Proceedixgs of the Farmers* Club. 375 



of ripening ; pack carefully ; reject all bruised ones ; well fill the 

 crates, shaking down so that they will be tight and not move in 

 handling. - 



MowEK Shakpexer. 



Mr. D. "W. Ayres, Chicago, Illinois. — This was exhibited again as 

 it did not have a fair chance last week. It has the advantage of 

 being as portable as a bit-stock ; the mower is sharpened as well in 

 the field as elsewhere, and while in running order, and after a little 

 experience the proper bevel is easily kept, Todd, Meeker, and 

 others of the committee thought it simple and complete ; and David 

 Pettit, that good quaker farmer from Salem, I^J^ew Jersey, pronounced 

 it unequaied. 



Adjourned. 



September 29, 1868. 



Mr. Nathan C. Ely in the chair ; Mr. John W. Chambers, Secretary. 



The Use of Stkaw. 



Mr. W. S. Ehett, TVindham, Wyoming county, Pa., stated he had 

 quite a quantity of wheat straw, and was at a loss how to use it, as 

 he has no barn-yard. There is one field of ten acres, which is poor, 

 and he had a muck swamp within a few rods. Advice was wanted. 



Mr. J. B. Lyman. — This gentleman says he has no yard for rotting 

 straw, then he has no suitable arrangement for making manure, and 

 does not make as much money as he ought to at farming. Or if he 

 makes money it is taking the marrow out of his land, so he will soon 

 Lave some more badly run fields of ten acres like tliat he asks about. 

 As a rule the Pennsylvania farmers have the best barns and yards in 

 the country. They often lodge their cows and oxen in a larger and 

 more costlj'- structure than the family residence. There are two uses 

 for straw as an absorbent of liquids around animals and as fodder. 

 The English farmers, who formerly used straw Tery freely for litter- 

 ing all their animals, are now of opinion that it pays better to cut the 

 straw, steam it, mixing meal or roots with it and feed it out to farm 

 stock in cold weather. Straw, as food, gives very little strength, 

 hence, for working animals, it will not paj- as well as if fed to store 

 cattle and yearlings. But it should always be mixed with meal or 

 cotton seed cake, or shorts. Win' not let it rot in a pile and use it 

 as manure ? Because if animal matter is mixed with decaying straw^ 



