306 IOWA DEiPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



home was framed by trees, and in the background was a row of ever- 

 greens. The open lawn in front contained a few trees in groups near 

 the house, and others on the border for shade. The arrangement of 

 shrubs in groups and masses on the lawn borders was suggestive, and 

 around the whole was a double row of evergreens for a windbreak. If 

 the landscape scene were worked out in a practical way, it would make 

 a mightily attractive farm home. 



The soils department featured the use of lime, and the map indicated 

 that a great many types of Iowa soil are very deficient in this material. 

 Ground limestone was recommended as being cheaper and safer than 

 burned lime, it being recommended to apply the lime on the surface, 

 just before seeding, at the rate of from three to five tons to the acre. 

 Soils most apt to be acid seem to be those in the lowan drift, the 

 southern Iowa loess, and the Mississippi loess. Occasional acid areas 

 are found in the Wisconsin drift and the Mississippi loess. The method 

 of making the litmus test was demonstrated. 



Within the last two years the college has made 45,000 ear tests, 

 and has tried out thirteen different methods of testing seed corn. After 

 making this comparison, they recommend the rag-doll method as 

 simple, cheap, efficient and accurate, the cost being about 2 5 cents a 

 bushel, or 5 cents an acre. If all corn growers adopted this method, 

 it was pointed out that the average of thirty-four bushels an acre on 

 Iowa's ten million acres of corn could be increased by two or three 

 times. Poor stands, caused by planting poor seed, were said to be the 

 chief cause of law yields, when the soil and climate are considered. 



Hog raisers were interested in statistics put out by the swine depart- 

 ment. Diseases and parasites cost the hog raisers of Iowa about a 

 million dollars annually, and some years, when there is a heavy out- 

 break of cholera, it has amounted to thirty million dollars. A method 

 of controlling lice and intestinal worms by dips, disinfectants and 

 cleanliness was demonstrated. Dry quarters, shelter and good ventila- 

 tion were suggested to prevent pneumonia, and the liberal use of anti- 

 hog cholera serum to ward off cholera. 



The results of breeding fifteen scrub cows to Holstein, Guernsey and 

 Jersey bulls gave pointers on the importance of having a good sire at 

 the head of the herd. The use of one of the dairy sires resulted in a 

 heifer that produced 71 per cent more milk and 42 per cent more butter 

 than her dam. With one exception all heifers of the scrub and pure- 

 bred cross showed a marked increase over their dams. 



Two pens of birds gave an object lesson in keeping farm poultry. 

 One of the pens laid 38 eggs to the hen this year, and 91 eggs last 

 year. The other pen averaged 104 eggs this year and 151 eggs last 

 year. According to the information given out, good layers are in- 

 dicated by late, quick molting, while poor layers molt early and slowly. 

 The former have full, smooth-textured combs, and the latter shrunken 

 and irregular combs. Good layers of the yellow-legged varieties seem 

 to have faded beaks, legs and toes, while the poor ones have rich 

 yellow markings. 



