



Question. — Would you use a weeder on winter wheat after 

 sowing grass seed? 



Mr. Woodward. — It would depend on the state of the wheat. 

 If it had begun to stool out, I should use the smothing harrow 

 because I could slant the teeth back so as to cover the clover seed 

 and not lift the wl eat out. 



Question. — What is the best crop to raise on our farms? 



Mr. Litchard. — The best crop ever grown on my father's farm 

 was one of boys. 



Question. — How much salt shall we apply per acre? 



Mr. Smith. — What do you want to apply salt for? It has no 

 fertilizing value whatever; but sometimes there is locked-up potash 

 in the soil which salt will set free. It also helps to furnish 

 moisture, but too much of it not only sets too much potash free 

 but burns up the vegetable matter in the soil. 



