572 BOARD OF AGKICULTUEE. 



COW would grow one ton of corn (counting 33 bushels as a ton). That is a 

 little over the average for the entire State of Indiana. I could grow 33 

 bushels of -wheat with that same manure, using the phosphoric acid, the 

 niti-ogen and the potash. I could also grow one ton of clover hay that 

 contains 41 pounds of nitrogen, 8 of phosphoric acid, and 8 of potash. I 

 could also grow 29 bushels of oats, and 75 bushels of Irish potatoes, and 

 yet would not have to go outside and draw upon any other supply. These 

 were astonishing facts to me. I have taken these analyses from Prof. 

 Henry's Feeds and Feeding. The figures are not mine, but I think they 

 are true. Now then, if it is a fact we have as valuable a byproduct on 

 our farms as that, and hundreds of farmers simply throwing those things 

 away, or else imagining they are doing good work putting them on the 

 gi-ound in such large quantities, they loose a large per cent, of their value, 

 especially that of the nitrogen. A gentleman has spoken about the 

 trouble in using a manure spreader when there is mud or snow. I would 

 wait until the ground is frozen or in right condition and then use the 

 spreader. The average byproduct of one cow would represent consider- 

 able, especially if we imdertake to buy the material in the lorm of a com- 

 mercial fertilizer. The average dairyman in Indiana today is considering 

 how he can get protein food to make good milk. We are discussing the 

 matter how to grow the protein on the farm. We are paying $18 for 

 wheat bran today, which contains only about 12 per cent, of the digesti- 

 ble protein matter. Gluten food contains 25 per cent, of digestible pro- 

 tein and costs $25 a'tou. If that can be grown on the farm in the form of 

 clover hay and things of that kind it will be better, and at the same 

 time you are benefiting your farm. We should know the zeal value of 

 this byproduct and how to best use it, that we may save every ounce of 

 plant food that goes through our stables, and so apply it to our farms as 

 to get every ounce of it into some plant to grow another crop, to make 

 more manure; and that builds up the farm. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Taylor: Do you use a manure spreader? 



Mr. Johnson: Yes. 



Mr. Taylor: Can you use it in the winter? 



Mr. Johnson: We have, never found any winter yet but we could use 

 a manure spreader. We have been using one for six years. We never 

 haul manure out into the fields when it is muddy. We wait until the 

 ground is in the right condition. Sometimes we wait as long as two 

 weeks to find a proper time to haul the manure. We want it to do the 

 most good that is possible. We put it on our wheat fields to help our 

 clover. 



