FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 103 



THURSDAY AFTERNOON. 



NEWBERKY HALL. 



Wm, Campbell in the Chair. 



QUESTION BOX. 



Q. How much rape seed per acre is required in drills and broadcast? 



C. D. Smith: I think that heretofore we have used rather more rape seed than we 

 ought. When sown in drills twenty-eight inches apart I would not use but two and 

 one-half pounds per acre on good soil, and when sown broadcast, which is the better 

 method in most cases, I would not use over four and one-half. 



Q. Which is the most desirable variety of cow peas for Washtenaw county? 



J. D. Towar: The Early Black Eye, Red Ripper. A variety for large growth to 

 plow imder is the Clay. 



Q. Will not drilled corn stand more dragging than planted corn? 



J. D. Towar: In most cases, yes; largely because an excess of seed is almost uni- 

 versally put on when it is drilled. 



Q. Has anyone had any experience in sowing clover in the fall? 



A Benzie County Farmer: On light soils we sow in the fall in our county. We 

 sometimes sow in the corn, after the last cultivation, with good results. 



L. D. Watkins: It does not work well with me, as I have sown forty acres and 

 lost it. 



A Farmer: I have sown twenty acres, and lost it, and have tried the experiment 

 several times. 



Q. What shall be done to save the shade trees along the highway from the ravages of 

 the telephone men? 



C. D. Smith : Unfortunately, the courts do not give sufficient protection in thia 

 matter. The right to set the poles carries with it the right to cut the shade trees 

 as far as may be necessary to run the wires. This, at least, is the way I understand it. 



Q. How would you get, permanent pasture on sandy land? 



L. D. Watkins: It is a hard proposition, and in general cannot be done. June 

 grass is the best attempt. Everything depends on the first season. It is even possible 

 that that vilest of weeds, the quack grass, might be used if the land would never be 

 wanted for any other purpose. 



Q. In putting up shredded corn fodder, do you let the stalks get perfectly dry, or 

 do you haul immediately after cutting, and shred at once? 



E. A. Croman: We have the stalks just moist enough so that we can squeeze juice 

 out of them. We do not wait long enough to have them perfectly dry. 



Q. Will oat and pea hay and corn silage make a perfectly balanced ration for cows? 



E. A. Croman: Yes, nearly so. It would pay, however, to buy bran or oats or some 

 feeding stuff rich in protein to fully balance the ration. 



Q. In plowing an apple orchard, should it be plowed deep or shallow? 



S. IT. Fulton: It depends on the previous culture somewhat. As a general rule, it 

 should be plowed shallow. 



Q. What would you suggest as a winter cover crop for an orchard to be plowed in 

 the spring? 



S. H. Fulton: Either oats or crimson clover. 



Q. Would you advise rolling wheat immediately after sowing? 



A. M. Brown : I can see no advantage in it, and there may be some disadvantage. 



Q. Would not the loose soil in a seed bed for wheat cause deep rooting and conse- 

 quent winter killing of the wheat plants? 



A. M. Brown: Yes, if the loose soil was too deep; for this reason I advocate a fairly 

 firm lower soil with a soft earth mulch on top. 



Q. What will destroy the apple borer? 



S. H. Fulton: Dig them out when you see the borings at the foot of the tree. 



Q. Will marl be a benefit as a fertilizer for apple trees? ^ 



