FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 155 



farthest. The secret of success in building any kind of wire fence is to be sure 

 that you liave good anchor posts. For inside fencing a very good fence can be 

 built from the old rails by staking across the corners lengthwise. We sometimes 

 use one barbed wire drawn lengthwise of the above fence, being careful to draw 

 the wire near enough the inside corners to prevent stock from getting between the 

 fence and the wire; have never had an accident when used in this way, but believe 

 it to be unfit for fencing when used alone. We have tried using the 



SURPLUS STONE FOR FENCING, 



built 65 rods east and west at a cost of one dollar per rod after the stone were 

 drawn to place. For a few years it was fairly satisfactory and looked very tidy 

 and nice. But the action of the frost, the sun thawing on the south side first, drew 

 it out of line, and now it has fallen in places and makes a very pleasant pastime 

 for my lambs to pass from one field to the other, and is very unsatisfactory as a 

 fence. 



Fence building is quite expensive at best where we do a mixed farming, as most 

 of us do in southern Michigan. It seems imperative that we have road fences for 

 our own convenience, although the law does not require them. The conclusion 

 arrived at in my limited experience is that it is cheaper and more satisfactory to 

 build some kind of post and wire fence for permanent fencing, using our old 

 fencing material for inside or movable fences. The most expensive and decidedly 

 the most unsatisfactory kind of fencing I have had any experience with is polit- 

 ical farm fencing. A cyclone is sure to strike one side or the other. 



THE COST OF KEEPING A DAIRY COW. 



GEO. H. REDFIELD, Sailor, at CASS COUNTY Institute, Edwardsburg. 

 The following are the figures for 1S98 in a dairy of twelve cows: 



12 cows, averag-e of 325 days per cow. 1898. 



Dr. 



To 200 bu. at 215c .ISFiO 00 



16.5 bu. corn f;o no 



fi tons beans r 22 00 



1.500 lbs. middlings 11 00 



pasturasre at $10 per cow 120 00 



200 days labor 200 00 



interest on value, $600 at 8 per cent 4S 00 



Taxes ?, 00 



$504 00 

 Cr. 



By 2,8S5 lbs. butler at 20c $567 00 



4.800 lbs skim and buttermilk 4S 00 



12 calves at 10c , 75 00 



$RPO 00 

 Profit 186 00 



The Babcock showed .S,052 pounds of bntter, but T onlv recovered the amount 

 given above, which includes cream for house use, with which we keep an account. 

 I might have fed higher and produced more butter, but would it have been profit- 

 able? This account shows a clean profit of .$15.50 per cow. No account was kept 

 of the coarse feed nor of the manure. I believe one offsets the other. 



MOTHERHOOD. 



MRS. A. W. STALKER, Sault Ste. Marie, at WOMEN'S SECTION CHIPPEWA 

 COUNTY Institute, Sault Ste. Marie. 



The life of a farmer's wife is so full of toil that she is in danger of losing sight 

 •of those higher duties and privileges which belong to motherhood. There is no 



