l<li» STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Q. What is the best grain to feed with silage? 



C. C. Lillie: Gluteu meal, oil meal or cottonseed meal. 



Q. What is the best thing to put on a silo after it is filled? 



C. C. Lillie: A good way to treat a filled silo is to tramp down the top for sev- 

 eral days in succession, putting on plenty of water, and let the top three inches 

 mould for a cover. Others sow oats on top and let them grow. 



WOOL IN MICHIGAN. 



PROF. HERBERT W. MUMFORD, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



Any farm pioduct which bii;igs to the farmers of Michigan au annual 

 income of a million and a half dollars is certainly of enough importance 

 to demand the thoughtful consideration of every farmer in the State. 

 In the early history of sheep husbandry and wool growing in the United 

 State, Michigan took a prominent position. Even now, taking into con- 

 sideration the number of acres of farm land in each of the states, Mich- 

 igan stands second as to the number of sheep to each acre. If we study 

 carefully the wool markets we soon become convinced that Michigan wool 

 is not held in so high esteem as the wools placed on the market from a 

 few other States. Barring the fact that there can never be as great a 

 uniformity in 



QUALITY AND CONDITION OF MICHIGAN W^OOLS 



as is found in some of our western states, there is no reason why Mich- 

 igan wool growers cannot produce just as good wool as any state in the 

 Union. We do not hesitate to say that the principal factor in the im- 

 provement not only in the quality, but in the quantity of wool through- 

 out the United States has been brought about through the agency of the 

 American Merino. 



We simply mentioned the fact that Michigan wools along with those 

 of New York, Indiana and Wisconsin are sold on the market for from one 

 to two cents i>er pound less than the same grades of wool from Ohio, 

 Pennsylvania and West Virginia. If we, as Michigan farmers, live up to 

 our opportunities we should know why this is so, and if a remedy is to be 

 found we should begin its use at once. 



We are told that a considerable quantity of our best Michigan wools 

 are sold on the market as Ohio or Pennsylvania wools, but as a large 

 majority of our Michigan wool growers sell their wool to local dealers 

 they do not as a rule get prices Avhich are comparable with the kind of 

 wool they produce. We refer in this statement to the class of wool 

 growers in Michigan who produce our finest grades of wool and are partic- 

 ular about the care of their flocks and the preparation of the wool for 

 market. 



Is it to be wondered at that Michigan wools are not sought after in the 

 market when over fifty per cent of the Michigan product is placed on the 

 market without being in the best condition? Of this fifty per cent about 

 fifteen per cent consists of wools so poorly grown that the wool fibers 

 are weak, hence not valuable for manufacturing purposes. Of the 

 washed wools from ten to twelve per cent must be sold as unmerchant- 

 able. That means that they must be sold for about the same price that 

 thev would have brought had the farmer not taken the trouble and ex- 



