FARMEES' INSTITUTES. 



TENTH INSTITUTE. 



The tenth Farmers' Institute of the Housatonic Agricultural Society was held 

 in the Town Hall on Friday, February 17th. The attendance was good, both in 

 the morning and afternoon. The meeting was called to order at 11:15 a. m., by 

 the President, Lester T. Osborne of Alford, who announced the topic for dis- 

 cussion, "How Should a Farm be Managed to Secure the Best Results," and said 

 that the subject was a very important one, in view of the strong competition be- 

 tween western and eastern farmers, which renders it necessary for the latter to 

 do their farming according to the best methods. He called upon Levi Beebe, of 

 Beartown, to open the discussion. 



Mr. Beebe's remarks related principally to the breeding of cattle and sheep ; 

 he said that they were spoiled by grading. Buy the breed you want and don't 

 cross it, if you do it will take a whole generation to straighten the evil done. If 

 you breed fancy stock you will have good cattle, but if you grade them you will 

 spoil everything. To grade is to degrade also. 



James H. Rowley of Egremont said : I have studied the subject, how to 

 manage a farm to secure the best results, for fifty years, and I do not know that 

 I am any nearer the solution of the matter than when I started. The principal 

 things necessary to make farming pay better are to increase the products of the 

 farm, and lessen the expenses of their production. But back of this is the 

 question how to increase the productions of the farm. It depends first on sur- 

 rounding circumstances. If the farmer wishes to produce milk, he must adopt 

 one policy ; if to raise grain, another policy ; and if to follow mixed farming, 

 still another policy. To manage the farm to the best advantage, would be to 

 allow as little waste as possible. There should be clean cultivation of the land, 

 no farmer can afford to allow any part of the farm to go to weeds. He should 

 make his whole farm productive. The rule should be to raise all the fertilizers 

 on the farm that the farm needs. Another important question is how to dispose 

 of produce. We lack experimental knowledge in this connection and in other re- 

 spects. For instance, what is the best manure for beets? I experimented five 

 years before I became satisfied that the best manure for sugar beets is not the 

 best for turnips. If I follow mixed farming, I find myself in need of informa- 

 tion; for example : how shall manure be applied? Some say plow it in, others 

 believe in surfaee manuring. Public sentiment is now favoring surface manur- 

 ing, just as it is now favoring shallow plowing for corn instead of deep plowing, 

 which was formerly considered best. It does not pay to keep poor stock on the 

 farm, and the breed must be kept which is best for the particular purpose desired. 

 I am inclined to think the Guernsey cow is the coming cow for butter. I believe 

 that experts should serve on our committee who judge of the merits of stock. 

 To manage the farm to obtain better results, we need co-operation. If we want 

 to produce butter, we must have a creamery. In every branch we need co- 

 operation. 



Mr. Beebe said a few words in regard to rust on plants. He said that it was 

 the opinion of good authorities, and his own opinion, that it was caused by chill, 



